Watching a movie at a Cineplex theatre will now cost a bit more because the company has increased ticket prices.

After receiving a tip about increased prices at the theatre chain, we cross-checked these claims online.

For a Toronto-area theatre, a general ticket now costs $16.

In a statement, a Cineplex representative confirmed the change and the reasoning behind it.

"We have recently raised the prices of our tickets as a result of increased operating costs, including leasing, utilities, and labour," stated the spokesperson.

As for how much more you'll be paying, the representative said that "on average, ticket prices increased by $0.25 depending on ticket type across the country."

This average includes tickets for different movie-watching formats and experiences like general, IMAX, 3D, and D-BOX.

The company added that online booking fees will remain the same.

Despite the increase, Cineplex said it still promises Canadians "a variety of ways to experience going to the movies and save."

This includes discounted Tuesdays when tickets for the chain's UltraAVX, D-BOX, ScreenX, IMAX, and VIP experiences are cheaper.

The Family Favourites program will continue to be available on select Saturdays at participating locations for $3.99 plus tax (in-theatre price).

Cineplex noted that its CineClub program is still $9.99 (monthly, plus tax) and $109.98 (annually, plus tax). Members receive perks like 20 per cent off movie snacks and one movie ticket per month to use, upgrade, or rollover.

Moviegoer calls Cineplex "unethical" for increase

The tipper, named Mathew MacLean, is based in Toronto and runs a local movie group. He called out Cineplex for being "unethical" for raising prices.

"You know how Cineplex just gave us back free refills on larger popcorn and drinks? Well, it seems that they did that because they just raised their price from $15 a movie to $16 a movie, and they did that because they did not want us to know that they raised the price for a movie," he stated in an email.

"Quarter after quarter, they are highly profitable and almost back to pre-pandemic levels."

MacLean noted that he first realized the price hike on Saturday when looking up prices for one of the members of his movie group.

"It came as a shock how the ticket price went from $15 to $16," he said.  "I have a CineClub membership so I only pay $9.99 for my ticket."

as someone who works at cineplex I can confirm that the company-wide response to this is a 25¢ increase in ticket prices as of this Friday https://t.co/XRV5DXmhrt

— Alter (@AlterStreams) September 24, 2024

While there isn't much online chatter about the price hike, someone claiming to be a Cineplex worker posted about a $0.25 ticket increase in September.

The X-user claimed it was a "company-wide response" to the chain's $39 million fine after losing a case over an online booking fee introduced in 2022. Cineplex was contacted for comment in response to this claim.

According to Cineplex's 2024 third-quarter earnings results, the company reported  $395.6 million in revenues, exceeding 2019 revenues of $373.7 million.

It reported a net loss of $24.7 million from continuing operations. Cineplex noted this loss was "impacted by the provision for the Competition Tribunal's administrative monetary penalty."

"While we are disappointed with the outcome of the Competition Tribunal's decision regarding our online booking fee, we remain confident in our position," said Cineplex CEO Ellis Jacob in the third quarter report statement on November 6.

Jacob noted that the company had filed a notice of appeal in federal court regarding the penalty.

"Enhancing the guest experience is at the forefront of what we do, and our commitment to Canadian consumers has always been about choice," he said.

The price hike follows Cineplex's announcement last month that it will offer customers free refills for large popcorn and drink orders.