In Bangalore, India, a man sued a cinema for showing too many advertisements before the movie, causing him “mental agony.” As a result, the man won the case and was awarded over $200 in compensation.
According to reports from CNN, the 31-year-old man, Abhishek M R, filed a complaint with the Bangalore District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission against the Indian cinema chain PVR INOX.
Abhishek claimed that on December 26, 2023, he went to the cinema to watch a movie, but before the movie started, there were 25 minutes of advertisements, which made him feel “mentally agonized.”
In his complaint, Abhishek stated that he had purchased three movie tickets to watch the afternoon show at the cinema that day. The war film, with a runtime of 2 hours and 25 minutes, was scheduled to start at 4:05 pm and end at 6:30 pm. However, due to excessive advertising (including 2 public service announcements and 17 commercial ads), the screening was delayed until around 7:00 pm.
Abhishek argued that the delayed end of the movie caused him to miss his scheduled work hours, resulting in “losses that cannot be quantified in monetary terms.”
As a result, he demanded compensation from the defendant for the losses due to what he described as “unfair trade practices,” amounting to $547, as well as $57 for “mental agony” and $115 for legal costs.
The commission ultimately ruled in favor of Abhishek, ordering PVR INOX to pay him $230 in damages and $92 in legal costs, as well as a fine of $1,148 to the Consumer Welfare Fund, a government agency aimed at protecting consumers.
In its ruling, the commission stated, “In this new era, time is considered money, and everyone’s time is extremely valuable. Sitting in a theater watching unnecessary advertisements for 25 to 30 minutes is a significant amount of time. People with tight schedules do not have time to waste.”
Abhishek expressed his hope that other companies in India would take note of this ruling. He told CNN, “All other companies in India are beginning to consider the importance of time and how not to waste their customers’ time.”