# Anand Pandit says theatres must give compelling reason to step out 2026-08-21T13:37:00+00:00 | Entertainment | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Producer Anand Pandit has said that post-pandemic, cinemas face a tougher challenge as audiences now compare the theatre experience with high-quality home setups, including large televisions and streaming platforms. He noted that simply offering a bigger screen is no longer enough to draw viewers out of their homes. As of August 2026, India has about 35 IMAX screens, 12 EPIQ screens and four Dolby Cinema screens, mostly in metro and Tier-1 cities. Pandit said this limited premium large-format infrastructure also affects how filmmakers approach scale, because accessible premium screens could encourage more large-format filmmaking. Pandit argued that theatres must raise technical standards to offer picture quality and sound that home systems cannot match. He added that a stronger PLF network would benefit audiences, exhibitors and filmmakers alike. ## Indian Opinion Analysis India's premium screen count remains tiny relative to its total of over 9,000 single screens and multiplexes. The government's National Exhibition Policy, still under discussion, does not mandate PLF expansion. For a film like The Odyssey to recover its cost in India, the current 35 IMAX screens would need to run near full for weeks. The realistic next step is whether multiplex chains such as PVR INOX or Cinepolis announce new PLF installations in the next two quarterly earnings calls. ## Coverage - bollywoodhungama.com Article quotes Pandit's views without editorialising, frames as industry commentary. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Anand Pandit, Christopher Nolan, Dolby Cinema, IMAX, PVR INOX, The Odyssey Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/anand-pandit-says-theatres-must-give-compelling-reason-to-step-out/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/anand-pandit-says-theatres-must-give-compelling-reason-to-step-out/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/