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AI in Multiplexes, the ‘cold open’ scene is here

Would AI remove all the walls in, and around, Cinema; or would it create very personalized boxes for every viewer? Here’s a peek. No Spoilers here. But some Stingers for sure.

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DQINDIA Online
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Has technology moved from being just a Gaffer to a Show-runner? Will AI become less of a non-diegetic sound and more of a diegetic one? And most importantly, will content continue to chase the challenge of being a Foley-sound when it comes to new technology scripts – inserted way later after the main scene is shot? Also, while we are at ‘breaking the third wall’, how soon can we have ‘Bandersnatch’ moments in India? Many plot twists are happening in the tale of technology in the land of theatres. And India’s leading film exhibition company- with 1744 Screens across 355 properties in 111 cities (India and Sri Lanka) at the last count – seems to be already doing a thrilling and smooth swish-pan move across AI, Audience and new Cinema experiences. Jitender Verma, Chief Information Officer, PVR INOX Limited gives us a thrilling match-cut shot of cool technology and futuristic Cinema experiences. Let’s ‘dolly zoom’ in, shall we?

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We are trying to expand and align with the viewer’s appetite which is not restricted to films. That’s why it cannot be challenged by OTT.

Give us please, first, a jump-cut view of PVR and Inox coming together- from the angle of integrating all the IT, on both sides?

It was an exciting journey that began one and a half years back. Our priority was back-end integration. We first covered various systems that were critical and related to operations. Our approach was to adopt one of the two systems for areas like sales, PoS, Payments, infrastructure etc. We rolled out these projects and completed them in March last year. There were some systems which were kept common in the combined entity. The next leg of integration was on B2C areas of our roadmap. Here we covered websites, apps and relaunched some areas. We still have separate apps for PVR and Inox because we do not want to interfere with customer comfort and brand recall too soon- but we have tried to create a unified customer journey. The apps, however, use cross-pollination of inventory and standardized systems. Everything is running smoothly.

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Any wrinkles or lessons that you can share for other CIOs who are trying such a cross-fade?

All I can say is ‘plan better’. Our challenge was the need for uptime. Cinemas need 18 hours of uptime. So, we did parallel system-runs. Before rolling out anything at 200 locations, we did five pilots at some properties. These were carried out for two months and then, later, we followed with a full roll-out. The next focus now is on guest experiences and new technology use.

That’s a good cue to talk about AI- and your new offering - Movie Jockey. Tell us about it and especially how deep and how easy is your ‘take’ on personalisation with it?

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We have three areas of focus when it comes to where we want to go with technology. Customer experiences (internal and external), cost efficiency and revenue enhancement. This is the first leg where we want the guest experiences to be smooth and fast with a movie booking of their choice without needing to go through other layers. Movie Jockey (MJ) is powered by Meta and it is a virtual assistant available on WhatsApp, the PVR app, and the website. It leverages AI-powered technology to deliver personalised, intuitive, and multilingual ticket-booking experiences 24/7. The idea is to elevate the movie discovery and booking experience for cinema enthusiasts across the country. This would be done by leveraging the familiarity and convenience of WhatsApp, prioritising accessibility, allowing users to receive personalised movie recommendations, make seamless bookings, and access all essential movie details, right at their fingertips. It is based on ChatGPT 4 and the idea is to improve guest experience but it will also keep learning from an individual’s history, choices etc. to build a persona. It can, then, give recommendations which are truly ‘bespoke’. There will also be customised services in other areas like seating, food and beverages.

Does that mean that AI may finally fix the cliffhanger that always haunts this industry- which movie/content to bet on? Having some idea of what the audience may like?

I would say that, presently, we have chosen to fix ‘movie discovery’ as a problem. We release a couple of movies every week and help a viewer to be aware of them, and schedule them with the right recommendations- that can be done with AI because now it will understand a viewer at a one-to-one level.

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Movie-watching is a collective experience and that’s why theatres still have an edge over other platforms. Would very deep personalisation be an irony? Like a truly interactive Bandersnatch-like movie where a viewer can choose scenes and script endings while watching a movie? Would it be possible soon?

I remember some companies in the USA were trying stuff like this. I think- as of now- that’s a long way to go.

When I experienced ‘The Sphere’ in Las Vegas, my first doubt was – would we have the right content to match this kind of technology and experience? Do you think content is a challenge when it comes to bold advancements in technology for this industry?

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I have a different view on it. Our approach to content is vast and diverse – we also cover sports, live events, stand-up comedy shows, concerts, BTS material etc. We are trying to expand and align with the viewer’s appetite which is not restricted to films. That’s why it cannot be nullified by OTT.

Any new shifts that you have witnessed? Also would OTT-Multiplexes explore a new season where they come together – with all the possibilities like VR co-streaming and screen-size-based content that technology can offer?

Curated shows and re-releases are doing well. So are low-budget, but well-made, movies. As to OTT, the lockdowns were a blessing in disguise because they opened people to the idea of watching dubbed content. Also, thanks to the taste expansion during lockdowns, now there is a lot of cross-pollination of casting and promotions with vernacular Cinema. A movie like ‘Pushpa 2’ is now feeling a lot of excitement and promotions done by top stars in the Hindi belt too. We are not exploring any OTT collaboration options right now.

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What about collaborating with the gaming industry?

We are already into Esports. We have partnered with the ESFI and have created tournaments. Some players have even gone to next levels of global challenge. We are not averse to the idea that a theatre screen would be used as a screen in any way a viewer prefers – even for gaming. Then movies just happen to be one more thing a viewer comes for.

Any post-credit scene you can give before we wrap up?

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We are excited about AI. It’s the next big wave, for sure. It is on our roadmap. We are exploring it for cost efficiency, operational efficiency etc. A lot of areas are underway over the next 18-month roadmap- like showtime planning, yield management, better revenue management. Watch out.

Jitender Verma

Chief Information Officer, PVR INOX Limited

By Pratima H

pratimah@cybermedia.co.in

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