Late Movie Start Could Put Thousands Of Money in Your Pocket

Going to a theatre usually means planning our time around the show timing printed on the ticket. But what happens when the movie does not actually begin at the promised time? A recent consumer case involving PVR has brought this issue into the spotlight.

According to the reported case, a Hyderabad-based lawyer booked a ticket to watch Kubera at a PVR theatre in 2025. His ticket mentioned that the show would begin at 10:35 PM. However, the actual movie did not start immediately. The audience reportedly had to watch advertisements and trailers for around 22 minutes.

For many viewers, this may look like a small delay. But the issue becomes bigger when the total delay affects their plans after the movie. The lawyer said the delay resulted in him reaching home around an hour later than expected. He approached the consumer commission over the inconvenience caused.

The consumer commission reportedly treated the matter as a service-related issue. PVR was ordered to pay a total amount of Rs. 75,000. Out of this, Rs. 20,000 was directed as compensation for the inconvenience faced by the customer. Another Rs. 5,000 was ordered towards legal expenses. The remaining Rs. 50,000 was directed towards the consumer welfare fund.

This case raises an important question about movie timings. Advertisements and trailers are common in theatres and form an important part of the cinema business. However viewers buy tickets based on the show timing displayed to them.

The case also shows that customers may have grounds to raise complaints when a service does not match what was promised. For theatre audiences, the key issue is not simply advertisements. It is whether the advertised show timing is being respected.