[Global Times Comprehensive Report] In recent years, Indian movie tickets have become more and more expensive, causing many local fans to complain and causing Indian local governments to limit prices.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported on the 16th, citing survey data from Ormax, a local media consulting company in India, that the average price of a movie ticket in India in 2020 was 91 rupees (100 rupees is about 8.1 yuan), and it would rise to 134 rupees in 2024. rupees, the ticket price increased by 47%. While ticket prices are rising, the number of moviegoers in Indian cinemas is declining. The number of moviegoers in India in 2024 has dropped by 6% compared with 2023, partly reflecting that movie fans are not buying the increase in movie ticket prices. A 20-year-old Indian youth named Arora said that it now costs 500 rupees to see a movie in a modern cinema with good facilities in the capital, nearly 1/3 of his weekly pocket money.

However, some Indian industry insiders and movie fans have different views. Cinema merchants emphasize that compared with traditional screening halls, modern cinemas provide a more comfortable environment and more shocking audio-visual enjoyment, and it is worth spending money to enjoy a better service experience. Some merchants also took out the operating report cards of their modern theaters and said that despite the high ticket prices, their business is still good, which shows that the audience is still willing to pay the bill.

The Indian Times that in order to protect the interests of fans, several states in southern India have introduced a film ticket ceiling policy, which has sparked minor controversy. For example, the Indian state of Karnataka introduced a film ticket ceiling policy of up to 200 rubles on September 12 to protect the public interest, but was immediately opposed by local cinema merchants. On September 23, the local court requested the government to suspend the implementation of this policy, and the court will hold a hearing on this policy again in late November.