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Desiring audiences: We will go to the cinema if...?

Article in Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities · June 2024

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v16n2.16g

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Research Article
Desiring audiences: We will go to the cinema if...?

Bikash Ch. Bhowmick

Assistant Professor, Department of Media Studies and Journalism, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh
(ULAB), Bangladesh

Abstract
Beginning in the 1990s, Bangladeshi cinema began to lose its audiences significantly. This leads to the
continual closure of cinema halls, one after another. Popular perception is that Bangladeshi audiences watch
foreign films, Indian popular films in particular, and television programs using home-viewing facilities.
Mainstream filmmakers and producers in Bangladesh argue that when audiences can almost effortlessly
access similar contents at home and so they do not go to the theatres. This study, therefore, explores how
the audiences decide about a film (irrespective of the origin of production) to watch, what satisfies their
viewing, and their disinclination to watch cinema at the theatre in Bangladesh. A total of 100 regular movie-
viewers participated in the survey interviews. The findings confirm that for most of the viewers, the trailer
of a film, known or favorite actors and/or actresses, and cinema viewers or cinema-goers’ feedback are the
three key sources based on which they decide whether to watch a film or not. Relying on these sources,
they want confirmation that the film(s) they will watch must have all the necessary components contributing
to their viewing satisfaction. The story itself, the craft of storytelling, performance, and dialogues through
which characters of the story reach the audience, good making that creates reality, known (star) actors and
actresses, and visual spectacle are found to be the primary elements that produce audiences
viewing satisfaction. Though most respondents conditionally agreed that they prefer to watch films at
theatres, films screened there are found unworthy of watching. Their leisureless lifestyle considerably
contributed to this disinclination toward cinema-going.

Keywords: Cinema-going, cinema-viewing, desiring audience, storytelling, viewers’ satisfaction.

Conflicts of Interest: The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Funding: The Office of Faculty Research of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) funded this work.
Article History: Received: 23 January 2024. Revised: 01 June 2024. Accepted: 04 June 2024. First published: 08
June 2024.
Copyright: © 2024 by the author/s.
License: License Aesthetix Media Services, India. Distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative
Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Published by: Aesthetix Media Services, India
Citation: Bhowmick, B. C. (2024). Desiring audiences: We will go to the cinema if...? . Rupkatha Journal 16:2.
https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n2.16g
 Rupkatha 16:2 2024 | Page 2 of 19

Introduction
The Bangladesh film industry made its institutional debut in April 1957, more than 14 years before
the country achieved its independence. The then government set up the East Pakistan Film
Development Corporation (EPFDC). In 1959, with the establishment of a film studio under EPFDC
in Dhaka, locally produced films began to be released (Hayat, 1987). Before that period, the
audiences of this region relied on imported films, particularly Indian Hindi and Bengali films, to
fulfill their cinematic experiences.
In the beginning years, from 1959 to 1965, of studio establishment, the industry produced an
average of 6 films a year, which increased to 27 in the late 1960s (Qader, 1993). Bangladesh, one
of two major producers of Bangla movies, produced on average 50 films a year in the 1970s, while
in the 1990s, it produced around 80 feature films a year, and regularly, more than a million people
viewed movies in more than 1 thousand cinema halls throughout the country (Hayat, 2012). But
beginning in the late 1990s, the Bangladesh film industry walked in the opposite direction. The
viewership has started declining gradually since then, which was reflected in the sudden closing
of cinema halls. Roy (2016), referring to the reports of the Bangladesh Motion Pictures Exhibitors
Association, stated that more than 900 cinema halls have been closed down in the last 15 years.
By the end of December 2013, the number of cinema halls had reduced to nearly 500, with a very
low rate of audience presence in those halls (Hasan, 2013). By the end of the first quarter of 2016,
the number had come down to 321 (Jhuma, 2014; Roy, 2016). During the end of the late 2010s,
less than 200 theatres were functional (Ali, 2019).
According to the film professionals, especially directors and producers, of Bangladesh, the
permission for importing video players and the invasion of satellite television channels together
with video channels (put up in the cable-connected local network by the suburban private satellite
television service providers) in the 1990s facilitated the decline of the Bangladesh film industry
(Raju, 2011). Since then, Raju mentioned that the audience presence in theatres has kept going
down due to the influence of the film's home-viewing facilities. In this digital age, the availability
of multi-platform cinema viewing facilities has put the last nail in the coffin of cinema-going
practices. This group now argues that middle-class audiences (popular perception is that during
the golden age of Bangladeshi cinema, viewership was comprised mainly of people of this class)
stopped going to the cinema because they could watch foreign, in particular Indian, films and
television programs at home using multi-platform viewing facilities. Nasreen and Haq (2008)
contended against this view. They argued that the truth is not what the industry people think
about Bangladeshi audiences’ disinterest in cinema-going for local cinema (newly released local
films can only be seen in theatres); the truth is that the local films fail to satisfy their audiences.
According to them, home-viewing facilities have some impact on cinema-going, but it is not true
that they don’t want to go to the theatres; in the past, they have gone to the cinema, and they
still want to go to the cinema to watch the films that they want to watch, not what the Bangladeshi
film industry has been offering them since some decades ago.
A similar notion is seen in Badiuzzaman’s (2019) depiction of Bangladeshi audience's cinema-
going. Referring to a very recent event, he writes in his op-ed column with surprise, "I couldn’t
believe what I have seen on a video clip posted on Facebook... People rush to Bashundhara City
Shopping Mall to collect tickets for the movie Avengers: Endgame (April 26, 2019)." He goes on
Bhowmick | Page 3 of 19

