Cineplex is looking to appeal its $1.50 online booking fee case to the Supreme Court of Canada. This comes after the Federal Court of Appeal agreed with the decision from the Competition Tribunal and also imposed a $39 million administrative monetary penalty.
This starts all the way back in May of 2023, when the Competition Bureau filed an application with the Competition Tribunal to stop Cineplex’s deceptive advertising. In September 2024, the Competition Tribunal ruled in favour of the Competition Bureau and found that Cineplex was participating in ‘drip pricing.’
The Bureau describes drip pricing as “when companies offer low prices to attract consumers, but then add mandatory fees so that the advertised prices are not attainable, it affects their abilities to make informed decisions.” Cineplex filed a notice of appeal with the Federal Court of Appeal to overturn the Tribunal’s decision; however, on January 21, 2026, the Federal Court of Appeal dismissed Cineplex’s appeal.
In the past, Cineplex argued that the fee is “completely avoidable” because you can buy in the theatre or pay for a $9.99 per month CineClub membership to have it waived. And Scene+ members get the fee discounted to $1.
Further, Cineplex says that half of its customers already go into theatres to buy tickets. Cineplex also argues that the fees are “prominently” displayed on the site. Currently, the online booking fee is quite prominent; however, when the case was made, it was a lot more difficult to see the booking fee, as reported by MobileSyrup gaming editor Brad Shankar, showcasing that you couldn’t see the fee on the page where you pick seats and ticket type.
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Source: The Globe and Mail
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