When “Top Gun Maverick” and “Avatar: The Way of Water” opened in Indian cinemas audiences poured into IMAX and 4DX auditoriums. However exhibitors don’t always have Hollywood blockbusters to show and these premium format screens often remain dormant or offer standard 2D titles.

Though IMAX and 4DX are attempting to grow their footprint in the country they are struggling to provide enough movies to keep premium auditoriums operational according to industry analysts in India. Premium formats account for 15-20% of exhibitors’ revenue, leading exhibitors to wonder whether it’s worth offering them at all.

“India is yet to emerge as a meaningful market for large formats like IMAX. While Hollywood studios are big on converting their films into such formats, the trend is relatively new in India, and the amount of money producers can spend on VFX is significantly lower here, and nowhere close to Hollywood,” said Mohan Umrotkar, an industry expert and the former CEO of Carnival Cinemas, about the prospect of getting local language productions released in premium formats.