Kerala To Also Set Up Committee To Regulate Movie Ticket Prices 

Just a month after the Karnataka State announced that it would cap movie tickets at a charge of ₹200, Kerala too seems to be making a move towards regulation. According to a report in Bar and Bench, the Kerala government is said to have informed the Kerala High Court that it had constituted a committee to understand and recommend measures to control the pricing of movie tickets. The report also states that this committee will monitor dynamic pricing models adopted by major multiplex chains in the state.

This statement by the state government was in response to a public interest litigation or PIL filed by a lawyer named Manu Nair, who challenged the flexi pricing implemented by the major multiplex chains, which operate in Kerala including PVR, INOX and Cinepolis, the report said.

In mid-July, with an aim to increase accessibility to cinema viewing, the Karnataka State government had announced a cap on movie tickets at a charge of ₹200. This amount will include taxes and will apply to all movie theatres across the state. According to reports, this move was earlier announced in the March financial budget to support Kannada cinema. This charge will apply to movies releasing in all languages in the state and will not be limited to Kannada movies alone.  

The Economic Times had also reported that the state plans to introduce their homegrown OTT platform with an allocation of ₹3 crore to create an archive preserving Kannada movies and their cultural narratives. Following this, Maharashtra too had considered a similar initiative. According to a report in Punerkarnews, a group of Marathi film producers and makers have come together to request a similar cap to be set in Maharashtra too, especially to help support patronage of Marathi cinema and the industry. Currently, ticket prices vary from ₹150 to ₹400 in the state across single screens and multiplexes. Certain multiplexes are being allowed to charge upwards of ₹1000, too, based on the facilities they offer.