Ranveer Singh's 'Simmba' movie tickets could cost Rs 25 less from January 1

Close to his film’s release, revised GST brings film ticket rates down by eight per cent on an average

(This story originally appeared in

on Dec 24, 2018)

The reduction in GST from 28 per cent to 18 percent for film tickets costing more than Rs 100, and from 18 per cent to 12 percent for those upto Rs 100 means that film buffs will need to shell out less for a ticket to the next Bollywood offering which happens to be the Ranveer Singh-Sara Ali Khan starrer 'Simmba'. The revised slabs will be applicable from January 1 and exhibitors reveal that on an average, the ticket prices will come down by approximately Rs 25 from the new year.

“We hope this will increase the footfalls,” said a relieved Deepak Asher, the president of the Multiplex Association of India, while PV Sunil of Carnival Cinemas added, “It is a big relief for the industry and a victory for common man.”
Raj Bansal, the director at a three-screen multiplex, Entertainment Paradise, in Jaipur is happy to pass on this “effective benefit of around 8 per cent” to the viewer.“The tickets for 'Simmba' will be cheaper than other films under the blockbuster slab from January 1,” he promises, adding that makers of 'Simmba' were looking to release the film a day earlier on December 27 to cash in on the festive cheer. “But later, we were informed that the film would release as scheduled on Friday, December 28.”

Vishek Chauhan, owner of Roopbani Cinema in Bihar, confirms the news, saying, “Yes, team 'Simmba' was looking to increase it revenue by releasing a day early, we even got new posters and publicity material announcing the new date. But the exhibitors pushed them back as they didn’t want to over-burden their programming team by re-scheduling shows at the last minute.”
In this positive scenario, trade analyst Girish Johar sounds a word of caution. “While on an average, the ticket prices should come down by 7-8 per cent, as it happened in the past, cinema owners did not reduce the ticket prices, rather they increased the net amount on which tax is levied with the result that the audience did not reap the benefit. I hope that won’t happen this time,” he said.

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