After being in various states of closure since November, Ontario’s indoor movie theatres have finally reopened.
As part of Step 3 of Ontario’s reopening plan, cinemas are permitted to operate at 50 percent capacity. This means that physical distancing measures will be implemented.
However, in a departure from when theatres were last open in Ontario, pre-purchasing tickets is only encouraged rather than being outright required. This means that you can order tickets on Cineplex’s website or Android and iOS apps as well as at self-checkout kiosks in theatres.
In all cases, seating will be reserved and the seats near your party (should you be going with at least one other person) will be automatically sectioned off from other guests to abide by distancing guidelines.
Of course, Cineplex is promising other sanitary measures, such as auditoriums being regularly cleaned with disinfectants, touchpoints being wiped down every 30 minutes or less and public hand sanitizer in the lobby and games area. “Limited” concession items like popcorn are also available where permitted.
Theatres are reopening right on time for the summer movie season, which has so far seen the releases of Cruella, A Quiet Place Part II, In The Heights, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, F9 and Black Widow. (It should be noted, though, that all of these except F9 are now available to stream on various platforms — click each movie for more info).
Additionally, Space Jam: A New Legacy and Escape Room: Tournament of Champions are opening this weekend, although the former can be rented on premium video on demand (PVOD) platforms.
Therefore, you do have options if you don’t feel comfortable returning to theatres. For more on Cineplex’s COVID-19 health and safety policies, click here.
If you do go to the theatres, just know that TimePlay — the pre-show app-based trivia game to win SCENE points — is unfortunately no longer offered at Cineplex.
Image credit: Marvel Studios
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