In one of the recent development, it has been revealed that the Multiplexes cannot stop the moviegoers from carrying their own food and water bottles inside the cinema hall. This is one of the major concerns for most moviegoers across the country as they have been barred from taking even water bottles inside the cinema halls on the pretext of security issues.
The Present Scenario
The modern-day cinema halls also called the multiplex sells the eatables and drinking water at a premium price with more than 400 per cent margin on the pretext of providing them better services, but not allowing someone inside the cinema hall with a water bottle in the name of security issue is an exaggeration.
They don’t allow your water bottles because they sell the same bottles for almost four to five times the market price and no one uttered a word.
The reality
It is a bad business practice carried out by Multiplexes in the country and it can carry on until the people do not know how to exercise their rights. There are no awareness programs created by the Information department telling people about their rights and it is one kind of cover-up of the malpractices carried out by the big corporate players in the name of giving better facility.
There is a huge competition in the market and with available options, only the fittest can survive. Providing value-added service is another way of survival today and hence there is nothing called the better facility at additional cost.
According to the reports, RTI query filed by Hyderabad-based anti-corruption activist Vijay Gopal has revealed that multiplexes and theatres cannot restrict movie-goers from carrying food and water bottles to the cinema hall. The query was filed before the Hyderabad city police for their response, said the sources.
The police have further clarified that there are no rules or restriction made by law to carry food and water, and a complaint can be filed with the Legal Metrology Department who will check if there is any violation of the law.
According to sources, under the Cinema Regulation Act of 1955, there are no restrictions in letting a customer carry his own snack box or water bottles. Despite the law, most multiplexes do not allow customers to carry food or beverages citing security issues.
What are the things that Multiplexes Charge or Restrict their consumers?
The RTI has also revealed that it is not alone the restrictions on carrying food and water that is illegally forced by the multiplex operators on the moviegoers but these multiplexes and single-screen theatres also illegally charge for the 3D glasses.
Interestingly, there is also no provision that stops a customer from carrying his/her own 3D glasses to a theatre if they do not wish to pay for it. There are no prescribed charges for 3D glasses in theatres. Since most of the stand-alone theatres do not provide a bill/receipt for charging extra, a complaint regarding the same can be submitted to the legal metrology department.
About the charges applied on the Tickets by Theatres
There is no transparency on the charges applied for the ticket by the various Multiplexes across the country. There is no information regarding standard ticket prices can be published on any website as it pertains to third-party information, it has clarified that certain theatres are allowed to collect extra money on tickets during the time of the big movie releases.
Everyone seems to play blind here as there is no coordination amongst the theatre owners and the authorities and hence depending upon the demand of any particular movie the Multiplex owners decide to apply their own charges, and when the matter comes into the media the authorities wake and issue statements saying that there are no provisions or rule for such things.
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