New Delhi, April 22 -- Growth in India's theatre screen count was driven by the Hindi-speaking markets that saw a 6% rise in cinema screens in 2023 as compared to 2022, according to the latest Ficci EY media and entertainment industry report. In contrast, southern markets saw a 2% increase in screens while the figure stood at 4% for the east.

Overall, south India has 47% of all screens in the country. As of 2023, there are 4,573 cinema screens in the south and 5,169 in the rest of the country. After five years of dwindling figures, the number of screens increased by 4% to surpass 2018 levels last year, the report said. The period of the pandemic had seen several theatres, especially single screens, shut shop across the country. According...