Cineplex rode Barbenheimer and increased ticket prices to record month

Cineplex says July was its second-biggest month ever “mainly” due to Barbie and Oppenheimer.

The two films, both released on July 21st and collectively referred to as ‘Barbenheimer,’ have garnered widespread critical acclaim while performing exceptionally well at the global box office. More than 80,000 Canadians even did double-features of the two diametrically opposed movies.

As a result, Cineplex says it was able to achieve its best month to date behind only December 2015, which saw the release of the massive Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Further, Cineplex says Barbenheimer led to its best-ever July. Altogether, the theatre chain says it surpassed $86 million in net box office revenues in July.

Of course, what the company doesn’t mention in its press release is that it quietly hiked prices for Barbie and Oppenheimer across Canada. In some theatres, general admission for these two films costs more than what’s charged for other movies, but this practice varies depending on the theatre. What’s more, the company did not clearly disclose that it was doing this anywhere, another instance in which it quietly added costs without any sort of announcement.

To that point, Canada’s Competition Bureau has even sued Cineplex over its $1.50 online booking fee, arguing that the company has been “deceptive” in how it includes and promotes this extra cost. Cineplex, for its part, claims it’s upfront about it during the checkout process.

Image credit: Universal

Source: Cineplex