The Competition Tribunal erred in ruling Cineplex Inc. misled theatregoers by not immediately disclosing an online booking fee, a lawyer for the theatre giant argued at the Federal Court of Appeal on Wednesday.
The Competition Bureau, which triggered the case in 2023, says the practice amounted to drip pricing, where a low price draws people in before they’re caught off guard later in the checkout process by fees that cause their final total to climb.
But lawyer Linda Plumpton says Cineplex was transparent about the fee of up to $1.50, which customers could find by scrolling down the web page when purchasing movie tickets online.
The company has noted that the fee could be avoided by making a purchase in a theatre.
Plumpton also took issue with the record $38.9-million penalty handed down to Cineplex in the case, telling the three-judge panel that the amount was “grossly disproportionate.”
The bureau says the decision should stand because Cineplex advertised ticket prices that were “unattainable” and did not make clear that making a purchase at a theatre would waive the fee.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2025.
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