VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh cinema exhibition sector is facing a deepening crisis, with the number of theatres in the State declining from over 2,000 to around 1,200 in recent years. Exhibitors have urged the government not to allow further hikes in cinema ticket prices, warning that higher rates could drive away middle- and lower-income audiences and accelerate theatre closures.
The AP Cine Exhibitors Forum said 400 theatres had shut down in the last three to four years, reflecting the financial and operational challenges confronting the exhibition sector.
A forum meeting was held in Vijayawada on Friday, with Andhra Pradesh Film Development Corporation Chairman Bharat Bhushan attending as chief guest. Exhibitors brought their problems to his notice, and he assured them that he would take up the issues with the government and make efforts to resolve them.
Speaking to the media, senior exhibitor Yalamanchili Ramachandra Rao and forum secretary Gorantla Babu said theatre owners were facing technical and financial difficulties. They sought a single-window system for licence renewals, with a uniform five-year validity for licences issued by various departments, including Fire and Cinematography.
They sought industrial power tariff for theatres, on lines of tourism and hotel sectors, and permission to increase maintenance charges in view of rising salaries, electricity bills and modernisation costs.
The exhibitors urged the government to review ticket prices and ensure affordable, uniform rates across all categories of theatres. They also sought a minimum eight-week theatrical window before films are released on OTT platforms.
The forum’s joint secretary said steep ticket prices were keeping middle- and lower-middle-class audiences away. He urged the government not to permit ticket-price hikes, stating that the additional revenue largely benefits producers and distributors, while theatre owners continue to bear rising operational costs. Vijayawada Cine Exhibitors Association president Muthavarapu Srinivas Babu, joint secretary Parvathaneni Srinivasa Rao and others were present.
