{
  "id": 10191769,
  "title": "Consumer drags PVR Cinemas to court after ads play for 17 minutes before movie: Movie chain must now pay ₹75,000",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/consumer-drags-pvr-cinemas-to-court-after-ads-play-for-17-minutes",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-27T10:17:45.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Live Mint",
    "slug": "live-mint",
    "url": "https://www.livemint.com/news/india/consumer-drags-pvr-cinemas-to-court-after-ads-play-for-17-minutes-before-movie-movie-chain-must-now-pay-rs-75000-11790503840927.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A Hyderabad consumer filed a lawsuit against PVR Cinemas after a film began 17 minutes late due to excessive advertisements. The advocate, who booked tickets for a 10:35 PM show, arrived at the theater well before the scheduled start time. However, instead of the movie, he was greeted by a 17-minute-long pre-film advertisement and trailer session. This delay forced him to relocate his entire nighttime schedule, reaching home at 3 AM instead of his intended 2 AM arrival. The advocate argued that this prolonged advertising amounted to unfair trade practice, infringing on his safety and convenience, and violated the Information and Broadcasting Ministry's screening rules. PVR Cinemas, defending its right to commercial advertisements, cited constitutional protections and a Supreme Court ruling that allows cinemas to decide their operational terms as long as public interest is protected. The Hyderabad District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission ruled in favor of the advocate, ordering PVR to pay ₹75,000 in compensation, including ₹20,000 for harassment, ₹5,000 for litigation costs, and ₹50,000 in punitive damages to be donated to the consumer welfare fund. The commission also mandated that PVR cease this practice permanently. This case follows a similar ruling in February 2025, where a Bengaluru consumer court fined PVR Cinemas and Inox for excessive pre-film advertisements, ordering them to pay ₹20,000 in compensation and ₹8,000 for legal costs.",
  "summary": "PVR INOX played ads for 17 minutes before a movie. The consumer turned out to be an advocate. Now, the chain must pay ₹75,000 in fine.",
  "key_points": [
    "Hyderabad consumer sues PVR Cinemas over 17-minute ad delay",
    "Advocate's 10:35 PM show starts 17 minutes late, disrupts schedule",
    "PVR ordered to pay ₹75,000 in compensation and donate to welfare fund"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}