Cineplex is launching a $1.50 online movie ticket booking fee for new entrants –

Canadian exhibitor Cineplex has joined its American peers in introducing an additional fee for the convenience of booking movies online.

As the exhibition industry faces a slow recovery from a pandemic, Cineplex owners will be charged a $1.50 reservation fee to purchase movie tickets using the company’s mobile app or website. The new online booking fees do not apply to theater box offices, ticket kiosks or purchased food and beverage tickets.

“We are deeply committed to keeping movie screenings as accessible as possible while continuing to continue our guest experience. “As one of Canada’s leading media and entertainment companies, we need more investment and development of our digital infrastructure, which is why we are establishing a $1.50 reservation fee for ticket purchases made online and through our website. mobile app,” he told Cineplex. Lang. the hollywood reporter In a statement on Wednesday.

Cineplex cites the spread of online booking fees in the global industry elsewhere and earlier with other ticketed entertainment events such as concerts and live theater and sporting events.

Members of the Cineplex Scene + Loyalty program will pay a fee of $1.00 per ticket when they book tickets online, and the company’s CineClub subscription movie ticket program will have its members pay all booking fees online. -line.

In the United States, chains like AMC Theaters already charge more for buying movies online, in part to encourage customers to sign up for subscription-ticket programs.

In March, AMC Theaters also introduced price and fee increases for North American tickets, from $1 to $1.50 per show. bat ManWith Robert Pattinson.