BookMyShow is India's largest online entertainment ticketing platform, built by Bigtree Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. out of Mumbai. Founded in 1999 by Ashish Hemrajani, Parikshit Dar, and Rajesh Balpande, it launched its consumer-facing website in 2007 and has grown to serve over 30 million customers across 650+ cities and towns in India and 5 countries. It recorded total income of Rs 1,869 Crore and a net profit of Rs 192 Crore for FY2025. BookMyShow covers the full entertainment spectrum: movie tickets across thousands of cinemas (PVR INOX, Cinepolis, single screens), live concerts and music festivals, comedy shows, theatre and plays, sports events, and experiences like adventure parks and exhibitions. The platform offers seat selection with cinema hall maps, exclusive pre-sale access for major events, and integrated food ordering at partner cinemas. BookMyShow Live, its events vertical, has become a major live entertainment promoter in India, hosting international artists and homegrown festivals. The app is free to download and use — BookMyShow earns through convenience fees on tickets and commissions from event organisers. Its terms describe this as a per-ticket internet handling fee plus a non-refundable per-order processing fee, and it publishes no rate card: the amount varies by cinema, city, seat class and event, and only appears on the Order Summary screen after you have picked seats. The Bombay High Court struck down Maharashtra's ban on the fee on 11 July 2025, so it is not going away. There's no subscription model, though the company has partnered with credit cards (like the RBL BookMyShow credit card) for ongoing discounts. BookMyShow is still the default choice for entertainment ticketing in India, but it is no longer unchallenged: Eternal (formerly Zomato) bought Paytm's Insider and TicketNew businesses for Rs 2,048 crore in August 2024 and folded them into District, which now sells movies, live events and dining out of one app. It's best suited for anyone booking entertainment in India. However, its customer service and refund policies are a major pain point: Trustpilot rates it 1.4/5, with widespread complaints about denied refunds, unresponsive support, and event changes without notification. The app itself works well; the post-purchase experience is where it struggles.
Bigtree Entertainment (BookMyShow)
4.7/5 on Google Play Store (40.4L reviews) · Last verified 2026-08-03
BookMyShow does not publish a figure, and anyone quoting you a flat rupee amount is guessing. Its Terms and Conditions say only that tickets are 'subject to a per ticket internet handling fee and a non-refundable per order processing fee' — the amount varies by cinema, city, seat category and event. It is not shown anywhere on the movie page, the showtime list or the seat map: we walked a live Mumbai multiplex booking on 3 August 2026 and the fee appeared only on the Order Summary screen, after seats were locked. So check the price breakup at checkout before you pay, every time. The fee is here to stay — on 11 July 2025 the Bombay High Court struck down Maharashtra's orders banning convenience fees on online tickets, holding that the ban violated Article 19(1)(g).
No, and BookMyShow's own help centre is blunt about it: 'Please note that the convenience fee and delivery fee are non-refundable.' That applies even when the cancellation is not your fault — if an organiser calls off an event you are refunded the ticket price, not the fee. Its Terms and Conditions likewise describe the per-order processing fee as non-refundable, and the List on Marketplace resale route refunds you 'excluding the convenience fee (including applicable taxes)'. The one charge that does come back is the separate processing fee levied for applying an offer, which BookMyShow says is refunded in full if your offer quota is reinstated after cancellation.
Sometimes. Cancellation is offered at most cinemas but not all — before booking, tap the cinema name and look for 'Cancellation Available' under its facilities, and check the cut-off time printed in your confirmation email. Cinemas allow cancellation between 20 minutes and 4 hours before showtime, and you get back 75%, 70% or 50% of the base ticket price depending on that cinema's policy. At PVR the split is fixed: cancel 2 hours or more before the show and 25% of the base price is kept as a cancellation fee; cancel inside 2 hours, up to 20 minutes before, and 50% is kept. Food and beverages bought with the ticket are refunded, but the booking fees are retained. Refunds to the original payment method take 5-7 working days; taken as BMS Cash they land within about 2 hours. You are capped at 3 movie cancellations in 30 days, and bookings that used loyalty or payback points, or a split payment, cannot be cancelled at all.
