The penalty was part of a decision the tribunal issued in September that saw it side with the Competition Bureau, which accused Cineplex of misleading theatre-goers by not immediately presenting them with the full price of a movie ticket when they bought seats online.

Cineplex began charging an $1.50 online booking fee in June 2022 to many customers not enrolled in its CineClub subscription and Scene Plus loyalty programs, which saw the fee waived or dropped to $1, respectively. It's a practice known as drip pricing.