According to brokerage Prabhudas Lilladher, PVR INOX, the country's largest multiplex chain, has officially returned to profitability with consolidated net profit of ₹565 crore in the June quarter, marking a significant turnaround from the ₹47.3 crore loss posted in the year-ago period. The multiplex operator's strong performance is now confirmed with revenue from operations advancing 11.9% YoY and 4.8% QoQ to ₹1,622 crore in the June quarter, up from ₹1,449.6 crore in the April-June quarter of the previous year. As reported by The Economic Times, the company's profit before tax stood at ₹75.70 crore in Q1 FY27 against a loss before tax of ₹63.20 crore in Q1 FY26, with EBITDA margin expanding to 14% from 8.2% a year earlier. The company also reported adjusted EBITDA of ₹229.60 crore, up 90% YoY, demonstrating improved operational efficiency and operational efficiencies that drove profitability out of the core movie exhibition business alongside strong contributions from food and beverage segment and advertising.
Industry-wide box office collections rose 20% year-on-year to ₹2,760 crore in the June quarter, driven by a robust content slate including Peddi, Karuppu, Bhooth Bangla, Vaazha 2 and Drishyam 3. According to consulting firm Ormax Media, cumulative box-office collections for films released between January and June stood at ₹6,398 crore, making it the highest first-half box office since the pandemic. This represents ₹650 crore more than the year-ago period and follows a record January-June performance. As reported by The Economic Times, PVR INOX noted that India's total box office collections grew 20% year-on-year this quarter, with broad-based growth - across metros as well as Tier II and Tier III markets, across a wider set of successful mid-scale films, and across languages. The strong industry performance has directly contributed to PVR INOX's successful turnaround strategy.
The strong performance is attributed to a handful of blockbuster films, with six movies crossing the ₹200-crore mark in the first six months, against four in the previous year. Dhurandhar: The Revenge alone contributed 20% to first-half box office collections, while the top 15 films accounted for 58% of total collections, up from 49% in 2025. According to Ormax Media, the year's performance was powered by Hindi and Telugu cinema, with five Hindi and four Telugu films among the top 15 highest-grossing releases.
The industry's recovery is being driven by increased footfalls, which rose 8% YoY to 36.6 million patrons in the first half of 2026 after three years of stagnant or declining admissions. As reported by The Economic Times, the average ticket price (ATP) increased 8% to ₹273, while spend per head on food and beverages rose 9% to ₹161. Ticket sales grew 16% while food and beverage sales increased 17% over the year-ago period. With an even stronger release calendar lined up for the second half, including Ramayana: Part 1, King, Toxic, Fauzi, Jailer 2, Avengers: Doomsday and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the industry is betting on continued momentum.
According to The Economic Times, PVR INOX has achieved a significant milestone by turning net cash positive, reporting net cash of ₹80.70 crore as of June 30, 2026, compared with net debt of ₹1,430.40 crore at the time of the merger. The company will continue its capital-light expansion strategy and remains on track to open 90-100 new screens during FY27. As of June 30, 2026, it operated 1,779 screens across 113 cities in India and Sri Lanka. Commenting on the performance, PVR INOX managing director Ajay Bijli said the quarter reflected the structural strength built over the past three years, with broad-based industry growth, improved operating metrics and a net cash-positive balance sheet. He added that a strong pipeline of Hindi, regional and Hollywood releases provides confidence in the theatrical outlook for the remainder of FY27.
