BookMyShow's meme-based campaign helps the platform drive a traffic surge of 76% of pre-Covid levels

• BookMyShow has witnessed a hockey stick growth in user engagement, traffic and transactions almost nearing pre-covid levels on the platform within just the first ten days of cinemas opening up.
• Within the first ten days of movies like the Rohit Shetty-helmed Sooryavanshi, Superstar Rajnikanth’s Annaatthe, Marvel’s Eternals and Malayali Superstar Dulquer Salmaan’s Kurup releasing pan-India, daily consumer traffic surged to reach 76% of pre-covid levels on an average while user engagement has been steadily rising the charts already surpassing 66% of pre-covid levels on BookMyShow.
• The boost to consumer sentiment and its recovery has been driven by BookMyShow’s campaign #CinemaIsBack – a six-month campaign to encourage audiences to relive the magic of the big screen experience all over again.

Setting the tone for the recovery of India’s movie & cinema entertainment ecosystem, BookMyShow has witnessed a hockey stick growth in user engagement, traffic and transactions almost nearing pre-covid levels on the platform within just the first ten days of cinemas opening up with a stellar movie line-up including Rohit Shetty-helmed Sooryavanshi, Superstar Rajnikanth’s Annaatthe, Marvel’s Eternals and Malayali Superstar Dulquer Salmaan’s Kurup.

Within the first ten days of movies releasing pan-India, daily consumer traffic surged to reach 76% of pre-covid levels on an average while user engagement has been steadily rising the charts already surpassing 66% of pre-covid levels on BookMyShow. Consumers from Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Ahmedabad have been quickest to return back to the movies contributing 48% of the traffic recovery.

The boost to consumer sentiment and its recovery has been driven by BookMyShow’s campaign #CinemaIsBack – a six-month campaign to encourage audiences to relive the magic of the big screen experience all over again, with all safety measures intact. The #CinemaIsBack campaign is a re-imagination of the good old days of memorable entertainment experiences with friends and family in a new avatar, as people revisit their favourite forms of out-of-home entertainment experiences in the new normal.

Conceptualised and executed by BookMyShow’s in-house team, the campaign aims to target entertainment-lovers across age groups, geographic restrictions notwithstanding and social setups through various social media platforms, with the spotlight on the all-new out-of-home movie entertainment experience - different but not a shred less than earlier! The #CinemaIsBack campaign also emphasises the importance of health and safety measures, putting safety squarely at the centre of nostalgic and fun-filled entertainment experiences.

The quirky and nostalgic campaign is a visual, socially engaging and meme-based series executed on digital and social media and will be amplified across BookMyShow’s loyal customer base and potential new audiences both on the platform’s mobile app and website through mailers, push notifications along with social media platforms as also digital media to engage audiences through relevant video, visual and timely content that invokes the memory of watching their favourite movies on the big screen.

Additionally, as a part of the larger #CinemaIsBack campaign, BookMyShow will onboard upto 300 brand advocates to highlight the safety measures being undertaken at the cinemas and the experience of going back to theatres. The #CinemaIsBack brand advocates are actual, transacting BookMyShow users who have been long term loyalists of the brand using the platform for their movie viewing experience before the pandemic hit the industry. Lending authenticity and trust to the campaign, the initiative underscores the brand’s customer centric approach as cinephiles return to their favourite entertainment experiences.

Commenting on the campaign, Vamsi Murthy, Head – Marketing, BookMyShow said, “We are thrilled to launch our latest campaign #CinemaIsBack as the country gears up to witness the magic of big screens once again. With cinemas opening in India coupled with an exciting line up of big budget movies that have started to hit the screens from Diwali and for the next 6 months, we are excited to deliver and communicate an authentic, nostalgic and irreplaceable experience through the #CinemaIsBack campaign. The success of the campaign within the first 10 days itself has been phenomenal, setting the wheels of the business in motion with a tremendous surge in traffic, user engagement and ticket sales. Over the next few months, we look forward to welcoming film enthusiasts and cinephiles #BackToTheatres for a safe entertainment experience through this festive season and beyond. We are confident that the stage has been set, for a long-awaited revival of the cinema business in India with all the standard safety protocols in place.”

The surge in traffic has also provided a fillip to the business with transactions for Sooryavanshi, Annaatthe, Eternals and Kurup skyrocketing towards a complete recovery. The much-awaited Sooryavanshi has been making all the right moves as it crossed 2.6 million tickets sold within the first week while Annaatthe (Tamil) crossed 1.3 million tickets sold on BookMyShow becoming the first movie to hit the million mark on the platform after the second Unlock in 2021. Malayalam superstar Dulquer Salmaan’s Kurup clocked a stellar 800,000 plus tickets sold within the first weekend itself.

BookMyShow contributed over 40% of Sooryavanshi’s box office collections in India for the opening weekend with the movie hitting a peak of 21 tickets sold per second on Nov 6th becoming the highest ever peak for a Hindi movie on the platform. BookMyShow also clocked a stellar 52% contribution for Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Eternals’ box office collections in India with the movie crossing 700,000 tickets sold across languages and versions in 3D, IMAX and 4DX across cities in India on BookMyShow.