WAVES 2025: Aamir stunned by low theater count in India
What's the story
At WAVES 2025, actor Aamir Khan made a shocking revelation about the Indian film industry, drawing a comparison with global cinema.
He stressed India's lack of theater infrastructure, saying, "I have always believed that in India, we have very few theaters compared to our population and size."
Khan highlighted how India has some 10,000 screens while the US, with a third of India's population, has about 40,000 screens.
China's advantage
Khan highlighted China's superior theater infrastructure
Khan further highlighted China's theater infrastructure, saying, "China, in comparison, has approximately 90,000 screens."
He also pointed out that out of India's 10,000 screens, half are in the South and the rest are spread across the country.
He added that a typical Hindi film releases on a maximum of 5,000 screens and even the biggest hits have only drawn a theatrical footfall of around three crore people.
Audience turnout
'Surprisingly, only few people watch most successful films in theaters'
Despite India's image as a cinema-loving country, Khan was surprised by the turnout for successful films.
He said, "It's surprising that only a small fraction of people watch the most successful films in theaters."
This highlights the difference between India's love for cinema and the real number of people turning up for theatrical releases.
Twitter Post
Khan at WAVES 2025
#AamirKhan makes a big statement at #WavesSummit2025, highlighting how foreign countries are way ahead of us in the film industry and emphasizing that India needs more theaters, as only 2% of our population watches films in theaters!#pinkvillapic.twitter.com/Ctr67tgWWT
— Pinkvilla (@pinkvilla) May 2, 2025
Summit details
WAVES 2025: A star-studded event in Mumbai
The WAVES 2025, which kicked off on Thursday, is a grand entertainment spectacle hosted by the Government of India to showcase the country's vibrant media and entertainment sector.
The four-day event, being held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex, has drawn an impressive star-studded lineup.
It includes celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar, Hema Malini, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal, among others.