A Cineplex Odeon Cinema in Oshawa, Ont., on Jan. 21, 2022. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Doug Ives)
While audiences rush back to theatres to catch "Avatar: The Way of Water" on pricey Imax screens, the head of Cineplex Inc. says he's open to "experiments" with cheaper tickets for some movies if they might lure back people who are staying home.
Chief executive Ellis Jacob said Canada's biggest movie chain is looking at "different pricing for different types of product," which this month included a rare discount on tickets to "80 For Brady." The comedy is aimed directly at senior citizens, a demographic that's been reluctant to return to the movies.
"We want to be accommodating to our guests and we want to have the right pricing for the opportunity," Jacob said on Tuesday as Cineplex reported its fourth-quarter results.
Ticket prices have become a greater focus for movie chains across North America as they look to drive profits after years of staggered closures, but keep audiences coming back in a troubled economy with plenty of streaming alternatives.
In the latest quarter, Cineplex leaned on premium Imax and UltraAVX tickets for the "Avatar" sequel and other blockbusters to help turn around a loss.
The company reported a profit of $10.2 million to end the calendar year, compared with a loss of $21.8 million in late 2021. The results were equivalent to 16 cents per diluted share or 34 cents per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue totalled $350.1 million, up from $300 million a year earlier.
The "Avatar" sequel and "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" were bright spots in the period, which faced a drought of new movies and moviegoers.
That void showed in the attendance numbers which dropped to 9.2 million customers from 10.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2021 when "Spider-Man: No Way Home" smashed box-office records.
Concession revenues still managed to reach a new high of $8.93 per person as moviegoers gobbled up pricier snacks, while box-office revenues hit a record of $13.06 per person driven by those premium-priced tickets.
While some moviegoers are willing to pay for more expensive nights out, Jacob said lowering the cost of tickets might make sense in other instances, though it would depend on the Hollywood title.
In the case of "80 For Brady," which opened on Feb. 3, he says the film's distributor Paramount Pictures asked Cineplex to sell tickets at Tuesday prices for any day of the week -- a 40 per cent discount. Already discounted senior tickets were reduced by a lesser amount of roughly 13 per cent.
The movie stars Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and football quarterback Tom Brady, and is squarely aimed at older audiences.
A similar discount was made by U.S. chain AMC which charged matinee prices for the film.
Also this week, AMC announced it will soon charge different ticket prices depending on where the seat is located inside the theatre. The move was immediately met with backlash from moviegoers, including actor Elijah Wood who tweeted it would "penalize people" who couldn't afford it.
While Jacob didn't rule out a similar move at Cineplex, he said it's not something the company is looking at right now and that he intends to be "very careful" when considering such models.
Cineplex mingled with the concept on a smaller scale when it charged more for "prime seating" at the centre of the auditorium in some of its more upscale locations. Those experiments were abandoned early in the pandemic, Jacob said, partly because people were sitting in other people's "prime" seats without paying for them.
"It's difficult to navigate when the show has started and people are fighting for the seats," he added.
Cineplex hopes a new theatre, dining and entertainment complex called Junxion will be a more successful way to boost sales and attract customers.
The hybrid venue opened in Winnipeg last December and features six auditoriums with reclining seats, an arcade, a live entertainment space and dining options.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 7, 2023
As questions continue to swirl around the issue of other countries' meddling in Canadian affairs, interim RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme says he's 'very, very concerned' about foreign interference, and would like to see the national force be able to use intelligence as evidence in its investigations.
After the bodies of several people were discovered in the St. Lawrence River, who authorities say were likely trying to cross illegally into the U.S., a migrant advocate is questioning why people are fleeing Canada.
Cape Breton University has more than doubled in size by enrolling thousands of international students, and critics say the campus and community weren't ready. Watch the documentary 'Cash Cow' on CTV W5, Saturday at 7 p.m.
The latest seasonal outlook from The Weather Network shows early April will continue to be chilly with flip-flopping temperatures bringing above and below the usual levels of precipitation seen around this time.
A rare infection with tuberculosis-like symptoms was reported in a toddler after an iguana bit her before snatching away a slice of cake on a trip to Costa Rica.
Storms that dropped possibly dozens of tornadoes killed at least 21 people in small towns and big cities across the South and Midwest, tearing a path through the Arkansas capital, collapsing the roof of a packed concert venue in Illinois, and stunning people throughout the region Saturday with the damage's scope.
A new Canadian study of 4.8 million people says a daily alcoholic drink isn't likely to send anyone to an early grave, nor will it offer any of the health benefits touted by previous studies, even if it is organic red wine.
The federal minimum wage is increasing from $15.55 per hour to $16.65, and taxes are going up on gas and alcohol nationwide starting April 1.
W5 profiles the man who makes the sounds for breaking bones and squealing tires in Hollywood’s biggest films; and he does it from a small town in Ontario. Watch 'Sound Farms' at 7 p.m. on CTV W5.
The leader of Ontario's new democrats says she's removed long-time party member Michael Mantha from caucus amid an independent investigation into alleged workplace misconduct.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says the government's plans for pharmacare are moving forward, but experts who study government drug plans suggest the Liberals may have lost the political will to take bold steps toward a national program.
Cape Breton University has more than doubled in size by enrolling thousands of international students, and critics say the campus and community weren't ready. Watch the documentary 'Cash Cow' on CTV W5, Saturday at 7 p.m.
The federal minimum wage is increasing from $15.55 per hour to $16.65, and taxes are going up on gas and alcohol nationwide starting April 1.
