Box-office hits snag during full implementation

Kathmandu, Oct. 27:

Cinema halls have delayed the full implementation of the box-office system that the government brought into practice to avert siphoning off of revenues.

The system was introduced also to promote transparency and support the film producers to secure their investment. 

Following long lobbying and protest by film producers, the government had implemented the system in the cinema-halls of the Kathmandu Valley in the first phase from July 17 this year. It was to be expanded to all cinema halls across the country from November 19.

But citing technological shortage and inability to put in additional costs, cinema halls have been pushing the date of box-office implementation, say the producers.

Nepal Film Association (NFA) has said that the cinema halls outside the Kathmandu Valley will apply the new system from January 15 next year.

Many cinema halls other than the multiplexes have been still using manual ticketing system.

Even after the introduction of the digital box-office system, the ticket sales data was taking an hour to be public. Box-office collects the exact number of tickets sold and the income made. In the absence of such a system, the exhibitors were accused of misappropriating the producers’ share of income.

President of Nepal Film Producers’ Association (NFPA) and cinema director Akash Adhikari said that the tax administration should conduct monitoring of the cinema halls in order to make the new system more effective, and ensure the government gets the revenue and the producers get their share of income.

“At the same time, the cinema halls should be supported with the necessary technology. NFPA is ready to launch an awareness campaign in collaboration with the tax administration, and we are going to have a dialogue for the same, soon,” said Adhikari.

He said that the data should be made available in real time.

Director of Team Quest, a company that operates QFX Cinemas, Nakim Uddin said that the multiplexes had no problem with the adoption of the new system since they had been issuing digital tickets and online services for a long time.

“We have been using e-ticketing from the beginning of the multiplex business. But, in the absence of an expert data management company, there might be some troubles in the system as the software of the cinema exhibition companies varies from company to company,” he said.

According to him, the entrepreneurs had warned the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology about the technological challenges of the box-office system.

He pointed out a need of a dedicated company for data management and coordination.

Mohan Saraf, owner of Bishwa Jyoti Cinema, said that since the expenditure of the cinema hall has increased due to the implementation of the box-office system, the government should support hall owners with relevant technology and software.

He also said that the box-office should be implemented across the country at the earliest.

“Effective networking, new technological set-up and additional cost are the challenges to the cinema exhibitors, mainly smaller film halls outside the valley,” he said.

Saraf also said that there were some weaknesses on the part of cinema halls as well and this will be overcome with better coordination among the government, film producers, Film Development Board and NFA.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 28 October 2018.