Chinese cinemas showing Avengers: Endgame ordered to cap service fees
- Theatres will not be allowed to screen latest blockbuster if they add more than 10 per cent to their ticket prices
- Film premieres on Wednesday and some advance tickets were offered at up to three times the usual rate, report says
With the Hollywood blockbuster Avengers: Endgame set to premiere around the country on Wednesday, Chinese cinemas have been ordered not to inflate their ticket prices with exorbitant service charges, according to a local newspaper report.
Theatres have been told to limit any surcharges to 10 per cent of the ticket price or they will not be allowed to show the film, Beijing Youth Daily reported on Saturday.
The announcement comes after several people complained of having to pay hugely inflated prices for advance tickets for Marvel Studios’ latest superhero movie, and last in the Avengers series.
A man in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, said he was planning to go to the early screening but changed his mind when he saw the prices.
“The tickets for the premiere were more than 300 yuan (US$45), but only 100 yuan for the days after,” he said.
“What’s even crazier is that most of the [dearer] tickets were sold out.”