Cineplex has quietly increased the price of movie tickets at theatres across Canada.
As first reported by MobileSyrup sister site BlogTO following a reader tip, the national theatre chain is now charging $16 for standard admission in the Toronto area. The publication noticed the change online and then confirmed the price hike with Cineplex. For context, Cineplex was normally charging $14.25 for general admission in Toronto, outside of artificially inflating the price by $1 for the massively popular Dune: Part Two.
“We have recently raised the prices of our tickets as a result of increased operating costs, including leasing, utilities, and labour,” a spokesperson for the company told BlogTO. Per the representative, “on average, ticket prices increased by $0.25 depending on ticket type across the country.”
Interestingly, this change comes after Cineplex very publicly promoted that it’s now offering free refills on large popcorn and drinks. It’s also the latest in a line of Cineplex quietly making price changes, starting with $1.50 online booking fees in July 2022 and extending to the aforementioned “variable pricing” for popular movies like Dune and last year’s Barbie and Oppenheimer.
In fact, Cineplex was so sneaky with the booking fees that it was actually fined nearly $40 million for being “deceptive” with them. Last year, the Competition Bureau sued Cineplex for these “misleading” fees, arguing that they weren’t clearly displayed to the customer during the checkout process. As part of that fine, Cineplex has been ordered to more explicitly display the fees on its site, which you’ll now see as soon you click on a showtime for a given film.
Speaking to BlogTO, Cineplex confirmed that the online booking fees are not going up in price. (At least, not yet — can we really trust this?) The company added Canadians will still have “a variety of ways to experience going to the movies and save,” including its discount Tuesdays, $3.99 ‘Family Favourites’ films on Saturdays and its $9.99/month CineClub membership which offers free tickets, discounted admission and waived booking fees.
Image credit: Shutterstock
Source: BlogTO
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