In India, cricket is more than just a game, it’s a thread weaving together the nation’s spirit. Every time the national team takes the field, the passion extends beyond stadiums and television sets, transforming into a cultural moment that marketers, broadcasters, and brands have long tapped into. This year, that moment has expanded to a new stage: cinema halls. PVR INOX, in partnership with ITW Universe and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), brought the Asia Cup 2025 live to theatres across the country, transforming multiplexes into fan zones where audiences could cheer, clap, and experience cricket collectively.
The Asia Cup screenings are not a one-off experiment, it's a part of a larger trend where cinemas are experimenting with ‘alternative content.’ Concerts, award shows, and even global sporting events like the FIFA World Cup have made appearances on the big screen. But cricket, with its unparalleled ability to unite people across age and geography, adds a whole new layer of impact. By partnering with ITW Universe and the Asian Cricket Council, PVR INOX is not only creating a fresh entertainment experience but also opening new doors for advertisers looking to connect with audiences in a high-energy, community-driven environment.
From a business perspective, the screenings are more than a novelty; they are a strategic response to shifting audience behavior. Aamer Bijli, Lead Specialist – Innovation, Film Marketing, and Digital Programming, PVR INOX, highlights the strong response, “The Asia Cup 2025 screenings have shown us how deeply cricket connects our audiences. The electrifying atmosphere during the India-Pakistan clash on Sunday was nothing short of remarkable, with cinemas across some cities reaching 80–90% occupancy. Fans were cheering, clapping, and living every moment together, just like inside a stadium. Through our partnership with ITW Universe and the Asian Cricket Council, we are able to offer a live, ad-free, stadium-to-screen experience in over 150 cinemas. This unique initiative is part of our commitment to bring alternative content that excites, entertains, and brings communities together. At PVR INOX, we want every cricket fan to feel the thrill of the game in the most immersive and high-quality setting possible.”
The impact is clear: cricket drives footfall, especially at a time when cinemas are constantly competing with OTT platforms for audience attention. By positioning themselves as venues for live events and not just films, PVR INOX is diversifying its business model, ensuring steady occupancy beyond blockbuster releases.
Complementing PVR INOX’s role as a venue partner, ITW Universe stepped in to craft the experience itself. Bhairav Shanth, MD, ITW Consulting, explained how the collaboration was designed not just to broadcast matches but to make them memorable, “Public exhibition of live sports events is not a new avenue by itself, but it has so far been an overlooked and underrated avenue. At ITW we have had experience with fan parks and screenings during previous cricket World Cups and other tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup and the IPL, and we have seen elevated levels of engagement. So we discussed with the ACC in terms of acquiring these rights and using the rights to create a whole new experiential package around them. ITW has 360-degree capabilities in bringing together event staging and marketing capabilities as well as enhancing and enriching the viewing audience beyond it being just a one-way event.”
Shanth also emphasized that the screenings were deliberately structured to avoid feeling like conventional advertising and instead offer more organic opportunities for brand presence, “While we incorporate elements of branding and brand engagement in the entire experience, the watching experience is ad-free providing the crowd their own space to engage and enjoy rather than being subject to force-fitted ads. For sponsors of those events it becomes an extended activation avenue. Cinemas can become fantastic secondary activation venues for major sporting events where brands can have activational engagement rather than through passive ads which brings in authenticity and makes the whole experience memorable.”
What sets the cinema screenings apart is the high energy inside the hall. Unlike home viewing, a theatre screening magnifies the emotions of a match. Fans don’t just watch, they participate. Every wicket taken and every six hit becomes a collective celebration. This difference in energy has also caught the attention of agencies and marketers. Sanjana Chetan, Senior Strategist, DDB Mudra Group, points out the advertising nuances of such an environment, "Live match screenings in theatres, especially for a sport like cricket, tend to be very charged: a world apart from passively consuming content on one's couch. The energy and collective participation make the audience's engagement feel closer to the world of gaming. That makes it a valuable opportunity, but also a tricky one. Ads that feel disruptive can backfire, taking regular cinema advertising out of the running. The smarter play? To show up like a fan. Brands could look at sponsoring ‘watch parties’, branding the moment, perhaps even amplifying it with exclusive perks and swag. Adding to the energy, but never breaking it.”
With such enthusiasm in play, the measurement of success goes beyond simple ticket sales. While footfalls remain the most obvious metric, ITW Consulting is also looking deeper into the quality of engagement and brand perception. As Shanth elaborates, the initiative isn’t just about numbers but about how fans feel about the brands associated with the screenings. Positive sentiment, emotional connection, and recall could ultimately prove more valuable than raw attendance. For cinemas, too, the success isn’t only in ticket sales. Higher footfalls often translate into increased F&B revenue, popcorn and cola still being big drivers. Moreover, with advertisers seeing multiplexes as credible venues for premium activations, theatres gain another revenue stream.
For advertisers, this shift is more than just an extension of cinema advertising, it’s an opportunity to own a moment of passion. Traditional cinema ads rely on captive attention before the film begins, but during match screenings, the context changes entirely. Fans are emotionally invested, charged, and highly engaged. In such a setting, activations that feel part of the celebration, rather than interruptions, can have a far deeper impact. This is why brands like Spinny, Hero, Groww, and Wonder Cement, which are already aligned with the Asia Cup, find screenings to be a secondary stage to connect with audiences in real time. For others, it opens the possibility of experimenting with on-ground activations, team merchandise giveaways, cheer kits, or digital contests amplified inside theatres. From a marketing perspective, theatre screenings blur the line between live sports sponsorship and experiential marketing. Instead of treating advertising as a separate layer, brands can integrate themselves into the energy of the event.
If the Asia Cup screenings are any indication, the future of cinema in India may not be limited to film alone. Live sports screenings could evolve into a regular fixture, positioning theatres as cultural hubs where people come together for experiences that go beyond storytelling on screen. For PVR INOX, this could mean a steady new stream of revenue and stronger engagement with younger, experience-seeking audiences. And for advertisers, it unlocks a new frontier, where brands can align with raw, collective emotion and activate themselves in ways that are memorable, immersive, and authentic.
The question now is whether this model becomes sustainable beyond marquee events like India-Pakistan clashes. While those matches guarantee packed houses, smaller games may not always replicate the same energy. Yet, with India’s deep love for cricket and cinema, the potential remains vast. As cinemas look to future-proof themselves, live sports may well become the blockbuster they’ve been searching for.
