Movie theatre business grew in 2024, but still short of pre-pandemic highs: StatCan

Cineplex Junxion Erin Mills is in the final stages of construction offering 45,000 sq ft of space in Mississauga, Ont., on Monday, April 24, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says movie theatre business grew in 2024 but still hadn’t reached its pre-pandemic peaks.

Every two years, the agency releases a look at the state of movie theatres.

Its report for 2024 showed operating revenues hit $1.6 billion last year, up 12 per cent from 2022.

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Statistics Canada says that marked a rebound from COVID-era restrictions, but still fell 13.1 per cent below the record of $1.9 billion seen in 2018.

Theatre attendance was also stagnating, the agency says, at roughly two-thirds the levels seen six years earlier.

Statistics Canada says the average ticket price rose to $12.54 in 2024, up 5.5 per cent from 2022 and 31.9 per cent from 2020.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2025.