The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Uniform ticket rates for movies mooted

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Friday, Oct 31, 2008
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Uniform ticket rates for movies mooted

N.J. Nair

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The high-level committee constituted by the government for working out norms for releasing Malayalam films is toying with a proposal to introduce uniform ticket rates subsequent to standardisation of facilities in theatres across the State.

Official sources told The Hindu that the panel headed by Kerala State Chalachitra Academy chairman K.R. Mohanan and comprising secretaries of the Culture and Local Self-Government Department is understood to have taken the view that enhanced facilities as well as quality of services offered by cinema houses are imperative for equipping them to compete with multinationals as well as major Indian companies gearing up to open multiplexes in the State soon.

The wide release system gives a leeway to the producers to release films in maximum number of theatres against restrictions imposed by the exhibitors.

Though the wide release system has been advocated to increase the revenue and mop up losses, returns from theatres in the rural areas where the system has been experimented with had not been so satisfactory.

Disparity in collections

There is a disparity between collections in the rural and urban centres. This is mainly due to differences in ticket rates and the committee was keen on addressing it, the sources said.

Augmenting the facilities is seen as a bait for luring audience back to the cinema houses, but at rates revised suitably higher. This would also supplement the revenue streams of the local self-government institutions. Lack of proper maintenance, parking facilities, unscientific projection system and unhygienic conditions have been cited as reasons for the poor turnout in theatres.

This is despite the exhibitors collecting an additional service charge from the public. The committee is understood to be in favour of the wide release system. It has almost decided to put forward a set of benchmarks for improved viewing conditions before formally introducing the system. Irrespective of the locality, new films could be released in theatres with good projection, seating, air-condition, parking and other facilities. What would set the benchmarks would be amenities and not ad hoc arrangements worked out by a section of exhibitors, the sources said.

Existing norms over the distance separating two releasing centres too are likely to go. The new standards to improve the quality of the cinema houses would hopefully be the remedy for the crisis afflicting the industry, the sources felt.

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