Supreme Court Raps Multiplexes on Prices, Signals Backing for ₹200 Ticket Cap
The bench questioned steep concession charges during the hearing on the industry’s attempt to undo Karnataka’s price limit.
Overview
- A Supreme Court bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta criticized multiplex pricing, citing ₹100 water and ₹700 coffee, and warned unchecked rates could empty halls.
- The case stems from the Multiplex Association of India’s challenge to a Karnataka High Court order that upheld a state cap of ₹200 on movie tickets.
- Justices indicated support for the ₹200 benchmark, with Justice Nath saying the court was with the division bench that fixed the figure at ₹200.
- Multiplex counsel Mukul Rohatgi argued pricing is a matter of choice and called High Court conditions unworkable, pointing to digital ticketing via BookMyShow and privacy concerns over ID collection.
- Reports highlighted popcorn at ₹500–₹700, soft drinks near ₹400, and water at ₹100, as a CII survey pegged an average outing at about ₹1,800 with footfalls down roughly 15% post-pandemic, while final Supreme Court orders are still pending.