Hyd Theatre Played 22 Mins Ads, Fined Rs 75K

Article by Satya Published on: 7:07 am, 29 September 2026

Watching ads before a movie has become almost normal these days, but one Hyderabad moviegoer decided to take it up after he was made to sit through more than 22 minutes of ads.

The man had gone to watch Kubera at a Hyderabad theatre in September 2025. The movie was scheduled to begin around 10:35 PM, but the actual screening started nearly 20 minutes late as the theatre played a long list of advertisements and brand promotions.

Frustrated with the delay, he approached the consumer court, claiming that the theatre had wasted his valuable time by running advertisements for such a long duration.

The consumer court took up the matter and has now directed the theatre to pay ₹25,000 as compensation to the moviegoer. Another ₹50,000 has been ordered to be paid to the district consumer bench, taking the total amount to ₹75,000.

The case has now triggered fresh discussion about the practice of playing lengthy advertisements before movie screenings. For moviegoers who pay for a show at a fixed time, spending another 20-plus minutes watching ads can certainly be frustrating.