PVR INOX fined ₹1,00,000: Bengaluru consumer court fines multiplex for delaying movie screening with excessive ads

The Bengaluru District Commission Disputes Redressal Commission has directed PVR INOX to display the actual time of movie on tickets and not the time when the advertisements start play in the hall. A NewsX report said Abhishek MR, a consumer from Bengaluru, had filed a case on PVR INOX for the delayed screening of the film Sam Bahadur on December 26, 2023.

According to NewsX, Abhishek had booked three tickets for a 4:05 pm show at PVR INOX, but the film was played at 4:30 pm after a series of advertisements. Upset by the inconvenience caused by the screening, Abhishek complained against PVR INOX and BookMyShow, the ticket portal.

The commission ruled that BookMyShow wasn’t responsible for the issue even as it blamed PVR INOX (merged as PVR) for subjecting viewers to long advertisements beyond the scheduled time of the film. President M Sobha and members K Anita Shivakumar and Suma Anil Kumar, who led the panel, asked PVR INOX to value the time of its customers.

The ruling said that film tickets must properly mention the correct start time of the movie. It also directed that advertisements must not go beyond the scheduled start of the film.

The complainant was awarded Rs 20,000 for the inconvenience and mental distress caused, along with Rs 8,000 to cover litigation costs. The court also ordered the multiplex chain to pay Rs one lakh in punitive damages and ensure that the actual start time of movies is clearly communicated to viewers.

PVR INOX defended its practice by citing government regulations that require the screening of public service announcements (PSAs) before movies. However, the court noted that these guidelines limit such screenings to a maximum of 10 minutes.

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The complainant had recorded the advertisements as evidence, prompting PVR INOX to argue that this violated anti-piracy laws. The court dismissed this claim, clarifying that only the advertisements, not the film itself, were recorded, and this was done to highlight an issue affecting many moviegoers.

With inputs from PTI