More Ads Than Expected? Theatre Gets a Major Consumer Court Shock!

A Hyderabad theatre has been penalised after a moviegoer approached the consumer commission over advertisements and promotional trailers being played for 22 minutes after the scheduled show time. On June 20, 2025, the viewer had booked two tickets for the 10:35 pm show of Kuberaa, starring Dhanush and Nagarjuna. Although he was seated in the theatre on time, advertisements and promotional trailers reportedly continued until 10:52 pm. The viewer said the delayed screening affected his schedule and that he reached home only around 3 am.

After hearing the matter, the Hyderabad District Consumer Commission held that keeping viewers waiting for commercial advertisements after the scheduled show time amounted to deficiency in service and an unfair trade practice. The theatre management argued that screening advertisements, trailers and public-service announcements was part of its business rights, but the commission did not accept the contention. It directed the theatre to pay ₹20,000 as compensation to the consumer and ₹5,000 towards legal costs, besides depositing ₹50,000 with the District Consumer Welfare Fund as a punitive measure to prevent similar incidents. The ruling has drawn attention to the practice of extended advertisements in theatres.