Despite being one of the world’s largest film producers, India’s cinema screen density remains among the lowest globally at just six per million people, compared with 125 in the US and 30 in China.
The country has fewer than 10,000 screens in total, with approximately 9,927 in operation as of 2024, according to the Producers Guild of India.
To address this, the MIB plans to form a dedicated committee with stakeholders from multiple organisations to recommend measures for expanding screen infrastructure across the country, people cited above said.
On August 5, the ministry convened a high-level conference with state and union territory information and public relations (I&PR) secretaries.
The meeting, attended by minister of state for information and broadcasting (I&B) L Murugan and I&B secretary Sanjay Jaju, focused on practical measures such as identifying underserved areas through GIS mapping, repurposing existing public infrastructure, easing approvals with single-window licensing, and creating tax and land policy incentives to draw private investment into affordable cinemas.The matter was again raised on August 11 during a meeting between the Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) national council on media and entertainment and Jaju.“The central government is committed to improving screen density in the country and they’re doing the heavy lifting here,” said Gaurav Banerjee, chairman of CII’s national council on M&E. “It will also need equal participation from state governments, and as an industry, we will obviously be engaging with them.”Banerjee, who is also managing director and CEO of Sony Pictures Networks India, noted that the challenge is fundamentally about access. Smaller towns and rural areas often lack nearby cinemas, restricting theatrical access for a large segment of the population.
Outdated regulations have compounded the problem over time, he added.
According to a Ficci-EY report, only 6% of India’s population enters a cinema hall in a given year, with audiences relying instead on lower-cost alternatives such as TV and OTT platforms.
Yet, box office collections remain strong. With gross revenues of ₹11,833 crore, 2024 was India’s second-best year ever at the box office, behind 2023’s record ₹12,226 crore, as per Ormax Media. Collections from January to July 2025 have already reached ₹7,175 crore, 22% higher than the same period last year.
At the current pace, the domestic box office is projected to cross ₹12,000 crore in 2025, with a chance of surpassing the 2023 peak.
