Karnataka Budget 2025-26: Movie ticket prices capped at Rs 200, industry status for Kannada cinema, state-run OTT platform announced

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah presented his 16th budget.

In a major relief to the Kannada film industry, the Karnataka Government in its budget on Friday announced that the cost of the ticket of each show in all theatres of the state including multiplexes will be capped at Rs 200.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah presented the state budget for the financial year 2025-26, with an estimated total outlay of Rs 4,08,647 crore.

The budget which focused on infrastructure, cinema promotion, and women’s empowerment, while the major takeaway was the state government’s plan to cap movie tickets at Rs 200 in all theatres, including multiplexes, for all shows. The Kannada film industry had been demanding to regulate and cap cinema ticket prices for long.

During the Question Hour on Friday, Home Minister G Parameshwara said that while the state let's exhibitors decide movie ticket pricing, there is no rule that the state cannot intervene and control prices of any commodity including movie tickets.

He added, “I have no clue why the state government has not interfered till now, although Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had intervened, capped the ticket rate in multiplexes at Rs 200 in 2017 and an order was issued during his previous tenure as the CM."

Movie ticket prices are capped in other states too including Tamil Nadu where with a price of Rs 120, it is one of the cheapest places to watch a movie.

While capping movie ticket prices is good news for audiences in cities like Bengaluru where rates are exorbitant, it spells bad news for theatre owners and film distributors who have been urging to remove price caps in places like Chennai.

Additional announcements include:

The Congress Government also announced that the cinema sector will be given industry status and the facilities given under the industry policy will now be extended to the cinema industry as well.

Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy will hold 2.5 acres of property in Nandini Layout, Bengaluru, where a multiplex movie theatre complex will be built under the PPP model.

At a cost of Rs 3 crores, a digital and non-digital Kannada film repository will be established with the goal of conserving Kannada films while identifying social, historical, and cultural aspects.

With the aim to promote and support Kannada cinema and film industry, Siddaramaiah announced the creation of a state-run OTT platform for the promotion of Kannada movies.

Since the government is dedicated to establishing the Film City in the coming years, 150 acres of land have been transferred to the Department of Information and Public Relations to create a Film City in Mysuru at a cost of