to state, "What a ridiculous thing this is! On the one hand, the cinema halls here are closing down
one after another due to the steady absences of cinema attendees. On the other hand, the capital
has observed such a scenario’. Zaman depicts this event as a new beginning of cinema viewership
in Bangladesh and interprets that the Bangladeshi audiences, in reality, want to watch cinema at
the theaters. However, the unavailability of quality films demotivates them to go to the cinema.
In addition, when it comes to viewing alternative or independent films, the discourse revolves
mostly around the tastelessness of our audience. Unfortunately, our film production professionals,
mainstream and/or independent, are reluctant to delve into the major issue—the desire of
audiences—the motivations of watching films. They forget that ultimately, the audiences are the
key stakeholders who, in the end, fill the vacant seats in the single theatres or multiplexes. This
study, hence, aspires to explore how audiences decide what films to watch, what ultimately
satisfies their viewing, and their disinclination to watch cinema at the theatre.

Literature review
In the research process, the literature review is a section that conceptualizes and reviews previous
literature pertinent to the subject under research to establish a framework for the study. The
literature reviewed here is divided into two sections: cinema-going cinema-viewing and related
literature: the context of Bangladesh.
Cinema-going cinema-viewing
In the past 123 years of film history, one of the most significant changes the cinema world
experienced was the pattern of film consumption, from the collective to the individual experience
of film viewing. The first cinematographic show at the Grand Café of Boulevard des Capucines in
Paris on December 28, 1895, by the Lumière brothers signaled that cinema would be a medium
for collective viewership. However, the development of individualized and mobile technologies—
TV, VCR, VHS, and later digital and internet technologies—and their widespread acceptance at
home have brought a new dimension to film distribution and viewing practices. Due to the
emergence of multi-platformed digital home viewing facilities, scholars who believe in
technological determinism assert that cinema-going will be replaced by non-theatrical,
individualized distribution platforms (Van de Vijver, 2017; Grundström, 2018). Douglas Gomery
(1992) delineates the speculation about the demise of the old projection method of cinema due
to the foray of new technologies (cable television, cable movie channels, VCR, etc.):
Critics claimed fans would go out on occasion to watch their favorites, but the burgeoning
set of television channels that showed movies at home would kill the theatrical movie
show. The image of the movie fan would shift from the darkened theater to the home
equipped with cable television, a video cassette recorder, a satellite dish, and a giant fifty-
inch screen. (P. 103)
In this age of convergence culture, watching a film on a theatrical platform is considered an old-
fashioned way of film consumption, especially for the digital generation, as there are many ways
for audiences to access the film. Van de Vijver (2017) writes,
 Rupkatha 16:2 2024 | Page 4 of 19

It is argued that audiences no longer need the cinema. Watching a film in premiere on the
big screen is not their only choice. It is merely an option among others.
Therefore, from a technologically deterministic standpoint, many see the imminent death of
cinema-going.
News media from different corners of the world likewise echoes this view with headlines such as
"In the era of streaming, cinema is under attack" (Scott & Dargis, 2016), "How older viewers are
rescuing cinema" (Cox, 2012), "Cinema has no future in the cinema hall" (Ananda Alo, 2018), etc.
The major concern that these news media reports raise is that along with all alternative platforms
of cinema-viewing, from television to Netflix, social networking sites and gaming have a significant
contribution to make in distracting young film-goers.
Over the last decades, the cinema industry has faced several threats: the advent of sound in film
in the late 1920s, television in the late 1940s, and later VCRs, DVDs, widescreen digital televisions,
and the internet with multiplatform viewing facilities. Every intervention of the technologies
enormously posed a new challenge to the film industry. Photoplay, an influential magazine of the
1920s, highlights the advent of sound in a film with two terrifying taglines: "The Microphone: The
Terror of the Studios and You Can’t Get Away with It in Hollywood" (as cited in Doyle, 2010) on
its cover page of the December 1929 issue. The second tagline explains that ‘the days of "image
only" appeal for Hollywood’s big stars were over’ (Doyle, 2010). Myrna Loy, an actress who played
minor roles in silent films, depicts the turmoil to The New York Times writer Guy Flatley on
September 25, 1977:
It was a dreadful time, believe me… There was panic everywhere, and a lot of people said,
‘This is ridiculous! Who wants to hear people talk?’ They were people who loved the silent
film, the great art of pantomime perfected by the comedians and by Griffith…
In the late 1940s, when television started gaining popularity in American homes, cinema received
another blow. Gomery (1998) states that in his encyclopedic Movies and Society (1970), I. C. Jarvie
of Canada’s York University writes, "Until the advent of television in the late forties, Hollywood
was peerless. Then television began to eat into film audiences, cinemas began to close in America,
and the production figures fell seriously." p. 148
While movie-going was at its peak in 1946, attendance at the theatre came down to half in the
early 1960s. In Gomery’s terms, many pundits predicted the death of moviegoing as post-
television technologies, such as cable movie channels, VCRs, satellite dishes, etc., began to infuse
the movie market in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Cinema has continually been facing threats
from advanced technologies and very recent multiplatform online movie-viewing facilities, as
though they ‘promise to replace and eliminate theatrical film-going’ (Corbett, 2001, p. 18).
Cinema in the Indian subcontinent has faced similar antagonism from television and post-
television technologies. Dasgupta, Sinha, and Chakravarti (2012, p. 96) explain that "there was a
time when television and the VCR detained people indoors and the footfall in the single film
cinema houses decreased so much that many cinema halls had to shut down or lost their erstwhile
charisma".
However, many believe that cinema-going will never be stopped; people will continue to go to
the cinema, and alternative viewing platforms can never be substitutes for movie theaters and/or
Bhowmick | Page 5 of 19

