The New Year has brought cheer to movie goers with the Centre slashing the GST rates for cinema tickets from January 1, 2019. Tickets priced above Rs 120 have come down to 18% GST from 28% and cinema tickets priced below Rs 100 have been slashed from 18% to 12%.
This means elite class ticket in a multiplex in Chennai would now cost you Rs 152.55 for a Tamil film, Rs 162.13 for other Indian language films and Rs 168.97 for English films. The pay parity is mainly because of the local body tax of 10%.
Budget tickets are now priced at Rs 60.12 for Tamil films, Rs 63.72 for other Indian language films and Rs 66.3 for English films.
First class tickets for a Tamil film at AGS Cinemas T Nagar previously cost Rs 220.78 which includes Rs 11.68 local body entertainment tax (LBET), Rs 28.38 GST and Rs 30 convenience fee. The rates are yet to updated on their site.
Speaking to TNM, Palaniappan Subramaniam, owner of Kasi Theatres, Chennai, “After the revision in GST slab our tickets are now priced at Rs 112 and Rs 132. Previously they were Rs 118 and Rs 144 respectively.”
Ruban Mathivanan, Managing Director of GK Cinemas in Chennai tells us that tickets are now priced at Rs 110 inclusive of GST for Tamil films. "We've got only one class and previously these tickets were priced at Rs 120."
As per the GO dated October 6, 2017, the ticket prices mandated for multiplex with AC in Greater Chennai were a maximum of Rs 160 and a minimum of Rs 50. Non-AC theatres could price their tickets at a maximum of Rs 120 and a minimum of Rs 40.
Theatres outside Chennai priced their tickets at a maximum rate of Rs 140 and a minimum of Rs 50 (if they had AC) and at Rs 100 and Rs 30 if they did not have AC.
The decision to revise ticket prices was announced in the December 31 meeting of the GST Council which took place in New Delhi on December 22, 2018. The meeting which was convened with an aim to bring down the highest ceiling of GST to 18% from the present rate of 28%, saw the attendance of representatives from all Indian states and union territories.