For Hyderabadis who love to do nothing better than plop themselves on multiplex seats with a bag of popcorn, the last few weekends have been more than infuriating. Unable to book movie tickets online through any website, movie lovers were forced to drive long distances and stand in winding queues, in a sea of crowd and chaos at box office counters in
the city.
The confusion started when people noticed the ‘Hyderabad’ location missing on the BookMyShow website. Their statement reads, “Due to statutory reasons, all online ticketing in Andhra Pradesh has been taken off the web till further notice.” The website of Prasads Multiplex redirects you to a “We regret to inform you that our Internet booking facility is down.” PVR cinemas and Inox too have disabled booking for Hyderabadis.
The current situation may have crippled film enthusiasts who got used to movie tickets being delivered to their inbox. But the matter is nowhere near a resolution, going by what the government has to say. “Yes, no organization in AP can issue movie tickets online as per the latest court direction,” says BP Acharya, Principal Secretary to Government, Home Department. Explaining the situation, he says, “In 2009, when consumers complained that these websites are charging exorbitant service charges, the government had passed an order allowing a single company, Galaxy Entertainers, to sell tickets online at a nominal
amount of 6 as booking charges. The idea was to regulate the prices. But these websites continued to sell tickets illegally. They need a licence according to the cinematographers act, but they have violated the law by functioning without it. Now until the court stay order is revoked, tickets can’t be bought online in AP, except from authorized dealers,” he adds. Theatre managements meanwhile, are spitting fire with this development. function. There is too much confusion and this matter needs to be resolved soon.”
the city.
The confusion started when people noticed the ‘Hyderabad’ location missing on the BookMyShow website. Their statement reads, “Due to statutory reasons, all online ticketing in Andhra Pradesh has been taken off the web till further notice.” The website of Prasads Multiplex redirects you to a “We regret to inform you that our Internet booking facility is down.” PVR cinemas and Inox too have disabled booking for Hyderabadis.
The current situation may have crippled film enthusiasts who got used to movie tickets being delivered to their inbox. But the matter is nowhere near a resolution, going by what the government has to say. “Yes, no organization in AP can issue movie tickets online as per the latest court direction,” says BP Acharya, Principal Secretary to Government, Home Department. Explaining the situation, he says, “In 2009, when consumers complained that these websites are charging exorbitant service charges, the government had passed an order allowing a single company, Galaxy Entertainers, to sell tickets online at a nominal
amount of 6 as booking charges. The idea was to regulate the prices. But these websites continued to sell tickets illegally. They need a licence according to the cinematographers act, but they have violated the law by functioning without it. Now until the court stay order is revoked, tickets can’t be bought online in AP, except from authorized dealers,” he adds. Theatre managements meanwhile, are spitting fire with this development. function. There is too much confusion and this matter needs to be resolved soon.”
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