Director Teja Comes With Strong Views On Popcorn Tax

Director Teja comes with strong views on Popcorn tax. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Seetharaman shocked all by levying tax on Popcorn. The levying of GST of 5 to 18% on varied forms of popcorn came in for lot of criticism.

Director Teja, speaking to scribes, shared his views on it.He said “With new GST, the popcorn cost is going to rise and become unaffordable for a common man in multiplexes. While a pack of popcorn is sold for Rs 100 in single-screen theatres, the same is sold for over Rs 500 in multiplexes. Adding to that soft drinks and nachos would mean shelling out nearly Rs 1000 for a family which is quite exorbitant. It is pinching the pockets of middle-class moviegoers and youngsters. This is why they are staying away from theatres,"

Citing the example of Hindi cinema in Mumbai, he said “A top honcho of Mumbai-based multiplex openly claimed that they are happy to make more money in food and beverages over admission rates. Multiplexes believe in fewer numbers and more profits, while single screens believe in more footfalls and less profits in theatres. Also Read - Pawan Kalyan's remuneration for Tholi Prema Earlier, Telugu cinema survived in the two Telugu states due to affordable ticket and food pricing for families to turn up in theatres,”

He went on to add "Single screens boast of huge screens and terrific sound systems which give the audience a larger-than-life experience. Whereas, multiplexes cut down the size of the screens to add more theatres which also kills the excitement of the movie-watching experience,"

He warned “Recently, exhibitors had to shut down theatres due to low footfalls and audiences are also wary about food rates in multiplexes. The huge cost of popcorn and cool drinks in multiplexes is killing cinema and viewership too since snacks at multiplexes cost 4-5 times more than single-screen prices,.”