The two movie theatres in Burnaby are looking for people to join a club to land free movies.
Canada's largest film exhibitor, Cineplex has announced plans to launch a monthly subscription program on Wednesday that offers a small selection of perks and discounts at the multiplex.
CineClub will cost $9.99 per month — less than the price of a movie ticket — and give members a free movie every month, along with cheaper"member-priced" tickets and a 20 per cent discount on concession items.
Cineplex runs two theatres in Burnaby, one at Metropolis at Metrotown and the other a VIP, adults-only complex at the Amazing Brentwood. The VIP theatre has five screens and serves a full menu of food as well as beers, wines and cocktails. It is located on one of the upper floors of the mall at and faces Lougheed Highway.
The CineClub membership program arrives as theatre operators around the world look for ways to get people back into the habit of going to the movies after the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated already changing viewer habits.
Many of Canada's theatres were closed for the better part of a year as lockdowns rippled through the country, causing many of the past year's most notable films to either be delayed or skip theatres entirely in favour of streaming platforms.
Some movies were acquired by Netflix, while several Disney titles launched on the company's streaming platform free of charge to subscribers. Other films landed on digital rental services for a premium price.
Recent big-budget Hollywood films, including "Jungle Cruise" and "Space Jam: A New Legacy," have opened to respectable first-weekend numbers at the North American box office only to see ticket sales plummet in the second weekend.
That's led some industry prognosticators to suggest loyal fans are showing up early in a film's run, while casual viewers are largely staying away.
Cineplex's CineClub arrives just over a decade after the launch of MoviePass, a failed U.S.-based company that offered a flat-rate subscription model for an all-you-can-watch membership. The model garnered plenty of attention for its bold approach and ultimately an array of technical glitches and service interruptions.
MoviePass filed for bankruptcy in early 2020.
- With files from the Canadian Press
