A consumer court in Bengaluru ruled in favor of a filmgoer who filed a lawsuit against PVR Cinema and INOX for significantly wasting time with excessive advertisements before the film. The court instructed the multiplex firm to ensure that the actual start time of the movie, excluding ad time, is mentioned on the ticket.
The complainant, Abhishek MR, attended the screening of 'Sam Bahadur' at PVR Cinema on December 26, 2023. The movie was scheduled to start at 4:05 PM, but commenced only at 4:30 PM after 25 minutes of ads. This disrupted his schedule as he had planned to return to work right after. According to Bar & Bench, Abhishek, frustrated, filed a case against PVR, INOX, and BookMyShow.
However, the court ruled that BookMyShow was not responsible as it does not control the film schedule.
What did the court say in its decision?
In its decision, the court criticized the working practices of the cinema chains, stating, "In today's age, time is as precious as money. Everyone's time is very valuable. Spending 25-30 minutes idly in the theater watching unnecessary ads is considerable. People with busy schedules do not have time to waste."
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The court labeled this practice unfair trade and ordered PVR-INOX to halt running ads beyond the scheduled time. PVR and INOX defended themselves by arguing that pre-movie ads accommodate late arrivals.
According to the report, the court ordered PVR and INOX to pay Abhishek INR 20,000 for mental distress and INR 8,000 for legal expenses. Additionally, a penalty of INR 100,000 was imposed on the firm for engaging in unfair trade practices.
