No Rise? No Planet of the Apes

After years of wrangling over revenue-sharing arrangements, a few Hollywood studios aren’t playing ball with Indian multiplexes anymore.

After years of wrangling over revenue-sharing arrangements, a few Hollywood studios aren’t playing ball with Indian multiplexes anymore. This has meant that movies such as Rise of the Planet of the Apes are currently showing only in single-screen theatres, not multiplexes.

The holdout seeks to address an issue that recurs regularly on the eve of big-budget movie releases, prompting frantic negotiations that end in agreements just hours before the movies’ opening. Defending them­selves, multiplex owners say that rising costs have resulted in lower net profits. However, multiplexes have also raised ticket prices significantly, making an evening at the movies a visibly more expensive venture. Regardless, the consumer plays no role in these discussions. At the time of this story’s going to the press, both sides were holding firm.

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Rahul Bhatia