Cineplex CEO says cinemas ‘could help in a big way’ as potential vaccination sites

The head of Cineplex Inc. is ready to turn Canada’s multiplexes into temporary COVID-19 vaccination sites.

Ellis Jacob, CEO of the country’s largest movie theatre chain, says he’s reached out to provincial public health agencies nationwide to suggest his company “could help in a big way” as a space for distributing shots.

In Ontario, those talks have also involved Premier Doug Ford, Jacob said in an interview.

And he says while no decisions have been made, he believes health leaders were “very interested and receptive” to the idea.

Plans for vaccination sites are still very much in flux as officials balance vaccine availability and provincial approvals with choosing locations that make logistical sense.

Loblaw Cos. Ltd.-owned Shoppers Drug Mart and other pharmacies are among companies seeking approval as mass vaccination sites.

But preliminary plans for a vaccination rollout have been hampered by supply setbacks.

In Toronto, for example, a massive clinic was opened at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in January before it was shut down two days later due to vaccine shortages.

Jacob says once vaccination distribution picks up, he believes Cineplex theatres in smaller markets could be especially helpful because they’re spaces that can accommodate people “all the time” and are familiar to local residents.

Cineplex, which reported a steep fourth-quarter loss of $230.4 million on Thursday, has been grappling with a massive shutdown of its chain due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Revenue totalled $52.5 million, down from $443.2 million a year earlier.