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Movie fans may pay a little extra for Cineplex theater seats this summer.
Canada’s largest movie exhibitor says it has introduced a new $ 1.50 booking fee that applies to each ticket purchased through the mobile app and website.
The move is due to Cineplex representative Sarah Van Lange saying that the company aims to “invest and evolve its digital infrastructure,” including website upgrades.
However, not everyone has to pay a new service fee.
According to Cineplex Inc., there are no fees for direct purchases at ticket offices, ticket kiosks, or shops, but members of the ScenePlus Rewards Program will pay a $ 1 discount per ticket.
Members of the company’s monthly subscription program, Cine Club, are exempt from fees.
Service fees are a long-standing practice in the entertainment industry where concerts, live theaters and sporting events all add some form of “convenience fee” to raise more income.
When Cineplex first introduced online ticket sales a few years ago, it charged a similar processing fee for each ticket. Eventually, the price went away almost as soon as movie fans began to encourage them to buy tickets in advance, rather than waiting in line at the ticket office.
More recently, Cineplex has embarked on other extra-charge experiments, such as charging a $ 2 extra charge for “prime seats” in some of its busy theaters. We’ve also added an additional $ 1 to reserve a seat for the 2017 Star Wars: The Last Jedi show.
In the United States, most of the largest theater chains are already charging for online ticket purchases.
Earlier this year, US chain AMC Theaters went one step further when it began testing the “variable price” of tickets for the expected DC comics movie “The Batman.” In some cities, a new cost has been added to each ticket by approximately US $ 1.50.
David Friend
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