Going to the movies in Tamil Nadu will be more pleasant here on, as the State Government has standardised parking ticket fee in movie theatres across the State.
In a notification on Tuesday, the State government announced that the price for parking a car/three-wheeler and two-wheelers in theatres situated in municipal corporations and special grade municipalities has been fixed at ₹20 and ₹10 respectively.
In town panchayats and villages, car/three-wheeler and two-wheeler parking charges have been fixed at ₹5 and ₹3 respectively. In other non-special grade municipalities, the rates have been fixed at ₹15 and ₹7 for car/three-wheeler and two-wheeler parking respectively. It is unclear whether the new rates will be applicable to cinema theatres inside malls.
While it is not fully clear how big malls would be able to implement these new regulations, theatre owners insist that the State government must allow ‘flexi-pricing’ of movie tickets rather than regulating parking fee. “More than the producers, we are concerned about ensuring that ticket prices are fair so that people continue to come to theatres. Right now, there is no clarity on whether the parking fee is charged on hourly basis or for a single show,” said a theatre owner.
‘Logistically tough’
The theatre owners say that fixing parking ticket fee would prove logistically difficult in malls as it would be difficult to know if a person is coming to the mall or the multiplex. “Also, since we have invested so much money already in manpower and infrastructure, it would become impossible for us to provide the same kind of facilities and security,” said another theatre owner.
The new regulations have been a long standing demand of the industry, especially producers, who have said that the increasing costs in the form of food and beverage prices and parking tickets (especially in malls) are preventing families from going to movie theatres.
Producer S.R. Prabhu, treasurer, Tamil Film Producers Council, welcomed the government’s announcement. “We thank the State Government and the Chief Minister for accepting TFPC's request to regulate the parking fees in theatres and malls for the good of Tamil film lovers and the film industry!” he wrote on social media.
