For online ticket purchases, Cineplex has implemented a $1.50 booking fee
Key Takeaways:
- The largest Canadian chain of movie theatres has disclosed the implementation of a new $1.50 booking fee for each ticket purchased via its mobile app or website.
This summer, moviegoers might need to pay a little bit more for a seat at a Cineplex.
The biggest movie theatre chain in Canada has announced the addition of a new $1.50 booking fee for each ticket bought through its mobile app or website.
According to Sarah Van Lange, a spokesman for Cineplex, the firm is making the change as part of its efforts to "further invest and evolve our digital infrastructure," including website updates.
The new service tax won't be required of everyone, though.
According to Cineplex Inc., the cost will not apply to in-person transactions made at the box office, ticket kiosks, or concession stands. Scene Plus rewards program members will instead pay a discounted $1 per ticket.
The cost will not apply to CineClub subscribers, the business's monthly membership service.
Concerts, live theatre, and sporting events all include some kind of "convenience fee" to increase revenue, and this practice has been around for a while.
A similar processing fee was applied to each ticket when Cineplex started selling them online years ago. It eventually did away with the fee about the same time it began urging moviegoers to order their tickets online ahead of time rather than stand in line at the box office.
Recently, Cineplex has experimented with additional upcharges, such as charging an additional $2 for "premium seats" in some of its busiest theatres. Additionally, it added $1 to ticket prices for "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" screenings in 2017.
Most of the main theatre companies in the US currently impose fees on online ticket purchases.
When it started experimenting with "variable pricing" for tickets to the eagerly awaited DC Comics film "The Batman," the American chain AMC Theatres went one step further earlier this year. In certain cities, the new price increased each ticket by about $1.50 USD.