Telangana High Court Denies Permission for Movie Ticket Price Hike

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has ruled against the increase in movie ticket prices and denied permission for benefit shows, premiere shows, and special screenings of films in the state.

In a significant ruling, the High Court modified its earlier order issued on January 21 and emphasized that children below 16 years must be allowed to view all shows. The matter has been scheduled for further hearing on March 17.

The decision follows the state government’s stance against hiking benefit show ticket prices after incidents that occurred during the premiere of Allu Arjun’s Pushpa 2. However, the government had granted permission for a ticket price hike for Ram Charan’s Game Changer, which led to a legal challenge in the High Court.

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During the hearing, the petitioner raised concerns over the selective approval of increased ticket rates. In response, the government’s counsel informed the court that the permission to hike ticket prices for Game Changer had been revoked.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the High Court directed the state government to ensure that no movie shows take place between 1:30 AM and 8:40 AM, in compliance with the Cinematograph Act. The court also ruled that benefit and special shows should not be permitted, citing audience safety concerns.

The court further observed that producers should not rely on inflated ticket prices to recover the costs of high-budget films, reinforcing the need to maintain fair pricing for moviegoers.