People should expect to pay a little more to see a movie at a Cineplex movie theatre this summer. .Cineplex told The Canadian Press it has implemented a new $1.50 booking fee that applies to each ticket bought through its mobile app and website. .This move comes after Cineplex said it had “to further invest and evolve our digital infrastructure.”.Not all purchase methods will have the new fee added to it. .Cineplex said tickets purchased in person at the box office, ticket booths, and concession stands will not have the fee added to them. According to Cineplex, Scene Plus rewards program members will pay a reduced $1 fee. .CineClub subscribers will have the fee taken off. .Cineplex recorded a revenue drop because of movie theatres closed over the COVID-19 pandemic in the second quarter of 2020. .The movie theatre company recorded a loss of $98.9 million, compared to a profit of $19.4 million in 2019. .Cineplex saw revenues fall 95% to $22 million, against a year-earlier $438.9 million. It reopened six theatres in June 2020 with reduced capacity and ticket pricing. .Ontario closed movie theatres because of COVID-19 in January. .Cineplex said its Ontario theatres shut down as the province took measures to crack down on rising COVID-19 cases. .“Based on recent government directives, all 67 theaters in Ontario will be closed as of Wednesday, January 5, and will reopen as soon as we are allowed,” said a Cineplex spokesperson.
