COMSATS University Islamabad

Lahore Campus

Psychology Department

Media Communication

Topic :CURRENT CONDITION OF PAKISTAN FILM INDUSTRY

Submitted by:

Name: Hamza Riaz

Reg. No. FA19-BPY-063

Class: BS Psychology

Section: ‘’A’’

Submitted to: Prof. Shakeel Malik

Dated: 31 March 2020

Topic: Situation of Pakistani cinema from past to present

Present condition:

Cinema business dropped to almost 50 per cent in the last one year, according to
key stakeholders, who need at least one big (local) release each month to sustain the
industry. Three months into 2020, the state of cinemas in Pakistan looks bad. Over 30
films are scheduled to release this year but will they be enough to keep cinema business
going. On principle, 30 films should be enough to oil the now rusty cinema operations.

So what exactly is the problem?

Almost every producer wants to play safe and release their film during the holiday
season, whether it is Eid ul Fitr, Eid ul Azha or the New Year. This not only diminishes
business prospects for the films, and in turn cinemas, but also confuses cine-goers who
are left with nothing to watch the rest of the year. This year, we have two major films
releasing over Eid ul Fitr – The Legend of Maula Jatt and Tich Button  – and chances are
that other names will add to the list too.

What should Pakistani film industry do?

“The loss is huge and it cannot be recovered now but we might be able to do just
a little better in 2020 than 2019,” he admitted, adding that everyone involved needs to
reorganize themselves and cut their expenses to 50 per cent. “That is the only way to
survive, otherwise we will shut down.”

Situation in Punjab:

The situation in Punjab is even worse, given that there is a very small percentage
of audience that watches Hollywood films there. According to a source close to the
matter, 10 out of 17 screens have been shut during the last year.

Cinepax Cinemas, on the other hand, witnessed a loss of about 20-25 per cent last
year, according to Adnan Ali Khan – Head of Marketing and Sales at Cinepax Cinemas,
Pakistan.

Problems of Pakistani Film Industry:

There are multiple reasons why cinema houses across the country did not see as
much footfall as it did in 2018. According to Adnan Ali Khan, it is not the lack of Indian
content, rather it is Pakistani films that need to be made and placed carefully.

“Content coming out of Pakistan is concentrated,” he explained. “For instance,

four films are scheduled to release on Eid. We discourage this because it will affect
everyone’s business. It is better to release these films in isolation because there is enough
thirst in the market right now. But everyone is so cautious with their money that they
don’t want to release their films other than Eid.”

Cinemas and Screens in Pakistan:

“There are 75 cinemas with about 160 screens in Pakistan; out of these 75 sites,
there are only 10 to 12 where you get an English audience,” he continued, highlighting
that there was only so much business that Hollywood films could do. “English speaking
audience goes to a very few cinemas; they don’t go to every cinema. As long as these 11-
12 cinemas are concerned, they will keep on getting some business from Hollywood. But
the rest of the cinemas cannot survive without Pakistani products or Indian products.”

An Alarming Situation:

An alarming situation, Mandviwalla pointed out, is the lack of productions in

2020; films that have been announced to release in 2020 began their production in the last
couple of years. If there will be no productions this year, there will be no films to release
in 2021 or 2022. “In that case, we will have a shortage of Pakistani content too like we
are short on Indian content at present. You will be left with only Hollywood and 75
cinemas cannot survive with just that. It is a bad situation and I haven’t seen any good
happening in the last one year, whether it is from the stakeholders or from the
government. They talk about so much but I haven’t seen anything concrete.”

What should Pakistani film industry do?

Quality films with strong content releasing all year long seems to be the only
solution and the key to survival. More and more Pakistani productions are required for
pulling viewers to cinemas in the absence of Indian content.

“Films should be spread out throughout the year; we need at least one good,
commercial Pakistani film every month to keep the business going,” recommends
Kamran Yar Khan, who is at the helm of affairs at Nueplex Cinemas. “Only seven or
eight films out of over 20 films each year generate decent figures at the box office and
that is not enough for sustainability. The audience is intelligent and doesn’t want to waste
their money on below average films; we allot them screens but they don’t even survive
the weekend.”

It is about time Pakistan’s film industry implements ways to survive on its own
without any external support. Instead of temporary and personal gains, those who have
the expertise and resources need to come to the fore and support the industry. If we start
taking steps that will have a lasting impact, it will eventually be fruitful in the coming
years for everyone involved in the business.