The country's largest film exhibitor says Liu's Marvel epic "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" was the biggest draw in the latest quarter, helped by the "Kim's Convenience" actor's mass appeal.
"He's a local star and that really encouraged Canadians ... to come out to watch the movie," said Cineplex CEO
Cineplex has spent much of the year focused on returning its theatres to full operation as COVID-19 precautions ease and more franchise titles begin opening on the big screen.
"Shang-Chi" didn't just draw big audiences, Jacob said, it outperformed in Canadian theatres by market share compared to
Overall attendance spiked by 430 per cent to 8.3 million versus a tepid 1.6 million a year earlier.
Other factors contributed to the return of audiences, including eased COVID measures in some provinces.The company says it reopened its entire circuit of theatres byJuly 17.
However, the turnout couldn't keep Cineplex from reporting a loss of
Overall revenue totalled
Box-office revenues per person jumped 22 per cent to
Concession revenues reached an all-time high — rising more than 16 per cent to
The spending spike suggests how the domestic box office might fare after months of upheaval in
Numerous major film titles have leapt with unprecedented speed from movie theatres to premium video-on-demand rental at home, raising questions about whether moviegoers will still show up for a big-screen release.
Jacob said he isn't worried much about seeing more films take the PVOD route within weeks of their theatrical release. One of the latest to do so was
"Do you want to see it on a small screen or do you want to go to the big experience?" he asked.
"I think there's really a new appreciation of movie-going.... I'm quite optimistic about the future, as long as we don't end up with issues as it relates to the pandemic."
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