Not by cancelling. BookMyShow states plainly that 'there is no ticket cancellation applicable for Live Entertainment'. For selected events it offers List on Marketplace instead: you list your ticket at no charge, and if a buyer takes it your booking is cancelled and you are refunded the ticket price within 5-7 working days — minus the convenience fee, any discounts availed and any donation made. There is no guarantee anyone buys it. If the organiser cancels the event outright, BookMyShow says it will contact you and refund as per the organiser's policy, again with the convenience and delivery fees retained.
The serious one is District, run by Eternal (formerly Zomato). Eternal bought Paytm's entire entertainment ticketing business — Insider and TicketNew — for Rs 2,048 crore in a deal announced on 21 August 2024 and completed that month, then folded both into District alongside dining and live events. That matters for anyone comparison-shopping: Paytm Insider and TicketNew are no longer independent rivals to BookMyShow, they are District. The other route is booking direct with the chains — PVR INOX, Cinepolis and most large cinema groups sell through their own apps and websites. BookMyShow remains much the larger platform for both movies and live events, but District is the first competitor in two decades with real distribution behind it.
Yes — by not booking online. Buying at the cinema's box office counter carries no online booking fee, and that was the Bombay High Court's own reasoning when it upheld the fee in July 2025: 'the choice of whether to book the ticket online or purchase it at the theatre is left to the customers.' The trade-off is real, though — no advance seat selection and no guarantee of a decent seat on an opening weekend. Switching apps is not a reliable workaround either, because cinema chains and rival platforms levy their own booking fees; compare the final payable amount on the payment screen, not the ticket price. Bank card offers and Filmy Pass can cut the ticket price, but note that BookMyShow charges a separate processing fee for applying an offer, and Filmy Pass discounts do not cover convenience fees.
Hand-picked videos to help you get started — tutorials, demos, and reviews.
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BookMyShow is a powerful Indian alternative to these international apps:
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Eternal Limited
District is Eternal Limited's (formerly Zomato) going-out app for movie tickets, live events, dining and sports-venue bookings, launched November 2024, three months after Eternal bought Paytm's ticketing arm — Paytm Insider and TicketNew — for Rs 2,048 crore. It's the first challenger in two decades with real distribution behind it against BookMyShow, though its cinema and event coverage still trails outside major metros.
Townscript
Townscript is a Bangalore-built event management and ticketing platform present in 27+ countries. Drag-and-drop event pages, customisable registration forms, ticket categories with discount codes, integrated Indian payment gateways with INR support, QR-code check-ins, ticket transfers, and a mobile app. Pay-per-ticket pricing — 1.99% + $2 per paid ticket; free events have no charges. Best for Indian meetups, workshops, treks, and conferences.
Zoho Corporation
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Amagi Media Labs
Amagi is a Bengaluru-based media tech company (founded 2008, IPO Jan 2026) providing cloud-native broadcast, CTV, and FAST solutions powering 5,000+ channels across 50+ streaming platforms globally. Suite includes CLOUDPORT (cloud playout), THUNDERSTORM (server-side ad insertion), and Amagi NOW (self-serve FAST channel launcher). Serves NBCUniversal, A+E, Bloomberg, CBS, ZEE5, and more. Enterprise pricing on AWS. Best for content owners scaling FAST channels.
Bluedoors Technologies
AtoPlay is an Indian YouTube alternative for short and long-form video across entertainment, education, news, sports, and tech. Built by Bengaluru-based Bluedoors Technologies, it has crossed 1M+ downloads on Google Play plus a smaller iOS app. Creators get a lower monetisation threshold than YouTube, a tiered rank system, and strong support for Indian regional languages. Best for creators diversifying beyond YouTube.
Tech4billion Media
Chingari is an Indian social app by Bengaluru-based Tech4billion Media, launched in 2018 and surging after the 2020 TikTok ban. 110M+ Google Play downloads with content in 20+ Indian languages. Since a June 2023 pivot its centre of gravity is paid private live streaming and live audio rooms rather than short video — the Play listing is now titled 'Chingari - Live & Audio Room'. Free to download; coins, virtual gifts and paid live sessions fund it. Its GARI crypto token is effectively defunct.