multiplexes (Grundström, 2018). Believers of this thought think cinema-going is more than the act
of watching films (Morley, 1992; Meers & Biltereyst, 2012; Moran & Aveyard, 2013; Ravazzoli,
2016). They counter, Van de Vijver (2017) states, against people who forecast cinemas’ death by
saying that ‘the pleasure audiences take in the particular spatiotemporal framing of the cinema,
is taken less and less into account by scholars intent on arguing for the digital transformations of
multi-platformed, brand-extended, techno-participatory film experiences’ (p. 130). Corbett asserts
that ‘as long as people want to or need to be around other people or simply to "get out of the
house," people will continue to go to movie theaters (2001, p. 32), because going to the movies
was or is a symbolic social act (Corbett, 2001; Van de Vijver, 2017; Grundström, 2018). Research
statistics vindicate this claim. Cox (2012) reports in The Guardian that older people are moving
back to the big screen since the concerns these older people had about the movies have been
addressed by the film industry. He writes that the number of elderly Americans (over 50) who
regularly visit theaters between 1995 and 2010 increased by 68%. In Britain, the number of regular
filmgoers over 45 years of age reached 30% in 2008 from 14% in 1997, i.e., for 11 years, the
number increased by 114.29%. Carter (2018) claims that cinema attendance in 2018 was the
highest since 1970. Van de Vijver’s (2017) study also supports a higher preference for cinema-
going. Respondents to her study preferred cinema-going over watching films on DVD and
computers or laptops, though they watched movies more often on those alternative platforms
than theaters. Corbett (2001) asserts that competing technologies didn’t harm the cinema and/or
cinema-going but revivified interest in movie-going in America, which ensured higher profit by
the mid-1980s than in the mid-1940s. The same trend has been seen in India. Dasgupta et al.
(2012, p. 96) state:
Despite the readily affordable DVDs and VCDs, the relatively recent Inox multi-movie
theatres brought viewers back and single screen halls too stepped up their infrastructure,
leading to a revival of Indian cinema and the emergence of the imaginary space—
Bollywood, the Bombay film industry in Mumbai.
Asserting the longevity of cinema, Carter (2018, para. 17) articulates:
Access is now the key advantage for streaming platforms – but this will also be in a
constant state of flux as technology develops even further. These new production houses
will need to respond to the new problems and opportunities that will soon be there to
deal with. They will soon realize that cinema never really dies, it just changes.
Corbett (2001) also hopes that cinema will never die and home viewing facilities will never be
substitutes for movie theaters; rather, these technologies will interact with and transform each
other.
Whatever the debate, whether people watch films at home using home viewing technologies or
go to the cinema as part of social or leisurely activities and experiences, cinema viewership hasn’t
faded away; people watched cinema before, they watch cinema now, and they will continue
watching in the future.
Now, a point may be raised: do they watch every film they have access to? Van de Vijver’s study
respondents complain that though they prefer watching cinema at theatres or multiplexes’, they
can’t afford it more often due to the cost. Another point that comes up for discussion is: if the
 Rupkatha 16:2 2024 | Page 6 of 19

