There is now one less reason to get up during a movie. Swiggy Dineout is enabling moviegoers to select cinema chains to order food and beverages directly to their seats, bringing another layer of convenience to the movie-going experience.
However, the service itself is not entirely new. PVR INOX has offered in-seat ordering through its app and QR codes for years. What’s more interesting is what the development represents. The cinema is gradually expanding from a place where audiences consume films into an environment where they can eat, shop, interact and experience brands.
The larger movement is already visible across multiplexes, with brands using cinema for everything from product sampling and photo opportunities to film-led activations and interactive experiences.
Gautam Dutta, CEO – Revenue & Operations, PVR INOX Limited, says the conversation with brands has changed. “At PVR INOX, we are seeing brands move from asking, ‘How can we advertise in cinemas?’ to ‘How can we become part of the cinema experience?’ That is a significant shift.”
The cinema journey is the new canvas
The opportunity for brands is no longer restricted to the few minutes before the film begins. There is the foyer, the food counter, the auditorium, the seat and increasingly the digital layer around the visit.
Film-linked brand activations are another growing piece of the puzzle. PVR INOX, for instance, had rolled out fashion-forward installations and themed experiences when Devil Wears Prada 2 was screened in April 2026. It encouraged moviegoers to interact with the space and create content of their own for their social media marketing. Its ‘WowWednesday’ initiative included themed dress-up activities such as asking guests to wear red heels for a chance to win free popcorn and official movie merchandise.
For Dutta, these experiences work because they allow brands to participate in multiple moments of the consumer journey. “Beyond the big-screen commercial, we are seeing greater interest in immersive installations, themed foyer takeovers, product discovery, sampling, interactive experiences, branded content integrations and film-led consumer journeys,” he says.
“Cinema offers something increasingly difficult to find in the digital ecosystem: a captive audience, a shared physical environment and a strong emotional state. People aren’t just sitting in a theatre; they have consciously chosen to be there, they are anticipating a story, and they are emotionally invested in the experience. That creates a very interesting canvas for brands,” says Jyoti Chugh Bhatia, Group Director, Gozoop Creative.
She believes the experiences that work best are those that feel like a natural extension of the outing rather than an advertisement forced into it. She adds, “If the experience makes someone think, ‘that was actually cool’ rather than ‘that was another brand activation,’ you have got it right.”
From interruption to participation
That distinction could become increasingly important as brands compete for attention across an overcrowded media landscape. Pramod Pawar, National Head – Quantitative Research, Hansa Research Group, says, “Cinemas are evolving into a broader experiential and engagement platform, with brands exploring in-theatre activations, sampling, branded experiences, influencer and content partnerships and interactive formats.”
The possibilities vary by category. Pawar mentions, “Food and beverage brands can use sampling, and combo offers to drive product trial. Automotive brands can display vehicles in cinema foyers and use QR-led experiences to generate leads. Beauty and fashion brands can build themed installations and photo zones around major film releases, giving audiences something to photograph and share.”
And then there is the growing role of entertainment IP. A film, gaming property or character no longer has to remain confined to the screen. These can be included in food, fashion, collectables, games and experiences around the theatre.
Shipra Dubey, Founder, The Good Old Brands, believes that is where the opportunity gets particularly interesting. “The next evolution of cinema advertising is when the consumer stops feeling like they’re being advertised to and starts feeling like they’re being invited to participate.”
Dubey points to examples such as Happydent working with PVR INOX on interactive cinema experiences and Luxor Crayola using the Spider-Man release to create interactive creativity zones for families. She also sees potential for gaming IPs to move into cinema spaces, with gaming arenas where audiences can play, compete and return for new challenges.
But the screen still pays the bills
The challenge, however, is making this opportunity meaningful at scale. Ashok Lalla, an Independent Brand and Digital Advisor, points out, “Cinema spaces are already tight, and operators have to weigh the value of an activation against the revenue a screen could generate.” For brands, meanwhile, the experience has to offer audiences a reason to participate rather than simply another message to consume.
That is where the distinction between advertising and experience becomes important. “The strongest ideas will be the ones where the brand adds something to the consumer’s evening—convenience, entertainment, surprise, participation or even a shareable moment,” says Bhatia.
PVR INOX is already seeing that broader role emerge, with the company looking beyond films to live sport, concerts, comedy, gaming, fan events and brand-led experiences. Dutta says, “The aim is to make cinema a more dependable, year-round platform for both entertainment and consumer engagement.”
The screen, then, isn’t going anywhere. But the business around it is getting considerably more interesting. For marketers, the question is no longer simply how to get in front of a cinema audience. It is how to give that audience something worth experiencing once they are there.
