PVR reacts to viral tweet with food at cheap prices, but with hidden conditions

A week after a journalist tweeted about the "unaffordable" prices of food and beverages at PVR Cinemas, the company has now come up with what they call 'unbeatable prices'.

What happened 

PVR Cinemas responded to widespread criticism over high snack prices by introducing two new offers on snacks and drinks. 

• This comes after a mediaperson, Tridip K Mandal, posted the bill for a tub of popcorn and Pepsi bought at a PVR theatre in Noida, highlighting the problem of high prices of food and beverages in cinemas. 
• In his post, Mandal mentioned that he was charged a whopping Rs 820 for 55 gm of cheese popcorn and 600 ml of Pepsi at PVR Cinemas at the Mall of India, Noida. 

Mandal wrote, "No wonder people don’t go to cinemas anymore. Movie watching with the family has just become unaffordable."

He also wrote that OTT platforms like Amazon Prime or Disney+ Hotstar offer more affordable options compared to going to cinema halls, and many Twitter users agreed with his sentiment. 

Not only did his tweet go viral, but it also sparked another conversation where people complained about the high prices of food and beverages at theatres yet again.

[READ MORE: A viral bill of popcorn at PVR Noida brings back the question: Why do cinema halls charge so much for food?]

What is this new offer and why is it sus?

"We at PVR believe that every opinion matters and it must be respected," tweeted PVR in response to Mandal's viral tweet, and they came up with two 'unbeatable offers': 

•  Consumers will have the opportunity to buy a variety of food items, including hotdogs, burgers, popcorn, sandwiches, and beverages, as well as 'enticing combos' starting at Rs 99 from Monday to Thursday between 9 am and 6 pm.
• Moreover, on weekends, they can enjoy 'Bottomless Popcorn' with unlimited tub refills, 'Bottomless Pepsi', and reasonably priced Family Meal Combos.

Sounds like a decent offer, right?

But here is the thing.

They shared this information on Twitter with the 'terms and conditions' for this offer in the tiniest of fonts. DailyO went to the PVR website and went through their terms and conditions and we found them pretty vague.

Here are some:

1. The first vague condition states that "PVR has the right to withdraw or modify the offer without prior notice". Does this mean they can cancel the offer anytime they want?
2. Another unclear condition states that the offer is valid until the stock lasts. But what stock are they referring to? How much stock is available? This information is not provided.
3. Furthermore, the offer does not apply to group bookings (more than 10 seats) or certain special shows.
4. Now, the most peculiar condition is that the combo is available pan-India, except for specific luxury cinema formats such as Director's Cut, Ambience Gurgaon, Director's Cut Ambience Delhi, ICON Infinity Mumbai, Jio World, Makers Mumbai, Director's Cut, Rex Bangalore, PVR Select City Walk, PVR Mall of India Noida, and PVR Nitesh Hub Pune.

Interestingly, among the list of cinemas where this offer is not applicable, it includes PVR Mall of India, Noida, which was the one Mandal complained about.

      5. Lastly, the offer is also not valid in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

Bottom line: While on paper, the 'unbeatable' prices look decent enough, the reality is a little different.