Cineplex says business is back — partly thanks to foreign-language films from around the world

Canada's Cineplex theatres are embracing foreign-language films as they come close to recapturing pre-pandemic audience numbers. 

Cineplex said last month that international movies had accounted for 11.5 per cent of its box-office revenue this year to date — up from 10 per cent last year — with the top three being Hindi-language action film Fighter and Punjabi-language comedies Jatt & Juliet 3 and Shinda Shinda No Papa.

Robert Cousins, senior vice-president of film for Cineplex, says the company is the largest chain in North America to play a wide range of international cinema, in at least seven different languages.

"We want our theatres to reflect the communities that they're in," he told CBC News.

"If you're in Brampton, Ont., or you're in Surrey, B.C., you want to see films on screen that speak to you. Whether that is a Punjabi film, a Hindi film, a Korean film, whatever it is — watching that film ties you to your community."

Foreign-language films were already a growing market before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, when Cineplex lost millions in revenue as theatres across the country shut down and reopened gradually to hesitant audiences. 

Cousins says once they reopened, international films were the first to bounce back.

"That audience craved coming back to a communal experience and enjoying these films together," he said, noting that  audiences for international films were also the fastest to return to theatres. 

Cousins says Cineplex's summer numbers have been buoyed by international content, particularly at times when Hollywood's offerings have been lacking, like during the Hollywood strikes that halted film production for months. 

Movie theatres have used various tactics to lure audiences in the last two years, including offering more IMAX screenings, live sporting events, bringing back old classics and rolling out exclusive movie-themed merchandise like the curious Dune popcorn buckets. 

Cineplex says business is now close to normal, with its June and July box office reaching more than 90 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. 

Cousins says the theatre chain screened 217 international titles last year — which he says equalled the number of domestic films on offer — and is on track to top that number in 2024, a trend likely to continue given its success. 

Foreign-language films currently playing include Korean comedy Pilot and Filipino romance Un/Happy for You.

Tilak Verma, who went to see Hindi action thriller Vedaa at Toronto's Scotiabank Theatre, says being able to watch Indian movies helps him feel connected to home when he's missing family.