Cineplex to open ‘cinema of the future’
Mississauga site will have an area for live events and a rooftop patio
Canada’s largest movie theatre chain is promising to bring a “cinema of the future” to Mississauga — and the wait for it won’t be long.
Cineplex Inc. said Wednesday that is expanding its roster of entertainment, theatre and dining complexes to include a new concept called Junxion.
Junxion, a 45,000-square-foot space to open at the Erin Mills Town Centre in Mississauga late next year, will feature six auditoriums, a food hall with an indoor food truck, arcade-style games, virtual reality offerings, an area for live events and a rooftop patio with a screen to view movies and other entertainment.
The space is being called Junxion because it’s a “junction” between the company’s theatres and Rec Room arcade bars, said Sarah Van Lange, Cineplex’s executive director of communications.
“Guests are gravitating towards experiences that they can’t replicate at home. We’re finding the same in terms of entertainment where guests are looking for places to be social to have fun,” she told the Star. “What the Junxion provides is opportunities to come and visit us outside of when we have a big Hollywood blockbuster.”
The Junxion announcement comes as Cineplex has been fending off competition from on-demand streaming services that are often refusing to give their films traditional theatre runs and are increasingly persuading film lovers to stay home and watch movies.
That’s had a big impact on Cineplex’s stock, which topped $50 in early 2017, but has since dropped to about $25.
To try to reverse the trend, Cineplex has built more of its Rec Rooms and Playdium gaming hubs. It has also launched VIP auditoriums, expanded concession-stand products and offered delivery of them through Uber Eats, introduced 270-degree panoramic auditoriums and invested in bringing Topgolf’s tech-savvy driving ranges with microchipped golf balls, music and food to Canada in the coming year.
It appears such complexes will be a big part of Cineplex’s future.
Van Lange said that Cineplex, which operates 165 theatres across Canada, will eventually open similar entertainment destinations to leverage retrofits of its existing theatre network as well as new locations.
And Ellis Jacob, the company’s chief executive officer, teased earlier in November in an interview with the Star that “Cineplex now is moving from a cinema company to an entertainment destination.”
“Some movies you just can’t watch on your phone. It’s not the same experience. We are actually one of the cheapest forms of entertainment. Where else are you going to see a $200million production for less than it costs you to park your car?”