Cinema ticket prices hiked

​Hyderabad: Cinegoers will have to shell out more money to watch movies in theatres as the state government has accorded permission to the theatre owners to hike the cost of tickets. Cinema theatres in GHMC, municipal corporations, municipalities and nagar panchayats can increase the ticket price by minimum of Rs 10 and a maximum of Rs 20 with immediate effect.

According to the GO, the cost of higher class tickets in AC theatres under GHMC limits would be Rs 120 per ticket and the lower class ticket would be Rs 40. In non AC theatres, the cost of higher class ticket would be Rs 60 and lower class will be Rs 20. Similarly, the cost for premium seating in multiplexes should not be more than Rs 300 and for executive class the rate should not be more than Rs 200.

As per the new rates, the cost of higher class tickets in municipalities would be Rs 80 and Rs 30 for lower class in AC theatres. In non AC theatres the rate for balcony tickets would be Rs 60 and lower class tickets would cost Rs 20.

In nagar panchayats and gram panchayats the cost of tickets in AC theatres would be Rs 70. The government has also directed the theatres to print the breakup of the cost involved for maintenance of theaters, online charges for booking tickets and GST being collected on the tickets.

This would now be mandatory for all theaters. The government order further said that it was necessary to reserve 20 per cent seats in two rows in all multiplexes for lower class tickets.

It may be mentioned here that some time back the government had constituted a 6-member committee under the chairmanship of Home Secretary Rajiv Trivedi to study the issue of increase in cinema tickets.

The committee had recently submitted its report to the government. Based on the report, the government has now issued the GO permitting increase in ticket prices.