Bengaluru: The state government on Tuesday capped movie tickets in theatres and multiplexes across the state to Rs.200 excluding taxes from Wednesday.
“A movie ticket for all films in theatres and multiplexes across the state will be priced at Rs.200 maximum, said an order issued by the state Kannada Culture and Information Department Joint Secretary S.N. Jaysri.
The order, however, does not mention that a ticket for Kannada films will be Rs.203, with Rs.3 as service tax and zero entertainment tax.
The maximum ticket price for non-Kannada films will be Rs.264, including Rs.60 entertainment tax and Rs.4 service tax.
“Tickets for Kannada films in all theatres and multiplexes will be only Rs.203 from Wednesday, as they are exempted from entertainment tax,” asserted Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) President Sa Ra Govindu told reporters here.
The order, however, excludes Gold Class screen and Gold Class seats in the multiplexes from the Rs.200-cap for non-Kannada films.
Multiplexes charge from Rs.500 to Rs-1,000 a ticket for Gold Class screen and Gold Class seats to exhibit non-Kannada films and Rs.350-500 a ticket for Kannada films.
The order also does not apply to IMAX (Image Maximum) and 4D screen theatres, which provide immersive audio/video experience to moviegoers.
“The ticket price at multiplexes will be Rs.264 for non-Kannada films as the order is on the net amount collected on the tickets,” clarified former KFCC President K.V. Chandrasekhar.
The order is in light of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announcing the state budget for this fiscal (2017-18) on March 15 that movie tickets even in multiplexes will be Rs.200 maximum.
Of the 600 single-screen theatres and 40 multiplexes with multi-screens across the southern state, about 60 theatres and 30 multiplexes are in Bengaluru.
A theatre has about 600 seats, while each multiplex has 200 seats for every screen. Screens in multiplexes range from 2 to 10 across the state.
The state government was under pressure from Kannada organisations to cap movie tickets in multiplexes to Rs.200 so that a common man can afford to watch Kannada or non-Kannada films even in the luxury of a multiplex in the state.
A 14-member committee, headed by filmmaker and Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy Chairman S.V. Rajendra Singh Babu recommended the cap on the movie tickets in all theatres and multiplexes across the state.
“As of now I am in Tirupati where the ticket price for Baahubali is only Rs 200. The AP government has allowed the exhibitors to charge Rs 100 extra for the first week of screening only. The second week onwards, the ticket price for Baahubali will be Rs 100 only. However, the exhibitors are collecting Rs 300 to Rs 1,000 from audiences for watching Baahubali 2 – The Conclusion,’’ said S V Rajendra Singh Babu, chairman, Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy.
According to Babu, the number of distributors who visit Chennai and Hyderabad for Tamil and Telugu films would come down due to the cap on ticket price in Karnataka. “The government order on capping the ticket price will help Kannada film industry,’’ Babu said.
