Entrepreneurs running businesses in malls where some of the cinemas are housed have also stressed the need for such measures.
Interactions with the cinema operators over the past few days show that they are concerned over "less-than-impressive revenues due to poor patronage" at several halls.
A senior official of a company that runs more than a dozen screens in Doha acknowledged the need for special offers and promotions, especially on weekdays.
"There is no other way to boost revenues than to have innovative and effective packages and offers for customers," he said.
He noted that the performance of even some major films, which became huge hits globally or in particular regions, was disappointing at the halls run by his company. There were only a handful of moviegoers at some of the shows, he rued, adding that the situation was even worse for smaller films.
A jeweller who runs a showroom in a mall that has a multiplex feels the hall operators should launch attractive schemes to draw groups of viewers such as schoolchildren, youths and employees of companies with a large workforce. "Such groups could be given discounts for group bookings," he said, adding that such offers would help attract more customers.
The entrepreneur said another option was having partnerships between different outlets at malls, such as eateries, and the multiplexes. People buying a movie ticket can be given a discount coupon for any of these outlets and vice-versa, he noted. "Such synergies can help bring more spectators."
Meanwhile, a moviegoer said it became apparent from his recent visits to some cinemas that patronage was not encouraging, especially on weekdays.
Speaking to Gulf Times, a mall official said many people were not aware that the place had a multiplex. Better awareness may lead to a rise in the number of customers, he added.
Several multiplex screens are under construction and Qatar is expected to have around 200 screens across 23 locations in the coming years.
While the situation has been bleak for many of the existing multiplexes, some continue to draw reasonably good crowds due to their location and popularity of the malls which have the cinemas.