NEW DELHI: A Hyderabad district consumer commission has directed PVR Inox and an Inox theatre to pay Rs 6,000 to a customer after a movie show was cancelled about 10 minutes after it began. The commission found deficiency in service and unfair trade practice and awarded Rs 5,000 compensation and Rs 1,000 litigation costs. The order was passed on September 11, 2026.Why did the customer approach the commission?According to the commission order, P Prashanth purchased a ticket for the Telugu film “Hongkong Warriors” for Rs 173 through BookMyShow on January 26, 2025. He reached the theatre on time and started watching the movie, but the show was cancelled about 10 minutes into the screening.Prashanth alleged that the theatre initially said the show was cancelled because of low occupancy. He said the management later changed its explanation and said there was a technical issue. He claimed the sudden cancellation caused mental distress and inconvenience and that his complaints to BookMyShow and the theatre did not receive a satisfactory response.He sought Rs 50,000 as compensation for deficiency in service, mental agony and harassment, besides Rs 25,000 towards litigation costs.The theatre disputed the allegations. It said the show was cancelled because of a technical error caused by storage limitations in the screen’s Audi 06. It said its engineering team tried to resolve the issue but could not do so. The theatre also said a 100 percent refund was offered along with an alternative movie experience. It said the refund was later processed and argued that no further compensation was payable.What did the commission find?The bench of President Vakkanti Narasimha Rao and member Suma Vala noted that the theatre had not produced a technical report or other documentary evidence to support its claim that the show was cancelled because of a technical problem.“The complainant is not in dispute that he arrived at the theatre on time and began watching the movie, however, about 10 minutes into the Screening, the theatre management abruptly cancelled the show on the initial ground due to low occupancy that was not believable,” the bench said.The commission also noted that the theatre later gave a different reason for the cancellation. It said the theatre had relied on its written version and evidence affidavit but had not produced substantial documentary proof of the alleged technical problem.“It is also not in dispute that, later the theatre management changed their version stating that ‘the cancellation was due to Technical issue’ that was under suspicious of the truthfulness and Bonafide’s of the Opposite Parties. Neither any technical report nor any technical error cropped-up caused by storage limitation in the Screen AUDI 06 was filed in support of the Contentions of Opposite Party,” it added.The commission further noted that the ticket amount had been refunded after the show was cancelled. However, it said the refund did not remove the deficiency in service arising from the cancellation.“It is also an admitted fact that the ticket cost was alleged to be refunded to the original payment mode on 27th January, 2025 under Ex. A-1 as the theatre management abruptly cancelled the show wherein it was mentioned that ‘Still haven’t received the refund’,” the commission further added.The commission held that the cancellation amounted to deficiency in service and unfair trade practice. It partly allowed the complaint and awarded compensation and litigation costs.What did the commission order?The Hyderabad district consumer commission directed PVR Inox and the theatre to:
- Pay Rs 5,000 as compensation for deficiency in service and unfair trade practice.
- Pay Rs 1,000 towards litigation costs.
- Pay the total Rs 6,000 jointly and severally.
- Make the payment within 45 days from receiving the order.
- The customer’s remaining claims were disallowed.
