Cineplex Entertainment Adding $1.50 Booking Fee When Purchasing tickets Online

Cineplex is introducing a new booking fee that will see an additional $1.50 charged for tickets purchased online and through the Cineplex mobile app.

As first reported by The Globe and Mail, Cineplex is committed to adding this charge into the fold of buying tickets online. According to the report, the fee is already implemented. However, Cineplex stealthily added the fee without an official announcement on the matter. However, moviegoers have already taken to social media to question the decision. This has led to Cineplex responding, providing some clarity on the matter.

Cineplex confirms that the fee will only be applied when purchasing tickets online or via the app. Tickets purchased at a Cineplex theatre via theatre kiosks, box offices or concession stands will not see a booking fee applied to each ticket. However, those with Cineplex’s Scene+ rewards program will see a discount of $1 a ticket. Plus, members of the CineClub monthly subscription program will have the fee waived entirely.

Hi Ayzeros, to fund the expansion and improvement of our digital infrastructure, we have implemented a nominal $1.50 booking fee on online ticket purchases. Scene+ members will see their fee discounted to $1, while CineClub members will have their fee waived entirely.

— Cineplex (@CineplexMovies) June 21, 2022

The decision to introduce a booking fee is reportedly due to Cineplex’s desire to “further invest and evolve our digital infrastructure,” according to the company. While not divulging what that means for the company or the customers, Cineplex’s vice-president of communications Van Lange said that booking fees “have been in place for many years with our exhibition counterparts globally.”

The introduction of a booking fee comes as the Canadian theatrical market is seeing its first big summer blockbuster period since 2019. With the pandemic disrupting theatre chains, Cineplex finally has the chance to get audiences back in their seats. This is especially true with the likes of Thor: Love and Thunder, Nope, and Bullet Train on the horizon.

Canada’s second-largest exhibitor, Landmark Cinemas, is said to be “evaluating the impact” of Cineplex’s new booking fee. CEO Bill Walker has said the company is “determining what will be best for our business.”