cost is low, will they go to the theatres for every film? Therefore, this study in the context of
Bangladesh explores how audiences decide what films to watch, what ultimately satisfy their
viewing, and their disinclination to watch cinema at the theatre.
Related literature: The context of Bangladesh
Only three studies were found that were partially relevant to this study. ‘Bangladesher chalochhitra
shilpo: Sangkote janosangskriti [The film industry of Bangladesh: Popular culture in crisis]’ is one
of the studies administered by Nasreen and Haq (2008) that examined the issues and problems
that prevail in the Bangladesh film industry. To understand why people are not coming to the
cinema, they conducted a survey among the people who watch cinema in theatres. Both
investigators watched films with the audiences, observed viewers' activities, and completed their
survey among the moviegoers who attended the shows. In response to one of their survey
questions, "Why are people not coming to the cinema?" among the participants who belong to
mostly lower economic classes, the majority (59%) replied that people don’t come to the cinema
because films are full of bad scenes, obscenity, rape scenes, cut-pieces, and indecent clothing.
Besides, according to their opinions, a lack of films with good stories (14.91%), a lack of films that
can be viewed with family (9.93%), an absence of social films (8.79%), and a bad environment in
the theatres (7.45%) are other reasons for which people are not coming to theatres. The major
debatable part of their study was that they wanted to know from moviegoers why people—who
do not come to the theatres to watch Bangladeshi cinema—are not coming to the theatres. It is
difficult for a moviegoer to explain the reasons behind the reluctance of other people’s cinema-
going. Nonetheless, in response to another question, these participants claim that people will
come to the cinema if the films are social films or films that can be watched together with family
if the films have a good story, and if the films are free of obscenity. The researchers also surveyed
70 female respondents living in Dhaka separately to know why they were not going to the cinema.
In response, female survey participants revealed that insecurity in the cinema halls, low-quality
infrastructural facilities, eve teasing, the presence of drug-addicted people, an unhygienic
environment, and a lack of good-quality film are the reasons for their absence in the theatres.
In her study, "Bangladesh prekkhagriho: Otit, bartoman o bhobishyot [Cinema halls of Bangladesh:
Past, Present, and Future]," Jhuma (2014), with a mixed-methods approach (in-depth interview,
participatory observation, and survey), investigated principally the comprehensive scenario of
cinema theatres in Bangladesh. She also tried to find out the reasons behind the reduction of
cinema halls with a survey questionnaire consisting four questions. The researcher surveyed movie
viewers who were present during the show. Her study shows that except for a few, the overall
conditions (infrastructural, lack of viewers’ friendly environment, and other required facilities) of
Bangladeshi cinema halls are very miserable. The study finds that an unhygienic environment, lack
of security, exhibition of cut-piece scenes, the presence of addicted people, a lack of films with
good stories, obscenity, and excessive violence in the films are some demotivational factors for
which people are reluctant to come to theatres to watch cinema.
Sultana and Atikuzzaman (2016), in ‘Bangla cinemar bazar zachai: Darshok probonata o sontushtir
matra bishleshon’ [Examining the Bengali cinema market: Analysis of audience trends and
satisfaction levels]’ published in their book Darshoker Mukh, surveyed film audiences with regard
to their preferred and favorite films, favorite heroes and heroines, place of film-viewing, viewing
Bhowmick | Page 7 of 19

status of programs based on films, companions of film-viewing, viewing satisfaction, and their
preference to watch Indian films over local films. Audiences are reluctant to watch films in theatres.
Lack of time was marked as a constraint for going to the movies by the highest percentage of
survey respondents (42.6 percent), followed by insecurity (21.71 percent), an unsanitary
environment (19.42 percent), and a lack of quality films (16.57 percent). The findings also show
that Bangladeshi audiences still have a great preference for social films.
These studies have some methodological deficiencies, especially in terms of the generation of
data collection instruments. None of the studies reviewed here explained how they constructed
the survey questionnaire or how they got the options for each question in the questionnaire.

Method
The researcher uses quantitative, exploratory, and descriptive research approaches and employs
survey questionnaire as a data collection method. A total of 100 regular film viewers have
participated in the surveys. The process of questionnaire preparation, the way survey interviews
were conducted, and the respondents’ selection methods (stated below) allowed the researcher
to limit the sample size to 100. The criteria for selecting survey respondents were: a) the
respondents should be selected proportionally from the two most populated cities of Bangladesh,
and b) the respondents must be regular viewers of movies (for this study, the regular viewers are
those viewers who view at least a film fortnightly using home viewing facilities and also those who
watch a film monthly at theaters or multiplexes).
Data collection has been conducted in Dhaka and Chattogram, as these are Bangladesh's two
most populated cities and represent every part of the country. To conduct the survey, the
researcher and his research assistant visited crowded places (supermarkets, theaters/multiplexes,
parks, and lakeshores) in Dhaka and Chattogram.
To construct survey questions, the researchers adopted a distinctive and systematic approach. The
researcher first interviewed two regular viewers. Depending on the responses of the two in-depth
interview respondents, the researcher then generated options for the survey questions. Other than
the predetermined options, the respondents were allowed to add their own. Accordingly, after
responding to every question, the respondents were asked to add additional thoughts about the
question. During the survey, to select a respondent, the researcher and/or his assistant stopped a
pedestrian randomly and requested their time. After the person agreed to talk, three questions
were asked: Does s/he watch movies? How frequently? And on what platform(s)? These questions
helped confirm their movie viewership (regular or irregular). When the viewership criteria set for
this study were fulfilled, the person was asked to participate in the survey. In the Dhaka phase of
the data collection, a total of 623 people were questioned about their viewership status; of them,
305 watch cinema regularly. Among the regular cinema viewers, 74 agreed to attend the survey.
In the Chattogram phase of the data collection, a total of 236 people were questioned, of whom
101 watch cinema regularly. Among the regular viewers, 26 agreed to attend the survey.
Among the survey respondents, 58% were between 18 and 25 years of age, 22% aged between
26 and 30 years, 8% aged between 31 and 35 years, 8% aged between 36 and 40 years, 2% aged
between 41 and 45 years, and 2% aged between 46 and 50 years. Among the respondents, 82%
 Rupkatha 16:2 2024 | Page 8 of 19

were male and 18% female. Respondents' profiles in terms of the profession were diversified
(students, journalists, medical practitioners, politicians, rickshaw-pullers, housewives,
businesspersons, workers, teachers, bankers, marketing professionals, and unemployed), though
a majority (53%) of them were students.

