Although movie night at home offers the convenience of adding subtitles and pausing the play for bathroom breaks, the full and director’s intended experience of the film is somewhat lost – particularly with action flicks. Colour calibrated movie screens display the fine hues and subtle light contrasts. Sitting in the dark theatre with the film playing on big screen enthrals you in the action sequences and the emotions of the movie characters. Your heart races at the thunder of the audio. The movie score playing in surround sound further captivates your attention. For a few, uninterrupted hours, you are transported to another world – the world of the movie.
The movie going experience in Canada and USA is very much the same. Unlike Hong Kong, where movie tickets have assigned seating, tickets purchased from North American theatres simply grant you a seat in the theatre, with seat selection based on a first-come first-seated basis. There are North American movie theatres adopting the assigned seating option, but these are still few and far between, and apply an additional surcharge for this convenience.
There are many movie theatre chains in Canada and the United States. One of the largest chains is Cineplex Odeon which operates as Cineplex Entertainment in Canada and AMC Theatres in the USA. Ticket pricing and loyalty programs between Cineplex and AMC are largely alike, but fine differences exist.
| Canada Cineplex |
USA AMC |
|
| “Admit One” movie tickets | Only one level of “admit one” tickets – blue — blue: can be used towards any movie currently playing, i.e. new release or older |
Two levels of “admin one” tickets – gold and silver — gold: can be used towards purchase of tickets to new release movies — silver: can only be used towards purchase of tickets to movies released at least 2 weeks ago |
| “Admit One” movie tickets | Cost: (blue) $8.45-$9.35 CAD, depending on retailer (available at CAA, Costco, etc.) Expiration: roughly 9-12 months after date of purchase |
Cost: (gold) $8.50 USD Cost: (silver) $7.10 USD (available at Costco, etc.) Expiration: NONE |
| Rewards Program | SCENE Card FREE membership |
AMC Stubs $12 USD per year membership fee |
| Loyalty Rewards | SCENE Card: – 1 free movie ticket for every 10 purchased – rewards granted on movie tickets purchased using “admit ones” – 10% off all concession purchases |
AMC Studs: – $10 rewards for every $100 spent on movie tickets and concession purchases – rewards are NOT eligible on “admit ones” – no direct discount off of concessions; concession purchases accumulate towards $100 spend count and rewards dollars can be applied towards concessions |
Ticket prices for movie tickets purchased at theatre ticket booths (as of 2013):
[Depending on the theatre location there may be a slight variation in rates. Handling fees are further applied to tickets purchased online.]
| Canada Cineplex |
USA AMC |
|
| Age | – Adult: age 14-64 – Child: age 3-13 – Senior: age 65+ |
– Adult: age 13-59 – Child: age 2-12 – Senior: age 60+ |
| Regular | – Adult: $12.99 CAD – Child: $8.99 CAD – Senior: $9.50 CAD |
– Adult: $10.25 USD – Child: $9.25 USD – Senior: $10.25 USD |
| 3D | – Adult: $15.99 CAD – Child: $11.99 CAD – Senior: $12.50 CAD ($4.00 CAD surcharge on Blue Admit Ones) |
– Adult: $14.25 USD – Child: $13.25 USD – Senior: $14.25 USD ($4.00 USD surcharge on Gold/Silver Admit Ones) |
| IMAX | – Adult: $16.99 CAD – Child: $12.99 CAD – Senior: $13.50 CAD ($5.00 CAD surcharge on Blue Admit Ones) |
– Adult: $15.25 USD – Child: $14.25 USD – Senior: $15.25 USD ($5.00 USD surcharge on Gold/Silver Admit Ones) |
| IMAX 3D | – Adult: $18.99 CAD – Child: $12.99 CAD – Senior: $13.50 CAD (additional $6.00 CAD surcharge on Blue Admit Ones) |
– Adult: $16.25 USD – Child: $15.25 USD – Senior: $16.25 USD ($6.00 USD surcharge on Gold/Silver Admit Ones) |
Enjoy your night at the movies!
P.S. If you like animated films, consider signing up for Disney Movie Rewards. This loyalty program is free and rewards points for purchasing Disney DVDs/Blu-rays and buying theatre tickets to Disney movies. Disney movies include films by Walt Disney Studios, Studio Ghibli, Marvel Studios and, recently, Lucas Arts. Points can be redeemed for Disney collector’s items and gift cards to major establishments like Starbucks.
Silicon Valley Loonies 