The latest seasonal outlook from The Weather Network shows early April will continue to be chilly with flip-flopping temperatures bringing above and below the usual levels of precipitation seen around this time.
Authors of the final report into Nova Scotia’s April 2020 mass shooting said gender-based violence is an epidemic in Nova Scotia and across Canada, and it requires a society-wide response.
U.S. President Joe Biden has all but announced he's running for reelection, but key questions about the 2024 campaign are unresolved: Who will manage it? Where will it be based? When will he finally make it official?
A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked Tennessee's first-in-the-nation law placing strict limits on drag shows just hours before it was set to go into effect, siding with a group that filed a lawsuit claiming the statute violates the First Amendment.
When Donald Trump steps before a judge next week to be arraigned in a New York courtroom, it will not only mark the first time a former U.S. president has faced criminal charges. It will also represent a reckoning for a man long nicknamed 'Teflon Don,' who until now has managed to skirt serious legal jeopardy despite 40 years of legal scrutiny.
Europe's biggest armed conflict since World War II is poised to enter a new phase in the coming weeks. With no suggestion of a negotiated end to the 13 months of fighting between Russia and Ukraine, the Ukrainian defence minister said last week that a spring counteroffensive could begin as soon as April.
The surprise move was the final twist in an investigation that's taken a long and winding road to the history-making charges that were returned this week.
A chipper-sounding Pope Francis was discharged Saturday from the Rome hospital where he was treated for bronchitis, quipping to journalists before being driven away that he's 'still alive.'
This year's budget reveals the federal Liberals envision Canada relying more on its allies for trade in the future, economists and geopolitical experts say -- even if that could result in higher prices or missed opportunities.
The Liberal government left employment insurance reform out of the federal budget this week over concern that reforming the program amid a slowing economy could drive up premiums for workers and employers.
Lawyers representing Toronto MP Han Dong served Global News with a libel notice on Friday over reports that alleged he spoke to a Chinese diplomat in February 2021 about delaying the release of the two Michaels, and that he was a 'witting affiliate' of Chinese interference networks – allegations that Dong denies.
A new Canadian study of 4.8 million people says a daily alcoholic drink isn't likely to send anyone to an early grave, nor will it offer any of the health benefits touted by previous studies, even if it is organic red wine.
The federal government now expects far more Canadians with long-overdue dental needs to sign up for its insurance plan, and the health minister says that's why the estimated cost has risen by $7 billion.
The B.C. government's bid to restrict the sale of diabetes drug Ozempic to prevent non-Canadian residents draining supplies was the right move and a long time coming, says Brett Skinner, founder and CEO of the Canadian Health Policy Institute.
Artificial intelligence is changing many industries, with one Canadian model saying it could eventually take away her source of income.
Italy is temporarily blocking the artificial intelligence software ChatGPT in the wake of a data breach as it investigates a possible violation of stringent European Union data protection rules, the government's privacy watchdog said Friday.
New research suggests the classic image of a Tyrannosaurus rex with massive, sharp teeth might be wrong. A study in the journal Science suggests the teeth on a T. rex was likely covered by scaly lips and didn't stick out when its mouth was closed.
W5 profiles the man who makes the sounds for breaking bones and squealing tires in Hollywood’s biggest films; and he does it from a small town in Ontario. Watch 'Sound Farms' at 7 p.m. on CTV W5.
King Charles III won plenty of hearts during his three-day visit to Germany, his first foreign trip since ascending to the throne following the death of his mother, Elizabeth II, last year.
After the first season of “The Last of Us” generated big buzz and an economic boom for Alberta, British Columbia may be next in line to host the production team.
Demonstrators gathered in 40 locations across Canada on Saturday to voice their opposition to the Royal Bank of Canada's funding of fossil fuel projects. The protests, part of a nation-wide effort dubbed Fossil Fools Day, unfolded in cities including Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Halifax and Vancouver.
The UBS takeover of embattled rival Credit Suisse has shaken Switzerland's self-image and dented its reputation as a global financial center, analysts say, warning that the country's prosperity could grow too dependent on a single banking behemoth.
Under intense scrutiny from Washington that could lead to a potential ban, the top attorney for TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance defended the social media platform's plan to safeguard U.S. user data from China.
This year's Ramadan, which started last week, Target rolled out its first dedicated Ramadan and Eid collection. It's one of the latest signs of big retailers in the United States catering to Muslim shoppers' needs. Many Muslim enthusiastically welcomed the recognition, applauding retailers.
Statistics Canada has released its new report about the Canadians level of confidence in Canada’s institutions, finding that recent immigrants are more likely to express confidence in the media and parliament.
Vogue Philippines has revealed Apo Whang-Od as the cover star of its April issue, a move that makes the 106-year-old tattoo artist from the Philippines the oldest person ever to appear on the front of Vogue.
The most financially successful era in NBA history will continue uninterrupted for at least six more years, after the league and its players came to a tentative agreement on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that will kick in this summer.
After the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan and banned sports for female athletes, Afghan women cyclists are chasing their dreams in Canada.
Daniil Medvedev hasn't won a title in the United States since capturing the 2021 U.S. Open, when he turned away Novak Djokovic's bid for a calendar-year Grand Slam.
Holding a sprint race on a street circuit at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is a "ludicrous" proposition which will cost Formula One teams when they "trash" their cars, Red Bull boss Christian Horner said.
Formula One officials confirmed on Friday that teams can no longer touch their cars with jacks during penalty pitstops in the wake of the Fernando Alonso controversy at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Red Bull principal Christian Horner has criticized the stricter interpretation of a rule that bans Formula One team employees from climbing pit wall for victory celebrations.