Results
What movie-going practices subsist in America, India, or other countries, the opposite scenario
prevails in Bangladesh. People here hardly visit the theatres to watch local cinema. Not that they
don’t watch the cinema. The findings of the study justify that they watch cinema, but their viewing
list is occupied by foreign titles. Multiplatform home-viewing facilities have brought this scope to
them. They can choose the best option from many due to the technologies available around them.
Nevertheless, they readily grab it when they have minimal opportunity to enjoy cinematic
experiences at the theatres. The release of the Hollywood film Avengers: Endgame (2019) at the
multiplexes in Dhaka vindicates this fact. People rushed to the multiplexes to confirm their tickets
(Badiuzzaman, 2019). The very high price of a ticket couldn’t even discourage them from watching
the film. This proves the claim of industry professionals that Bangladeshi film audiences stop going
to the cinema as they can watch the film at home using different home-viewing facilities, which is
invalid. The findings of this study also don’t support their claim. Undeniably, technologies facilitate
home-viewing, but home-viewing practice shouldn’t be considered the reason for the decrease in
cinema attendance in Bangladesh or elsewhere. If so, the two major film industries in the world,
Hollywood and Bollywood, would have died years ago. People, by nature, select the best option
among all the options they have.
To fulfill the objectives of this study, the researcher analyzes, organizes, and summarizes the
responses of the respondents under six identified themes: respondents’ first film-watching
experiences; respondents’ viewing habits - from Dollywood to Hollywood; the first film to impress
study respondents; respondents’ most favored and disfavored films; how to decide which film(s)
to watch - respondents’ latest viewed films; and cinema at the theatre.
Respondents’ first film-watching experiences
Justifiably, the film-viewing practice of most of the questionnaire respondents (78%) in this study
began with the local film. The others (22%) opened the viewing list with foreign films. More than
half of the respondents learned about their first film from friends and families. Many identify that
multiple factors—story, acting, dialogue, cinematography, critic reviews, etc.—contributed to
satisfying their first viewing (see Table 1). Most respondents (58%) were motivated to watch the
film after hearing those positive things from their sources. A little more than two-thirds describe
their first viewing experience as very good and/or excellent. Among the respondents (n = 96) who
characterized their first film-viewing experience as good, very good, and/or excellent, the highest
percentage (81.25%) of them gave credit to the film story and craft of storytelling and character
performance, especially the lead character(s), and dialogues were mentioned by the second-
highest number (77.08%).
Table 1. Factors contributing to the first film-viewing experience: good, very good, or excellent
(n=96)
Bhowmick | Page 9 of 19

Factors that influence the first film-watching No. of %

experience respondents
Story and the craft of storytelling 78 81.25
Performance and Dialogue 74 77.08
Performer’s appearance 20 20.83
Cinematography/visualization 28 29.17
Visual 10 10.42
Song and/or Dance sequence 27 28.13
Costume 12 12.50
Making 12 12.50

Respondents’ viewing habit – From Dhallywood to Hollywood

The statistics that the questionnaire respondents provided tell us that over three-fourths of them
entered the film viewership through a local, i.e., Dhallywood film. But when they were asked to
count the number of local and foreign films from their viewing list, it was found that among the
respondents, most are heavy viewers of foreign films, especially Bollywood, Tollywood (West
Bengal Film Industry), and Hollywood films, and very rarely do they watch their own industry’s
film(s). Nearly 75% note that the number of foreign films in their viewing list is higher than the
local. Of all the respondents who participated in this study, 25% still watch local films more than
foreign films.
It is observed that the viewership of most of the respondents began with local films, but they are
now heavy viewers of foreign films. Two obvious questions validly come up here. What motivated
(motivates) them to watch foreign films more? Moreover, what were (are) the deficiencies of the
local films that demotivate(d) them? The respondents were accordingly asked these two
questions.
Table 2. Factors motivating respondents to watch foreign films more than local films (n = 75)
Factors motivated (motivate) to watch foreign No. of %
films respondents
Story that can hold audiences for hours 55 73.33
Films are brilliantly made 51 68.00
Films made by star director 12 16.00
Presence of star actors & actresses in the film 45 60.00
Realistic performance 25 33.33
Provide a clear message 33 44.00
Panoramic visual 45 60.00
New things to learn 31 41.33
The responses of the respondents show (see Tables 2 and 3) that ‘story that can hold audiences
for hours’, ‘films are brilliantly made', ‘presence of star actors and actresses in the film’, and
‘panoramic visual’ are four key determinants that play a vital role in watching foreign films more
and more. On the contrary, ‘weak stories that can’t hold audiences’, ‘lack of novelty in the story
and poor craft of storytelling’, ‘poor performance and dialogues lacking quality’, ‘poor making’,
 Rupkatha 16:2 2024 | Page 10 of 19

‘films copied from foreign films’ and ‘poor graphic works’ were (are) the major deficiencies of
Bangladeshi films.
Table 3. Deficiencies of local films (n = 98)
Deficiencies of Bangladeshi films No. of respondents %
Weak story that can’t hold audiences 66 67.35
Story doesn’t progress relying on the logic 38 38.78
Lack of novelty in the story and in the craft of 69 70.41
storytelling
Poor making 50 51.02
Lack of star director 23 23.47
Lack of actors and actresses with strong 29 29.59
personalities or lack of star actors & actresses
Poor performance and dialogues lacking quality 56 57.14
Unwitting usage of comedy 34 34.69
No clear message 25 25.51
Visuals lacking quality 35 35.71
Lead character(s) doesn’t have a definite goal, 12 12.24
perform motiveless
Films copied from foreign films 49 50.00
Even song sequences are directly copied from 41 41.84
foreign films
Poor graphic works 48 48.98

