Minister proposes govt app for film tickets, theatre owners confused

While talking to reporters in Kovilpatti on Monday, he said audiences are currently bearing the brunt of overpricing by a minimum of Rs 30 on a ticket.

“Since many proprietors of cinema theatres are in tie-up with private players, audiences are forced to pay a surcharge on tickets. Thus, we are designing a mobile app with a team of engineers in Chennai. Once, the government-sponsored app is developed, it would be open to the public at a lesser price,” Raju said. 

He added that online ticket booking would also pave the way to transparency and prevent theatre owners from tax evasion. “Initially, the online portal would be introduced in a phased manner in select theatres and the new system would cover all theatres at a later stage. It would also help prevent anybody from selling tickets in the black market,” the Minister said.

Reacting to the development, Tirupur Subramaniam, President of Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners Association said, “I believe, he meant computerisation of movie tickets across Tamil Nadu to bring in more transparency in terms of collection and revenue. In this system, the government will have access via a central server, in which they can access what is the total revenue earned by theatres for a certain period.”

He pointed out that he heard that the government has plans to sell movie tickets only through online portals, which is easier said than done. “It will take a few years for the government to achieve it. Moreover, we have people in B and C centres where most of the audience do not use credit or debit cards. We have asked for an appointment on Friday. We will have clarity once we meet him,” Subramaniam said. 

Rakesh Gowthaman, Managing Director of Vetri Theatres, said that the proposal to make movie ticket sales completely online won’t work as going for a movie is an unplanned event.

“Imagine we are in a mall and plan to watch a film five minutes before the showtime. Online portals usually close reservation 30 minutes before the showtime. So, I don’t think the plan will do the audience any good,” he said. “Also, the food and beverage in some single screens and multiplexes are run by various brands and have their MRPs according to their market value. It is difficult to centralise that. If the government thinks that can be done, then the food prices in hotels should also be regularised before doing it in the cinema halls.”