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The recent news circulating online that 46 cinemas have closed in Pakistan in the past few years is unfortunate but not entirely surprising. As a filmmaker, I see this not just as a business setback but as an anthropological and cultural shift — one that we have failed to address over the years.

The conversation often revolves around high ticket prices and declining audience numbers, but the real issue is that cinema-going is a habit, and, like any cultural practice, it takes time, accessibility, and consistency to develop. Over the years, we have transitioned from single-screen cinemas — where film-watching was a communal and affordable experience — to high-end cineplexes in shopping malls. While this shift modernised infrastructure, it also excluded a large segment of society from the cinema experience.

From an anthropological standpoint, malls are not neutral public spaces; they are designed for a particular economic class, with security checks, social hierarchies, and an environment that reinforces exclusivity. For someone from a lower-income background, entering a mall is not just about purchasing a ticket — it’s about overcoming an unspoken social barrier. This psychological divide means that cinema, once an accessible cultural activity, has now become a luxury that many cannot afford, not just financially but socially as well.

In addition to these structural barriers, audience behaviour has evolved. People have become accustomed to convenience in all aspects of life — from ordering food and shopping online to consuming entertainment at home. The rise of streaming platforms has further reinforced this shift, making cinema-going seem less necessary. If we want to rebuild this habit, we need to rethink how and where we exhibit films.

Rather than relying solely on multiplexes, which are expensive to build and maintain, we should use existing community spaces for film screenings. Over the past year, we have seen strong audience turnouts at cultural and literary festivals, proving that people are still willing to engage with public events when given the right opportunity. If films were screened in community venues — arts councils, cultural centres, and public auditoriums — at affordable prices, audiences would attend. These venues already exist across the country but remain underutilised. The real challenge is not just pricing — it is about creating a habitual, accessible, and socially inclusive cinema culture.

However, accessibility alone is not enough — cinema also needs content. Without a steady flow of compelling films, even the most affordable and well-placed screenings will struggle to sustain audiences. But this works in a cycle: if people have access to regular, low-cost screenings in familiar spaces, their engagement with films will grow. And as demand increases, the industry will naturally respond with better and more frequent content.

We often hear that Pakistani audiences don’t go to the cinema but the real question is: where is the cinema for them to go to? If the only option is an expensive cineplex in a mall, then of course, many will opt to stay home. This is not just a matter of ticket prices, it is an anthropological issue of access, social dynamics, and habit formation.

Cinema closures are not just about financial loss; they signify a wider cultural disconnect. If we want to sustain a film industry, we must first ensure that watching films remains a shared public experience, not an occasional privilege. Before we question ticket prices, we need to ask: have we truly made cinema accessible to the people?