The country’s largest multiplex operator has trimmed its pre-film advertising window after two consumer court rulings found lengthy commercial blocks to be a deficiency in service. In an exclusive conversation with Bollywood Hungama, PVR INOX executive director Sanjeev Kumar Bijli confirmed that ad time has been reduced from roughly 15-18 minutes to 10 minutes, a duration the chain considers workable without hurting the moviegoing experience.
The phrase “deficiency in service” is a specific consumer-protection finding: it means a business failed to deliver what a paying customer was reasonably promised. A cinema ticket promises a film, and the courts have now signalled that an excessive advertising block before that film can cross the line.
Two rulings set the precedent
The more recent case began in 2025, when a Hyderabad viewer complained he sat through 22 minutes of advertisements before a screening of the Dhanush-Nagarjuna starrer Kubera. In September 2026, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-II in Hyderabad held PVR INOX liable and ordered the chain to pay ₹20,000 in compensation and ₹5,000 toward litigation costs.
It was the second such order. A Bengaluru patron who objected to nearly 25 minutes of commercials and trailers during a screening of Sam Bahadur had earlier won compensation of ₹1 lakh, including legal costs.
A sweet spot, not a policy
Bijli framed the 10-minute mark as a deliberate middle ground, calling it a sweet spot that does not compromise the viewing experience. He acknowledged that no policy works for everyone, but said the chain is keeping a keen eye on the matter. The priority, he added, is that “the moviegoing experience does not get compromised by anything.”
On-screen advertising has been part of the Hindi cinema ecosystem for decades, and some campaigns have become part of theatrical memory:
- Mumbai audiences in the early 2000s regularly saw the Gangar Opticians spot, which built strong recall through repetition.
- More recently, the Lyra Leggings commercial featuring Janhvi Kapoor has played mostly in cinemas rather than on television, making it a theatre-specific fixture.
- PVR INOX screens also carry an in-house presentation in which brand representatives explain how cinema advertising can drive footfalls and sales.
The price of viewer patience
For exhibitors, the rulings matter because they attach a cost to a revenue line that had previously been limited only by audience tolerance. Advertising inventory funds the theatrical business, but it now carries measurable legal risk when it stretches past what a reasonable viewer will accept. The practical signal for audiences is that 10 minutes is the benchmark PVR INOX is defending.
Whether other circuits follow, and whether 10 minutes satisfies advertisers and regulators alike, will determine if this becomes an informal industry standard. Bijli said complaints are not widespread, but the chain is watching closely.
Source: bollywoodHungama.com
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