The first film to impress study respondents

Although the viewing list of questionnaire respondents is overflowing with foreign films, the films
that impressed those audiences for the first time were not predominantly foreign ones. Almost
half of the respondents (48%) note that the first film that enthralled them was a local. This viewing
experience allows them to repeatedly (see Table 5) watch the films in which the same actor(s)
and/or actress(es) played the lead role(s). The consecutive film viewing experiences of those actors
and/or actresses build trust among viewers that their presence in the film guarantees a quality
story and great performance and that their expectations will be fulfilled (see Tables 4 and 6).
Table 4. Contributing factors in the film that impressed the respondents for the first time (n =100)
Factors that impressed respondents No. of respondents
Story was excellent 91
Great storytelling 42
Good making 35
Convincible presentation of a problem and its solution 33
Outstanding performance and dialogue 81
Excellent Visual 13
A clear message in the film 35
Bhowmick | Page 11 of 19

Table 5. No. of the films, the respondents watched later in which the same actor or actress from
their first remembered film played the lead role(s) (n = 100)
No. of film watched No. of respondents
None 7
1 -
2 -4 20
5 –9 38
10 – 14 18
15 – 19 2
20 – 24 4
25 – 29 1
30 and above 7
Many, but unspecified 3
Table 6. Factors motivating the respondents to watch the same actor or actress films repeatedly
(n = 100)
Factors motivated to watch repeatedly No. of respondents
Wonderful performance 86
Presence of the said actor(s)/actress(s) in the film(s) 66
guaranteed quality story
Movies in which they performed have definite message 26
Honesty and humanistic attitude in their personal lives 15
People watch cinema with some definite expectations, and 34
the actors/actresses didn’t disappoint the audiences by
keeping those expectations unfulfilled
Real-life Lifestyle of actor(s)/actress(s) 15
Others: No option other than watching their films 2

Respondents’ most favored and disfavored film

Concerning the most favored and disfavored films, a large part of the questionnaire respondents
showed their fondness for foreign films. Of all the respondents, only 27 mentioned Bangladeshi
films as their favorites. In terms of the most disfavored films, Bangladeshi films have been
mentioned more by the respondents than foreign ones. Of the 86 respondents who answered the
question, 46.51% acknowledged that the film that they dislike most is a Bangladeshi film, while
26.74% named a foreign film as their most disfavored film. The story of the film and the craft of
storytelling have been mentioned by most of the respondents as factors responsible for both the
most favored and least favored films (see Tables 7 and 8). The performance through which a
character reaches the audience is pointed out by the second-highest number of respondents as
another factor determinant for selecting the most favored film.
 Rupkatha 16:2 2024 | Page 12 of 19

Table 7. Factors that make a film the audience's most favored (n = 100)
Factors make films most favored film No. of respondents
The story and craft of storytelling were outstanding 91
Performance, especially of the lead character(s), was 61
unforgettable
Brilliantly made 36
Dazzling visuals 29
The film(s) had an excellent message 38
The story progressed in such a way that one cannot move 45
one's eyes off the film diegesis
Melodious Song/lyrics and outstanding choreography 26
Others: animation, action, and comedy 3
Table 8. Factors responsible for making a film most disfavored (n = 63)
Factors that made a film most disfavored No. of %
respondents
Weak story and poor storytelling 56 88.89
The story of the film(s) didn’t progress logically 31 49.21
Logics used in the film(s) were unacceptable 15 23.81
Poor making 16 25.40
Poor performance and dialogue 25 39.68
No message in the film(s) 19 30.16
Inharmonious song/lyrics and poor choreography 18 28.57
Poor comic scenes that had been used to make 17 26.98
audiences laugh forcibly

How to decide which film(s) to watch – respondents’ latest viewed film

Technologies enable film audiences to choose the film for which they are looking. Before the
inception of modern home-viewing technologies, the scenarios were different. Bangladeshi film
audiences could only watch what their industry offered them. With a changed context, they are
now more sensible when selecting a film to watch or not. The respondents to this study agree
that, generally, several things come into play while they decide which film to watch. For many,
movie trailers (65%), known actors and/or actresses (71%), and cinema-goers’ feedback (66%)
contribute largely to viewers’ decision-making about what film(s) to watch or not watch (see Table
9).
Table 9. Basis for selection about which film to watch or not (n = 100)
Basis for film selection No. of respondents
Movie Trailer 65
Known/favorite actor and/or actress 71
Known/favorite director 10
Critic Review 33
Bhowmick | Page 13 of 19

