- Since 2018, a court ruling has prohibited all movie theater chains in Peru from restricting or preventing the entry of customers with food and drinks brought from their homes.
- In most Latin American countries, movie theaters do not allow the entry of drinks and food that have not been purchased in their own establishments.
- The argument put forward is that the income derived from the sale of these products is key in the business by complementing the income from tickets.
Indecopi, the National Institute for the Defense of Competition and the Protection of Intellectual Property of Peru, released a statement in which it warned that it is analyzing the actions of Peruvian Cinema Operator SAC., the firm behind Cinépolis, after complaints from customers who said that the well-known movie theater does not allow the entry of food if it is not purchased in the same establishment.
This is a common practice in many countries, but in Peru restrictions in this regard are not allowed.
The first complaints were channeled through TikTok and then became widespread.
“The institution has sent you a letter [a Cinépolis] to detail the alleged restrictions”, which could “constitute abusive clauses”. According to the communication from Indecopi, they gave the company a period of two business days for the discharge.
“We urge suppliers in this area to take into account what was previously ordered by the institution in the face of similar cases and cease this type of practice,” says the text of the statement.
Cinemas must allow entry with food and drinks in Peru
In 2018, based on a court ruling, Peru began to allow users to enter movie theaters with food that had not been purchased within the same establishments.
Cineplex, one of the companies in the sector, filed an injunction to suspend the rule, arguing that the income derived from the sale of food and beverages is key to its business.
Months later, the Peruvian justice declared the presentation of Cineplex unfounded and enabled the entrance with food and drinks that had been bought outside the theaters.
In Peru you can enter the cinemas with popcorn home-made soft drinks, water, juices and any beverage in a plastic bottle purchased in supermarkets, potato chips in packaging, home-made ham and cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, fruit, ice cream and any candy. Alcoholic beverages and rotisserie chicken are not permitted.
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