It is an expensive affair

Planning to watch a movie with friends? Make sure you have at least 600 bucks in your wallet on a weekday and 1,000 bucks on a weekend. 

After all, the multiplexes are meant only for a ‘niche audience’— those who can afford to shell out at least Rs 180 on a weekday for a movie and around Rs 250 on a weekend just for a movie. 

Besides, the popcorn and the soda inside the hall don’t come dirt cheap either.

Sharat Krishnan, an online marketing manager, finds the rates of movies in Bangalore very high. 

“I come from Kerala and the maximum one pays at a multiplex over there is Rs 100-150.

Even in Chennai, the rates are much lesser. In Bangalore, especially on a weekend, the rates go up to as much as Rs 270,” he says.  “In the last few months, I have only been going to Cinepolis in Royal Meenakshi Mall. But even over there, the cost has become Rs 250 on weekends. At this rate, we have no choice but to avoid watching movies altogether,” he adds. 

Jibran Ali, the director of an event management company called Gryphon Entertainment, has handled many star promotions in the City. 

“Bangalore is an expensive City and watching movies here is an expensive affair,”he says. With the increasing taxes, the prices of all products have increased. The morning shows at multiplexes that used to be Rs 50-60 earlier have gone up and movie shows that are Rs 170-180 in the multiplexes in other cities are over Rs 200 in Bangalore,”he adds. 

Namrata Keshwala, an IIM-B graduate, hails from Mumbai and has watched movies in both the cities. 

“As a student, you try to save as much as you can. Earlier I wasn’t aware of the morning shows but when I got to know about them, I started opting for them. The evening shows are as much as Rs 200-250 here while the morning shows are Rs 100-150. You can save a decent amount by opting for the morning show,”she says.  “In Mumbai, the cost of movies is higher in posh areas. In suburbs, the movies are more affordable. This is true especially when it comes to single screens. The multiplexes charge the same more or less,” she adds. 

“So if you don’t really care about the ambience while watching a movie, opting fora single screen is the best option in a city like Mumbai,” she says.

The officials at the multiplexes and cinema halls are hesitant to speak about the movie ticket rates. 

One of the incharges at Fame Shankarnag in the City feels that compared to other multiplexes, Fame Shankarnag’s tickets are much more reasonable. 

“All the other multiplexes charge a lot more,” is all he says. Probe him a little further on the high pricing of the tickets and he says, “The ambience is one of the reasons. You pay more for a good ambience.”