Changing COVID restrictions force movie theatre seat capacity cuts

Maritime moviegoers looking to swing into some Spider-Man action or other films this weekend will have to wait a bit longer to purchase tickets.

Following an announcement of new provincial restrictions by the Nova Scotia government this week, Cineplex's showtimes past Dec.16 are no longer available for purchase.

In Halifax, the government announced this week that movie theatres are limited to 50 per cent capacity to a maximum of 150 people indoors.

“We don’t know enough about this variant to let things go,” said Premier Tim Houston in a press release. “I’m not taking chances with the lives of Nova Scotians or the ability of our health system to care for people. We need to act quickly to get things under control. The way we fight this is no different than what we’ve done all along. That’s why we need to bring back some of the previous restrictions.”

The restrictions are expected to last until at least the new year.

Cineplex corporate provided a statement regarding the issue it dealt with trying to help moviegoers in the wake of changing rules and guidelines.

“In accordance with recent provincial government orders, Cineplex must adhere to physically distanced seating and capacity restrictions within our theatres in Nova Scotia,” said Melissa Pressacco, Cineplex's director of communications. As a result, a limited number of showtimes have been impacted by this new mandate.

“We are issuing refunds for all tickets purchased for impacted showtimes, and on Friday, Dec. 17 at 10:00 a.m. we'll place tickets back up for sale following the new government guidelines. Guests who require a refund have been sent an email directly.”

Popular films including Spider-Man: No Way Home and Guillermo del Toro's Oscar contender Nightmare Alley were set to premiere, but many Maritimers were left with no way to purchase tickets.

This week, theatre locations in Moncton, Dieppe, Charlottetown, New Minas, Saint John, New Glasgow, Halifax, Lower Sackville, Dartmouth and Sydney didn't have showtimes available past Thursday — and most still don't.

The Scotiabank Theatre in St. John's, N.L. showed showtimes on Friday for only Spider-Man: No Way Home with eight of its 12 showings sold out. No other films had showtimes.

Some Cineplex theatres in Nova Scotia still have Metropolitan Opera screenings available for purchase but only for the new year. Some — such as Bridgewater's Cineplex — having showings as early as Jan. 1.

Entertainment news site Deadline projects a $130-million bow for the third Spider-Man movie in the U.S. And Canada this weekend, despite restrictions and COVID-19.

As the big box-office film gets set to hit multiplexes, Premier Doug Ford in Ontario also announced restrictions.

Ontario announced that indoor facilities that can hold more than 1,000 people will be capped at 50 per cent capacity starting Dec. 18 at 12:01 a.m.

Pressacco empathized with patrons who were trying to get tickets ahead of a busy weekend at the cinemas.

“We know this is inconvenient and appreciate our guests’ patience as our team readjusts its operations to follow these new government protocols and guidelines,” she said. “As has been the case throughout the pandemic, the health and safety of our employees and guests is our top priority.

“Committed to our guests’ safe escape, these protocols include physical distancing, reduced capacities, proof of vaccination, enhanced cleaning and safety signage throughout the facility.”

Moviegoer David Boyce bought tickets for the new Spider-Man movie for himself and his son on Friday night but found an email from Cineplex in his junk mail notifying him that his tickets had been cancelled and refunded.

“Your showtime for Spider-Man: No Way Home has been impacted by this new mandate, and we will be issuing you an automatic refund,” the email, obtained by CityNews Halifax, stated. “We will place a reduced number of tickets back up for sale on Cineplex.com for re-purchase on a first-come, first-served basis.”

Boyce now has to try to beat others out to get seats for Friday's screening of the major, buzzed-about Sony tentpole film.

He said he called Scotiabank Theatre Halifax in Bayers Lake multiple times and the calls all went to voicemail. He then went to the location, and the cast member didn't know how to help him.

“I understand they have to do this and it's kind of frustrating,” he said. “All we can do now is try to purchase them first thing Friday morning.”

He said the Spider-Man films hold a special significance for him and his son.

“We have always done these movies and the Star Wars ones together,” he said. “It's our thing. My son is 23 now, so it's been a long tradition.”