Food is not just the sidekick at the movies anymore, it is slowly becoming part of the main show. Indian audiences are increasingly pairing cinema with upgraded snacking, seeking more flavour, more comfort, and more excitement than the traditional popcorn-and-cola combo. As food becomes a bigger part of the moviegoing ritual, the question becomes simple: what movie lovers actually want to eat while watching a film, and how do you find that answer at scale?
That’s where the Blockbuster Food Festival steps in, a nationwide taste-test experiment inviting audiences to decide what stays on the menu for the long run.
All of this falls under the FOOVIES platform by Cinépolis.
On Friday, Cinépolis India has kicked off the ‘Blockbuster Food Festival’, a three-month menu innovation campaign running January to March across its national circuit. More than 21 new food items will be tested live across audiences, with only the top performers making it to the permanent FOOVIES (food and movies) menu at the end of the festival. With 491 screens across 41 cities, the company is turning its footprint into a real-time R&D lab for cinema dining.
India’s F&B-to-ticket spend ratio currently stands at just 50 to 55 percent, compared to the global average of 100 percent. In simple terms, for every rupee spent on tickets globally, another rupee is spent on food, but Indian cinemas are only halfway there. Cinépolis sees this gap as headroom for growth and is betting on continuous menu innovation to close it.
Speaking on the launch, Devang Sampat, Managing Director of Cinépolis India, said food is no longer an afterthought for moviegoers but part of the full experience. He shared that FOOVIES is built on an innovate, listen and adopt approach where customer preference determines what ultimately stays on the menu.
What’s Cooking at the Blockbuster Food Festival:
New dishes tested under FOOVIES include a mix of regional, comfort and indulgent categories, such as:
- Desi Chicken Keema with Kulcha
- Hot Garlic Kurkure Momos
- Dal Vada Tikki
- Potato Bomb
- Peanut Butter Cheesecake
Additional items will rotate monthly from January through March to capture wider palate reactions.
What the Festival Means for Cine Dining:
- 3-month pan-India trial
- 21+ new menu items under evaluation
- 80+ locations, 40+ cities
- Audience feedback to decide final FOOVIES menu
With new dishes rolling out through March and the final menu shaped by audience feedback, the festival turns movie outings into a chance to discover new flavours as you watch. The Blockbuster Food Festival invites cinephiles to taste, rate and decide what earns a permanent spot on the FOOVIES menu.
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