PVR Cinemas fined INR 1 Lakh for lengthy pre-movie ads

A routine movie outing turned into a legal battle for a Bengaluru advocate after he found himself trapped in an unexpectedly long ad marathon before his film. The result? An INR 1 lakh fine for PVR Cinemas, imposed by the Bengaluru Urban District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission for what it called ‘unjust’ and ‘unfair trade practices.’

The issue arose at PVR Cinemas in Orion Mall when an advocate purchased three tickets for a 4:05 PM show of Sam Bahadur on December 26, 2023. Expecting the film to start soon after the scheduled time, he was instead subjected to an onslaught of ads and trailers lasting until 4:28 pm—causing a nearly 30-minute delay that disrupted his work schedule.

On February 15, the Consumer Commission ruled in partial favour of the complainant. While the panel acknowledged that such delays impact countless moviegoers, they directed PVR Cinemas and parent company PVR Inox Ltd. to adhere to government regulations on advertising duration.

With the INR 1 lakh fine, PVR must compensate the complainant INR 20,000 for mental distress and INR 8,000 for litigation costs.

“Watching a movie should be a relaxing experience, not a frustrating one,” the commission stated. “Forcing audiences to sit through more than 30 minutes of ads diminishes the enjoyment of cinema.”

PVR Cinemas defended its practice, citing obligations to screen public service announcements (PSAs). However, the investigation found that only one out of 17 ads was a PSA, far exceeding the 10-minute limit for pre-movie advertisements.