Cineplex, Canada’s leading entertainment and media company, is pleased to advise that all of its 172 theatres and entertainment venues across the country are open and operating at full capacity, with all previously mandated federal, provincial and municipal operating restrictions removed. This is the first time since March 2020 that all Cineplex theatres and locations of The Rec Room and Playdium have been open and operating without restrictions, such as limitations on concessions sales, reduced building capacity and proof of vaccination requirements. Only the provinces of Prince Edward Island and Quebec continue mandating the use of masks for guests, a guideline also expected to be lifted in the coming days and weeks.
“Movie-lovers, social seekers, game enthusiasts and all those looking for a safe, affordable escape are returning to our theatres and entertainment venues – and we are so excited to be welcoming them back,” said Ellis Jacob, President and CEO, Cineplex. “In the past two years, we have seen that when operating restrictions are lifted, our guests and customers quickly return across all of our business lines. With significant mandates in place in January 2022, we only achieved 22 per cent of box office revenues when compared to the same month in 2019. As restrictions relaxed, however, we saw the same metric increase to 60 per cent in February 2022 and 70 per cent in March 2022.”
“As we look forward, we are encouraged by the strong content supply for the remainder of 2022 and beyond,” Jacob continued. “This past weekend we welcomed back our guests with the highly anticipated release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, and saw our weekend box office revenues exceed 2019 levels. The pre-sales for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, releasing on May 6, 2022, have been very strong so far. In fact, the title has generated our fourth highest total amount for pre-sales ever, in its first twenty-four hours of advance ticketing on Cineplex.com. Our team is happy to have our guests back and doing what we do best, entertaining Canadians.”