Rating 23
Cinema-viewers/goers’ feedback 66
Favorite genre 36
Favorite series movie 27
When the respondents were asked, depending on which they decided to watch the film that they
watched most recently, they said multiple factors (see Table 10) simultaneously worked behind
their decision. In response to a supplementary question—what if the film they selected to watch
fails to satisfy them?—they identified that they might not continue watching those actors or
directors’ films. Some of the respondents even gave up their favorite actors as those actors
repeatedly failed to meet their desires.
Table 10. The basis for selection of the last-viewed film (n = 99)
Basis for last-viewed film selection No. of respondents %
Movie trailer 56 56.57
Known/favorite actor and/or actress 52 52.53
Known/favorite director whose film they usually 6 6.06
watch
The film received good reviews from reviewers 29 29.29
The film received a high rating 20 20.20
Feedback from the audiences who already have 38 38.38
watched the film that it is a movie worth watching
Respondents’ favorite genre film 29 29.29
Respondents’ favorite series movie 28 28.28

Cinema at the Theatre

The total number of films that the study respondents watched until the date of data collection
ranged from 50 to more than a thousand. Only 15 respondents recorded that they had watched
less than 100 films until then.
Table 11. Number of films that the respondents have watched at the theatre (n = 100)
No. of films that respondents watched No. of respondents
at the theatre
None 17
1-3 19
4 -6 15
7 –9 5
10 – 12 21
13 – 15 -
16 – 18 1
19 – 21 4
22 – 24 3
25 – less than 100 10
 Rupkatha 16:2 2024 | Page 14 of 19

More than 100 4

Difficult to count, unlimited 1
Table 11 highlights a very poor attendance rate at the theatre based on the total number of films
each of the respondents has watched. Lack of free or leisure time is considered by 71.83% of the
respondents as the most determinant factor that affects theatre attendance, followed by the
uncongenial environment at the theatre, lack of quality films produced locally, and the absence
of foreign films in theatres (see Table 12). Only one respondent agrees that the availability of
alternative viewing platforms affects cinema attendance. When the respondents were asked
whether they would go to the theatre if the films of their choice or films like their most favored
film are shown regularly in the theatre, the majority confirmed that they must go to the cinema
(see Table 13).
Table 12. Factors responsible for respondents’ disinclination to watch cinema at the theatre (n =
71)
Factors responsible for respondents’ No. of respondents %
disinclination
Theatres here mostly show Bangladeshi 16 22.54
cinema/ absence of foreign films
The uncongenial environment at the theatre 35 49.30
Un-affordability to reimburse the costs 6 8.45
involves in cinema-viewing
Lack of free/leisure time 51 71.83
I love Bangla cinema, but the cinema projected 18 25.35
in the theatre are hardly good
Others: availability of alternative viewing 2 2.82
platforms and religiosity
Table 13. Respondents' preference for cinema-going if films like their favored films are shown (n
= 100)
Answer No. of respondents
Yes 60
No 4
May go to the theatre or may watch at home if have an access 12
to the film from home
Will watch at home if have an access to the film from home 24

Discussion
It is not inappropriate to say that people prefer to consume those cultural artifacts that can satisfy
their needs or expectations that have been developed internally before consumption (Bhowmick,
2021). This implies that pleasure is the outcome of the whole consumption process. Ang (1985, p.
9), in her Watching Dallas: Soap Opera and the Melodramatic Imagination, correctly presumes
that people watch Dallas ‘clearly because they find it enjoyable or pleasurable. But this enjoyment
Bhowmick | Page 15 of 19

or pleasure didn’t come from a vacuum. She then rightfully asks: what are Dallas's determining
factors of enjoyment or pleasure? Similarly, certain factors in the film constitute pleasure or
discontent for which an audience decides to watch or not to watch.
To understand what satisfy movie-viewers viewing experiences and the selection mechanism of
what films to watch or not to watch, the researcher brings forth several states of respondents’
viewing, such as their first film-watching experiences, the first film that impressed them, factors
contributing to becoming respondents’ most favored and disfavored films, respondents’
preference for either local or foreign films, and so on. This approach that the researcher adopted
has separated this study from the related previous studies (Jhuma, 2014; Nasreen & Haq, 2008;
Sultana & Atikuzzaman, 2016) conducted in the context of Bangladesh.
However, most respondents marked their first film-viewing experience as good, very good, and/or
excellent. When they were asked: What were the factors that facilitated such an experience?
Among them whose first film-watching experiences were good, very good, and/or excellent, the
highest percentage gave credit to ‘story and the craft of storytelling’ and the second-highest to
‘performance of the character(s) and dialogue’. The other components that contributed to such
an experience to some extent were song and/or dance sequence, cinematography, performer
appearance, costume, etc.
Concerning the first film that impressed them, most respondents rated ‘story’ and ‘performance
and dialogue’ as the most determinant factors for that experience. Once again, ‘the film story and
craft of storytelling for which a certain movie was placed in the respondents’ most favored movie
list topped the list of factors, while performance, especially of the lead character(s), through which
an audience gets involved with the film story, came second. Together with these good or crafty
makings, dazzling visuals, a moral message in the film, a logical progression of the story,
melodious songs and lyrics, outstanding choreography of dance sequences, etc., the film was
one’s favorite.
According to the respondents' responses, the story and craft of storytelling are not only
responsible for making a certain film one’s favorite but also for making a film most disfavored.
Mckee (1997, p. 15) rightly argues that audiences are ‘thirsting for story’. Aristotle once observed,
Mckee states, "When storytelling goes bad, the result is decadence" (p. 13). The majority of the
respondents acknowledged this fact. The weak story of the film and poor storytelling were
confirmed by many as the most likely factors for their dislike. This is, to some extent, consistent
with Jhuma's (2014), Nasreen and Haq's (2008), and Sultana and Atikuzzaman's (2016) studies
when it comes to the dispreference for local films. Illogical progression of the story, poor
performance and dialogue, absence of any message in the film, inharmonious song and dance
sequences, unwitting comic scenes, poor making, and illogical usages of logic jointly contributed
to this disliking as well.
The study respondents’ responses also justify the fact that the great preference for foreign films
over the local by the viewers is likewise dominated by the film story and storytelling, though the
making of the film, the presence of star actors and actresses in the film, and panoramic visuals
have considerable contributions. On the other hand, story (weak story that can’t hold audiences,
lack of novelty in the story, and the craft of storytelling), along with poor performance and
 Rupkatha 16:2 2024 | Page 16 of 19

