Cinépolis is betting big on food to drive its next phase of growth. With Foovies, the multiplex chain is merging dining and movies into one seamless outing.
For decades, the template for an evening out has been stubbornly predictable: dinner at a restaurant, followed by a movie. Cinépolis India wants to turn that script inside out. With the launch of Foovies, the multiplex chain is pushing a simple idea — don’t split the evening, do it all under one roof.
“At Cinépolis, we don’t just showcase films, we craft experiences,” says Devang Sampat, Managing Director, Cinepolis, leaning into the philosophy behind the move. “Foovies is our bold step to make every movie visit an immersive lifestyle indulgence, blending the joy of cinema with the comfort of world-class food.”
Foovies is live across all of Cinépolis India’s 449 screens from day one, backed by discounts and loyalty integration through Club Cinépolis- a multi-benefit loyalty program, that enhances the movie-watching experience with free registration, points rewards, pre-screening invites, and star visits. But behind the glossy campaign lies a serious business bet: food could become as important as films to Cinépolis’s growth.
The numbers are compelling. “In India, consumers spend approximately Rs 0.5 on food for every Rs 1 spent on tickets, a 50% ratio,” Sampat says. “In our global markets, we’ve achieved ratios as high as 200%. This gap indicates substantial headroom for growth in the Indian market. In the short term, we expect this to reach around 80–100%.”
For a sector often criticised for its overdependence on box office cycles, F&B is the stabiliser. A strong food business cushions weak release slates, lifts margins, and keeps customers lingering longer. If Cinépolis can double its F&B-to-ticket ratio, it not only grows revenues but also redefines what a multiplex stands for in India.
The timing is deliberate. Indian consumer behavior, especially in metros and Tier I cities, has shifted sharply in the last decade. A movie outing is less about a single film and more about a curated evening.
“Today’s consumers, especially millennials and Gen Z, view cinema visits as complete social experiences rather than just movie watching,” Sampat notes. “Foovies transforms our multiplexes into lifestyle destinations by offering restaurant-quality dining alongside movies. The concept works perfectly for celebrations, date nights, and family outings.”
Cinépolis is essentially borrowing a playbook from the restaurant industry. By positioning itself as a dining destination, it claims a larger share of the consumer’s “experience wallet.” Why dine elsewhere when the theatre can deliver a comparable meal without breaking the flow of the evening?
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Internationally, dine-in cinemas are hardly novel. Chains in the U.S., Latin America, and parts of Europe have long experimented with elevated menus and restaurant partnerships. But Sampat insists Foovies isn’t a cut-and-paste concept.
“Our approach combines global standards with local sensibilities. We offer an extensive range spanning international favourites to authentic local dishes,” he says. “For instance, our popcorn kernels are sourced from premium corn fields internationally, and we ensure sustainable sourcing of our raw materials through partnerships with leading FMCG companies including McCain, ITC, Godrej, Baskin Robbins, Coca Cola, and Mondelez.”
That duality-nachos and samosas on the same menu is what Cinépolis hopes will resonate. The ambition is not to mimic a five-star hotel menu but to strike the balance between comfort, indulgence, and familiarity.
One of the surprising aspects of Foovies is that it didn’t require a huge capital outlay. “Our kitchens were already equipped with state-of-the-art machines and equipment, giving us a strong foundation to build upon,” Sampat explains. “With Foovies, we’re pushing the envelope on variety and positioning Cinépolis as a lifestyle destination rather than making heavy infrastructure investments from scratch.”
This lean approach means the project’s ROI depends less on recovering sunk costs and more on driving incremental consumption. The gamble is that Indian audiences who are conditioned to grumble about “expensive popcorn” will willingly pay more if the experience feels richer and the quality is evident.
Another differentiator- Cinépolis has kept the menu development process entirely in-house. Sampat frames it as a deliberate decision. “Our entire menu is developed in-house through close consultation with our partners and based on continuous feedback from our patrons. This ensures we maintain quality control while remaining responsive to customer preferences and market trends.”
That feedback loop is critical. Unlike a restaurant that can afford to trial dishes slowly, multiplexes deal in scale, hundreds of thousands of customers per weekend. Every menu tweak echoes across locations, making agility and consistency equally important.
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Multiplex rivals are also upgrading their F&B offerings. PVR Inox has been experimenting with curated menus, partnerships with celebrity chefs, and premium dining lounges. The risk is that Foovies is seen as just another menu expansion. Sampat pushes back firmly.
“Foovies isn’t just about better food, it’s about changing how people think about cinema visits. We are creating a complete dining experience that rivals standalone restaurants,” he argues. “We’re reimagining the entire cinema experience as a lifestyle destination going beyond just popcorn and soda.”
By framing Foovies as a lifestyle pivot, not just an operational tweak, Cinépolis hopes to escape the commoditisation trap. The goal is to own the entire evening, not just the two hours of screen time.
Foovies is not the endgame. Cinépolis India, part of the Mexican exhibitor with a 54-year legacy, continues to expand screens and experiment with formats. Sampat says the company is pursuing a twin-track growth model: developer partnerships where landlords co-invest in multiplex infrastructure, and direct investments in strategic locations.
“We remain committed to continuous innovation and expansion,” he says. “Our growth strategy encompasses both developer partnership models and direct investment approaches. We’re highly optimistic about the Indian exhibition sector and will continue investing to deliver the best cinema experience possible.”
Cinépolis’s Foovies gamble is about more than snacks. It’s a bid to reposition what cinemas mean to Indian consumers. In an age when OTT platforms threaten to make theatre-going optional, the industry’s defense lies in making the experience irreplaceable. Recliners and sound systems are table stakes. And that’s why Sampat insists Foovies isn’t a passing fad. It’s an argument that the cinema isn’t just where you watch — it’s where you eat, celebrate, and live out a larger slice of life. Or as he puts it: “We don’t just want to sell tickets. We want to sell the evening.”
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