Shibu B S By

Express News Service

KOCHI: Angry with the online movie ticket booking platforms for charging heavy internet handling fee? Relax. The Kerala Film Producers Association (KFPA) has decided to come up with a website and mobile app to offer service at reasonable rates.

The association is in talks with three companies including a startup to develop the website and app. “We’re hopeful of entering into a deal with one of them by next week,” KFPA president Rejaputhra Renjith told TNIE.

Some apps currently charge as high as 14 per cent of the ticket rate as internet handling fee. That means, for a Rs 350-worth Gold Class ticket, one has to pay Rs 49.56 extra.

“The average price of a movie ticket in the state is Rs 130. For that a moviegoer is charged Rs 18.20 as internet handling fee. If a family purchases five tickets, the fee will come close to Rs 100. Theatre owners get a per cent of the fee, but the producers and distributors are not benefited in any way,” said Renjith.

The KFPA plans not only to bring down the internet handling fee, but also present a share of the collected amount to producers in addition to exhibitors.

Ranjith said a decision on the fee and its percentage of share will be decided after talking with the exhibitors’ union in the state. The distributors’ association has already given nod to the project. “We’re hopeful of launching it this year itself,” Renjith said.

Kerala Film Distributors Association president Ziyad Koker said such a platform would be good for both the viewers and the industry.

“With an online booking platform of its own, the KFPA can assure pre-booked tickets at a much lower price. This will not only end the monopoly of some of the booking sites, but also help attract more people to the theatres, especially families who do bulk booking,” said Koker.