There’s something slightly off about the movie-going experience these days, and if you’ve watched Dhurandhar in theatres, you’ve probably felt it yourself.
You book your tickets, reach on time, settle into your seat, expecting the film to begin. Instead, what starts is a long stretch of advertisements. Not the usual few minutes that people are used to, but a continuous flow that can go on for 30 minutes or more.
By the time the actual film begins, you’re already a little tired, a little restless.
Now here’s the thing. Dhurandhar itself is a long film, almost four hours. So watching it in theatres is already a commitment. People plan their day around it. They adjust schedules, meals, even travel. But when you add another half hour of ads before it even starts, that commitment begins to feel like a test of patience.
From a business point of view, it’s easy to understand what’s happening. The film is a big draw. Theatres are packed. For advertisers, this is the perfect situation — a captive audience with no option to skip or switch. And for exhibitors, it’s an opportunity to earn more by showing more ads.
Simple logic. More people means more ads. More ads means more money.
But somewhere in this, the audience is being taken for granted.
Because this isn’t just about watching ads. It’s about time. When a showtime says 7:00 PM, people expect the film to start around then, not half an hour later. That gap may seem small on paper, but in reality, it changes the entire experience.
Instead of excitement, the film begins with irritation.
And that irritation doesn’t just disappear once the movie starts. It stays. It becomes part of the overall memory of the experience.
That’s where things get interesting, and a bit worrying.
Because this doesn’t just affect how people feel in that moment. It slowly affects future choices. The next time someone plans to watch a film, a thought creeps in — is it worth going through all that again?
And today, there’s an easy alternative. Just wait.
With OTT platforms, people know that films will eventually arrive at home. No ads. No fixed timing. No long wait before the film starts. Just press play when you want.
So what begins as a small annoyance can slowly turn into a habit shift.
Families may decide to skip theatres for certain films. Casual viewers may wait for OTT. Even those who go once may not feel like repeating the experience.
And that’s where the larger risk lies.
Because films like Dhurandhar depend a lot on footfall and repeat viewing. If the conversation around the film starts including complaints about long ad durations, it can quietly reduce that momentum. Not dramatically, but enough to matter.
There’s also another side to this. When people are forced to sit through too many ads, they don’t engage with them. They switch off mentally. What was meant to capture attention ends up creating annoyance. And that doesn’t help advertisers either.
In trying to maximise every available minute, theatres may actually be reducing the value of the experience they are offering.
Cinema has always been about immersion. A break from the outside world. But when the first 30 minutes feel like something you’re forced to sit through rather than choose, that immersion takes a hit.
The irony is hard to miss. A film that brings people into theatres is also exposing them to an experience that might make them think twice about coming back.
In the short term, it works. More ads, more revenue.
But in the long term, it raises a simple question — how much is too much?
Because if the theatre experience starts feeling less convenient and less respectful of time than watching at home, people will slowly choose what feels easier.
And once that shift begins, it’s not easy to reverse.