麻豆影视

Skip to main content

Cineplex introduces $1.50 booking fee for online ticket purchases

A Cineplex Odeon Cinema is shown in Oshawa on Friday January 21, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Doug Ives A Cineplex Odeon Cinema is shown in Oshawa on Friday January 21, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Doug Ives
Share
Toronto -

Moviegoers could be paying a little extra for a seat at a Cineplex theatre this summer.

Canada's largest film exhibitor says it has introduced a new $1.50 booking fee that applies to each ticket purchased through its mobile app and website.

The move comes as Cineplex representative Sarah Van Lange says the company looks to "further invest and evolve our digital infrastructure," including website upgrades.

However, not everyone will have to pay the new service charge.

Cineplex Inc. says purchases made in-person at the box office, ticket kiosks, or concession stands will not be subject to the fee, while members of the Scene Plus rewards program will pay a reduced $1 per ticket.

, the company's monthly subscription program, will have the fee waived.

Service charges are a long-standing practice in the entertainment industry where concerts, live theatre and sporting events all add some form of a "convenience fee" to collect more revenue.

When Cineplex first introduced online ticket sales years ago, it charged a similar processing fee for each ticket. Eventually it eliminated the charge around the same time it began encouraging moviegoers to buy tickets in advance instead of waiting in line at the box office.

More recently, Cineplex has dabbled in other upcharge experiments that included charging an extra $2 for "prime seats" at a few of its busier theatres. It also tacked on an extra $1 to reserve seats at showings of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" in 2017.

In the United States, most of the largest theatre chains already charge a fee for online ticket purchases.

Earlier this year U.S. chain AMC Theatres went a step further when it began testing "variable pricing" for tickets to the anticipated DC Comics movie "The Batman." The new cost added around US$1.50 to each ticket in some cities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2022.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The City of Calgary ended water restrictions for the city at a Sunday morning update.

A Nova Scotian YouTuber has launched a mini-truck bookmobile.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

Stay Connected