After the end of the strike called by the Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners and Distributors Association comes the hard reality: moviegoing has become a bit more expensive.
The average price of a ticket at a Chennai multiplex, which is among the country’s lowest, has been bumped up from Rs 120 to Rs 153. A GST of 28% will be charged on tickets priced at Rs 120 and 18% on cheaper tickets priced at Rs 100 or less. Tickets that were priced at Rs 10 will now become Rs 11.80.
It is official highest new ticket rate in a Chennai multiplex is Rs 120 (Net) + #GST @28% = Rs 153.60. After 10 years ticket rate increase.
— Sreedhar Pillai (@sri50) July 6, 2017
The strike was called against the imposition of a separate entertainment tax by the Tamil Nadu government above the Goods and Services Tax, which came into effect on July 1. The agitation ended after the state government promised to set up a committee to study the issue.
“We presented our point of view and the officials in the government were receptive to our problems,” Abirami Ramanathan, President of the Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners and Distributors Association, told The Hindu newspaper.