Penalty for ad delays: Bengaluru man sues PVR, INOX, wins Rs 65k in court

The complainant accused the multiplexes of misleading customers with incorrect show timings and forcing them to watch ads for commercial gain

A 30-year-old man in Bengaluru has won Rs 65,000 in compensation after suing PVR Cinemas, INOX, and BookMyShow, claiming they wasted 25 minutes of his time by running lengthy advertisements before a movie screening. The consumer court ruled in his favour, citing “unfair trade practice” and emphasising that “time is money”.

 

Why did he sue?

 

Abhishek MR, the complainant, stated that in 2023, he had booked three tickets to watch Sam Bahadur at 4.05 pm. However, instead of starting on time, the movie began at 4.30 pm after a prolonged session of advertisements and trailers, causing nearly 30 minutes of delay. 

Abhishek argued that this delay ruined his schedule, making him miss important appointments.

 

“The complainant could not attend other arrangements and appointments which were scheduled for the day and has faced losses that cannot be calculated in terms of money as compensation,” the complaint read.

 

He accused the multiplexes of misleading customers by providing incorrect show times and forcing them to watch ads for commercial gain.

 

Consumer court’s ruling: ‘Time is money’

 

In a strong verdict, the consumer court directed PVR Cinemas and INOX to compensate Abhishek for wasting his time.

 

- Rs 50,000 for unfair trade practices

- Rs 5,000 for mental agony

- Rs 10,000 for legal expenses

 

Additionally, PVR and INOX were fined Rs 1 lakh, which must be deposited into the Consumer Welfare Fund within 30 days.

However, the court dismissed the case against BookMyShow, stating that it is a ticket-booking platform and has no control over advertisement durations at theaters.

 

What did the court say?

 

In its February 15 order, the consumer court made it clear that no business has the right to profit at the cost of a customer’s time.

“25-30 minutes is not a small amount of time to sit idle in a theatre and watch whatever is telecasted,” the ruling stated. It also highlighted that busy individuals with tight schedules should not be forced to watch unnecessary advertisements.

 

PVR-INOX’s defence & court’s response

 

PVR Cinemas and INOX defended themselves by arguing that they are legally required to screen Public Service Announcements (PSAs) for awareness campaigns.

 

However, the court clarified that such announcements should only be shown within 10 minutes before the movie starts and during the interval—not in an extended ad session before the screening.