A 30-year-old man from Bengaluru has been awarded ₹65,000 in compensatory damages after suing PVR Cinemas, INOX, and BookMyShow for wasting 25 minutes of his time with lengthy advertisements before a movie screening.

In his complaint, Abhishek MR stated that he booked tickets for the 4:05 pm show of 'Sam Bahadur' in 2023, expecting the film to end by 6:30 pm to return to work. However, the movie began at 4:30 pm after advertisements, causing a 25-minute delay.

The consumer court ruled that PVR Cinemas and INOX had engaged in unfair trade practices by misleading customers with incorrect show timings and forcing them to watch ads for commercial gain. The court directed PVR and INOX to compensate Abhishek with ₹20,000 for mental distress and inconvenience, ₹8,000 for filing the complaint, and imposed a ₹1 lakh fine on each company.

The court emphasized that "time is money" and criticized the practice of showing lengthy advertisements before movies, stating that it is "very hard for busy people with tight schedules to watch unnecessary advertisements."

BookMyShow was not held liable, as it has no control over movie show timings.

This case highlights the importance of respecting consumers' time and ensuring transparency in show timings.