In a move that could shake up your next movie night, the Kerala High Court has admitted a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging what many cinema-goers have quietly grumbled about for years—skyrocketing, unpredictable ticket prices at multiplexes.
The case, filed by advocate Manu Nair G, puts under the legal lens the practice of “dynamic pricing,” where ticket rates fluctuate wildly based on showtime, demand, and the buzz surrounding a film’s release. The petition takes aim at major multiplex chains like PVR, INOX, Cinepolis, and others, accusing them of turning theatres into algorithmic auction houses where the cost of watching a movie can shoot up without warning—or regulation.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Basant Balaji has asked the State to respond, and the matter is now slated for hearing on July 1.
At the heart of the plea lies the contention that Kerala’s cinema landscape is still governed by the Kerala Cinemas (Regulation) Act, 1958, and its accompanying Rules of 1988. While these regulations mandate licensing and oversight for public interest, there’s no mention—let alone approval—for the kind of unbridled pricing strategies that multiplexes currently employ.
The petition calls out the absence of transparency and fairness, labelling the pricing system as “opaque, discriminatory, and financially burdensome.” In stark contrast, several southern states including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu have already rolled out executive orders to cap ticket prices and shield the public from such pricing experiments.
The petitioner argues that Kerala’s silence on the issue breaches Article 14 of the Constitution—the Right to Equality—by denying its citizens the pricing protections enjoyed in other states.
What’s being sought? Two things: First, a clear, enforceable pricing policy for multiplex tickets in the state. Second, a temporary halt to dynamic pricing models until such a framework is put in place.
As courts prepare to deliberate, the question remains: Will Kerala finally say “cut” to unchecked cinema profiteering?
