Starting August, Moviegoers Can Carry Outside Food Into Theatres

Starting August, going to the movies will become relatively cheaper as Maharashtra Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ravindra Chavan recently announced that moviegoers can no longer be prevented from carrying outside or home-cooked food into multiplexes within the state. He also said that legal action will be taken against theatre owners and employees who violate this order. It was announced during Maharashtra Assembly’s monsoon session on 14 July 2018.

This decision came in response to a petition filed by filmmaker Jainendra Baxi asking the court to allow moviegoers to carry their own food inside theatres. The court then observed that the food inside the multiplexes is priced exorbitantly, leaving moviegoers with no choice but to buy overpriced food—the cost of which, at times, exceeds the cost of the ticket itself.

According to a report by NDTV, Mr Baxi’s lawyer Advocate Aditya Pratap said, “The government made the announcement after the high court’s order in which we had moved a petition and this is the right step. Fleecing of customers will stop with this order. The manner in which customers were exploited was unfair and we believe that the right to carry your own food is a fundamental right under article 21 of the constitution.”

In a report by Times of India, “Ranvindra Chavan, junior minister for food and civil supplies said according to the Maharashtra Cinemas (Regulation) Rules, 1966, cinemas cannot prohibit consumers from carrying food and action will be taken against those who do not allow it. The ban on dual pricing – the practice of charging different MRPs for the same product in different places – will be implemented from August 1.”

After the announcement, stocks of many multiplex companies took a hit. Shares of PVR Limited, India’s largest multiplex company, fell by 13 percent, closing at Rs. 1214.20. Shares of Inox Leisure, another multiplex company, also fell by 11.5 percent. This decision is likely to affect the income of multiplexes as selling snacks at a price above the MRP comprises a huge chunk of their profits. However, for the public, it’s a matter of celebration as they will no longer be forced to buy outrageously priced popcorn and soft drinks every weekend.

Feature Image Courtesy: movieworldcinemas.com

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