Karnataka High Court stays government order on ₹200 uniform cinema ticket price

Sandalwood producers raise concerns as HC suspends state’s fixed ticket price order, citing potential losses for big-budget films.

The Karnataka High Court has stayed the state government’s order to fix a uniform cinema ticket price of ₹200 across all theatres. The order, issued by the Siddaramaiah-led government, faced opposition from the film industry concerned about potential financial losses for big-budget Sandalwood productions.

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For decades, the Kannada film industry has debated uniform ticket pricing to curb exorbitant rates for foreign films and ensure accessibility. The government attempted to enforce a standard ticket price to regulate the market.

However, critics argued that a fixed ₹200 ticket rate could harm high-investment films. Sandalwood is currently witnessing a wave of back-to-back big-budget releases, including Kantara: Chapter 1, Toxic, KD, 45, The Devil, and Mark. These films involve crores of rupees in production costs, and producers rely heavily on box office revenue to recoup investments.

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Other revenue streams such as satellite rights and OTT deals for Kannada films remain limited, heightening dependence on theatre collections. Concerns over recovering production costs and sustaining high-quality filmmaking prompted producers to challenge the uniform pricing order in court.

The petition led by filmmakers was heard by a bench headed by Justice Ravi Hosmani, which has stayed the government directive and postponed further proceedings, temporarily halting the ₹200 ticket mandate.

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