The Thiruvananthapuram mayor’s recent exclamation—“A movie ticket for ₹200 and popcorn for ₹500!”—has reignited a much-needed discussion about the exorbitant cost a family incurs when it decides to watch a movie at a theatre. While questioning the hefty prices of what’s sold inside, Mayor V V Rajesh also called out the restrictions on carrying in food and drinking water from outside. Thankfully, he did not stop at that and directed all theatres in the city to ensure clean drinking water dispensers near entrances and exits. Cinema halls have also been warned against stopping parents from bringing essential food items for young children. The mayor has given theatre owners 15 days to act on these fronts.
It’s true that multiplexes have changed the movie-going experience. The transition from single-screen halls to multiplex screening has also raised operational costs, which theatre owners try to recoup with overpriced food and beverages. But none of these should cost so high that they would burn holes in the pockets of film lovers.
Theatre owners peg their argument to a recent Supreme Court verdict striking down a Jammu and Kashmir High Court order removing restrictions on movie-goers bringing in food. The SC had also allowed theatre owners to fix the price of refreshments. But it had also mandated that free water should be provided and food for infants be allowed in halls. The theatre owners seem to have conveniently forgotten that part of the order serving their patrons’ basic needs.
Whatever be the legal reading, it should not stop anyone—especially elected representatives—from calling out a level of pricing that affects the public. Big-screen viewing should not be the sole preserve of well-to-do households. Such exclusionary practice has larger implications, too. The affordability crisis is deterring most Indian families from flocking to big screens, which in turn directly dampens the prospects of the film exhibition and distribution segments, on which a large number of livelihoods depend. Things have come to such a pass that a wider consensus on pricing food and beverages is called for—keeping in mind the interests of both audiences and entrepreneurs. Lawmakers should pick up the cue given by the Thiruvananthapuram mayor.