dialogues lacking quality, poor making, films copied from foreign films, poor graphic works, etc.,
are mostly to blame for the lesser preference for local films by the viewers.
This reliability of respondents on ‘story and craft of storytelling’ for loyal viewership of films refers
to the high degree of correlation. This reminds us why Tagore (1922/2004, p. 46) delineates
Bangalis as Galpo-poshya Jeeb (the heart, soul, and mind of Bangalis can be conquered through
the story). According to him, human life is nothing but a story; therefore, what they desire to
experience, they experience through the story (pp. 45–47).
McKee (1997) echoes also similar:
The world now consumes films, novels, theatre, and television in such quantities and with
such ravenous hunger that the story arts have become humanity's prime source of
inspiration, as it seeks to order chaos and gain insight into life. Our appetite for story is a
reflection of the profound human need to grasp the patterns of living, not merely as an
intellectual exercise, but within a very personal, emotional experience. In the words of
playwright Jean Anouilh, ‘Fiction gives life its form’ … Story isn't a flight from reality but a
vehicle that carries us on our search for reality, our best effort to make sense out of the
anarchy of existence. (p. 12)
It is thus rational to assert that the pleasure (enjoyment) or discontent for which people watch or
don’t watch popular cultural artifacts, for example, cinema or soap operas, is constituted through
a complex mechanism where the story and the craft of storytelling perform the lead role—for
Batty and Waldeback (2019), story functions as a central form of communication—with other
major and minor factors that the respondents of this study identified.
For this study's respondents, a good story, the craft of telling that story, performance and
dialogues through which characters of the story reach the audience, good making that creates
reality, known (star) actors and actresses, and visual spectacle are found to be the primary
conditions of viewing a film (see also Ang, 1985; Bhowmick & Sharief, 2020; MacCabe, 1974;
McKee, 1997). However, when it comes to cinema-going, i.e., watching cinema at the theatres, the
respondents brought forth some secondary conditions—unfriendly environment in the theatres,
films (apart from a few foreign films) released in the theatres hardly found good, lack of leisure
time—that affect their viewing at the theatres. These few apathetic factors of cinema-going are in
line with Jhuma's (2014), Nasreen and Haq's (2008), and Sultana and Atikuzzaman's (2016)
findings. Furthermore, the finding firmly asserts that the effect of the availability of home-viewing
facilities on cinema-going is very minimal.

Conclusion: We will go to the cinema if...

Before the audience decides to go to the cinema, the first concern is which film(s) to watch. In the
context of Bangladesh, the second concern is whether the film(s) that cinema-goers desire to
watch are shown at the theatres. For most respondents, generally, the trailer of a film, known or
favorite actors and/or actresses, and cinema-viewers' or cinema-goers’ feedback are the three key
sources based on which they decide whether to watch a film. Critic reviews, favorite genres, and
favorite series movies influence this decision-making considerably. This implies that the
Bhowmick | Page 17 of 19

respondents, relying on those sources, want to be confirmed that the film(s) that they will watch
must have all the necessary components: a good story that has been told brilliantly, outstanding
and realistic performances with sharp and witty dialogue through which the film story is told,
good making, the film having a clear message, quality visuals, melodious songs, and rhythmic
dance sequences.
It is interesting to note that the presence of known or favorite actors and/or actresses in the film
has a dominant influence on deciding which film(s) to watch. The respondents to this study are
more likely to choose a film to watch if their known or favorite actors and/or actresses play the
roles in the film. It means that the presence of their favorite actors and/or actresses guarantees
that the film has everything they want to see in a film. This leads to the argument that cinema
viewership relies on ‘what the viewers want from cinema and what cinema can offer them’.
At this juncture, when the audiences decide about a cinema to watch, the question must emerge:
where to watch—at the theatre or multiplex or home using technologically assisted home-viewing
facilities? For cinema-goers in Bangladesh, the quality-price ratio (where price connotes the
investment of money, time, hassles while going to the cinema, etc.) is likewise an undeniable
concern, similar to cinema-goers elsewhere (see also Van de Vijver, 2017). The majority of the
questionnaire respondents in this study conditionally opined that they prefer watching cinema at
cinema halls or multiplexes, but there should be a guarantee that their investment will not go in
vain.

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Bikash Ch. Bhowmick is an assistant professor in the Department of Media Studies and Journalism
at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB). His research interests include fan and audience
studies, screenwriting research, and women and cinema.

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