Cineplex offering $4 movies for National Cinema Day on August 27

Cineplex will offer $4 tickets on Sunday, August 27th for National Cinema Day.

The theatre chain says this discounted rate applies to all movies, showtimes, and admission types (including IMAX and VIP). However, the company notes that its controversial $1.50 booking fee will still apply to all online purchases. This fee is reduced to $1 for Scene+ members, while subscribers of the $9.99/month CineClub service and those who buy in theatres can avoid it entirely.

Some of the big movies in theatres right now include Barbie, Oppenheimer, Blue Beetle, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning — Part One. Another noteworthy film, Sony’s Gran Turismo, will also open in theatres on August 25th. Tickets for National Cinema Day will go live on Cineplex on Wednesday, August 23rd.

It’s worth mentioning that Cineplex explicitly mentions the fee on its landing page for National Cinema Day, a stark contrast to how quietly it has promoted the cost in the past year. This is likely in response to the lawsuit it’s facing from Competition Bureau, which alleges that Cineplex’s booking fee is misleading to consumers. Last month, Cineplex also came under fire for quietly raising the prices of Barbie and Oppenheimer at select theatres in a practice known as “dynamic” or “variable” pricing.

As an alternative to Cineplex, Cinemas Guzzo, Cinemas Cine Entreprise, Imagine Cinemas, Landmark and Magic Lantern Theatres are some of the other Canadian theatres taking part in the $4 National Cinema Day ticket promotion. More information can be found here.

Update: 23/08/2023 at 11:49am ET — This story originally said the $1.50 online booking fee was waived for Scene+ members when it was meant to say CineClub subscribers. Scene+ members still have to pay the reduced rate of $1. We apologize for the error and have updated this piece accordingly.

Image credit: Warner Bros.