TORONTO — A handful of independent theatres are accusing Cineplex Inc. of engaging in anti-competitive behaviour by blocking their ability to screen some films.
Vancouver’s Rio Theatre has outlined the allegations in a petition signed by nearly 8,000 people that calls for support for indie theatres.
The petition claims that if a distributor tries to book a film with an indie theatre anywhere near a Cineplex location, the cinema giant will threaten to pull their own screenings of that film in the area, spooking distributors into shutting out smaller theatres.
The Rio claims it often has to wait between three and six months to screen some films because Cineplex is still showing them.
The theatre says Toronto’s Paradise Theatre, Montreal’s Cinema du Parc and Hamilton’s Westdale Theatre have also thrown their support behind the petition, which comes just after Cineplex got shareholder approval to sell its business to U.K.-based Cineworld PLC.
Cineplex says it does not own the rights to the movies that appear on its screens, but it licenses them from Canadian distributors to play in its theatres, making it up to film distributors where they play their films.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2020.
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