Multiplexes – Daylight Robbery?

When the multiplexes made their pompous entrance into the Bangalore cine scene, the people of the city hoped for a better viewing experience. To give the devil its due, these multiplexes did a reasonably good job in the initial years, in spite of their pricey tickets and fancy attitudes. But much water has passed down the multiplex bridge since then, and we believe it’s high time we take stock of the situation once again.

No doubt, multiplexes are still among the finest places in the city to catch a movie. But the ticket prices have soared to unreasonable amounts in the last few years, making them an unattractive proposition for the middle class families in Bangalore. The baloney starts right at the box office, where you book your tickets. If you happen to book them online, every multiplex in the city makes you cough up service charges called “convenience charge”. Actually, the convenience is more to the theatre owners than the audience as online booking saves them manpower, space (no long queues), and gives them more business (more people will come to the theatre because of ease of booking).

The government, which at least pretends to crack down the black ticket sellers in majestic, is not even bothered to check the inflated ticket rates in the multiplexes on weekends and for new films. A ticket that costs Rs. 90 in the weekdays jumps up to Rs. 250 in the weekends for the same film! Also, new and popular releases like Avatar and 3 Idiots are always charged much more than the normal ticket rates. Isn’t that selling tickets in black? Is the government listening?

The snacks available at these multiplexes are a whole new story. In most of the multiplexes, samosas are bland, but the price is real spicy with about Rs. 50 per plate! (Even in the Brigade Road, you get these Samosas for five rupees a piece). The corn isn’t exactly delicate but the rate is hard on your pocket. The ice creams are cold, but the rate is hot! And to add to all this, they don’t allow you take any snacks from outside, making the trap for fleecing you alive foolproof. Also, the shows are ‘strategically’ designed to make you skip lunch or dinner (a show that starts at 12:30 p.m.) and purchase food items at mind boggling rates.

In good old days, this was called “daylight robbery”.

The security for these multiplexes is another issue that makes you worry before you step inside them with your family. On the outset, the multiplexes seem to have better security measures than other theatres. But recently, a TV channel showed the security in these multiplexes wasn’t exactly watertight. Also, the security at Fun Cinemas on Cunningham road is a sitting duck for the attackers, as nobody even bothers to check your vehicles in the parking lot. All of them are simply interested in collecting your money for parking. But mind you, they will surely frisk the life out of you to check if you are carrying any food items!

It’s time multiplexes wake up as many of the theatres in Majestic and other areas in Bangalore have undergone commendable changes in the last few months. Now you get cleaner theatres, tolerable toilets and even if they sell their tickets in black, they won’t be as costly as those of multiplex’s rates.

Time for the multiplexes to make changes for the better.