Cineplex Cinemas Varsity and VIP

This is my first time going to this location and try out their VIP service. The staffs were very friendly, and they have an excellent customer service. The overall ambiance is great, and is thoroughly cleaned. The food/drinks service is consistent as all the other location I have been to; though the price mark-up is really high as always (but this is not the main reason of my 3-stars review). The reason for my dissatisfaction is the VIP seat. Considering the ticket price is similar to other locations, it is not worth watching VIP here (unless if you got it for free through points/rewards). The seat is almost identical to regular seats with the exception of small table tray, and some extra leg room. Another downside is the screen in VIP Studio #1 is not immersive or wide enough, especially if you are seating in the middle to back rows. However, the sound quality is still good.

The VIP tickets aren’t worth it here. The screen is tiny, sound is poor, and seats aren’t great. Staff were friendly and helpful though.

PURCHASERS OF VIP BEWARE!!!!!! I hate to do this but if I could go less than 1 star I would. I went for opening night of The Batman at VIP Varsity and boyyyy did I F up. 1st) the screen is laughable. I mean laughable. My 80 inch curve at home is surely almost as big. (2nd) the sound..... Hahahahahaha I could barely hear Batman speak (you know he speaks in almost a whisper) 3rd) if the door opens during the show there's ZERO sound proofing so it's like the whole lobby is walking through your theater. I couldn't be more dissapointed with a theater experience especially for a movie I was SO excited about. I'm heading off to watch The Batman in IMAX again tomorrow to get the proper viewing but I really shouldn't have to.

If I could give it no stars I would. To put it simply, the VIP is HORRIBLE. Seats do not recline at all and the size of the screen is as big as my tv. This is the equivalent of the imax. They should warn people that this is not a full VIP experience. NEVER COMING BACK AND I'M GETTING A REFUND.

I'm a big fan of theaters. My girlfriend took us to go see Spider-Man right before restrictions kicked in. I was very surprised to find out that a premium VIP theater was smaller than any regular or independent theater I had ever been to. The seating was cram packed and not the quality I have come to expect from any vip cinema. The Sound was also very quiet, where it was noticeable to hear other people talking throughout the showing. The most unfortunate part was the staff had explained that this is known as the "leftover theater". As if this is common knowledge, I still can't wrap my head around paying a premium price for a sub par theater, when they could have posted a notice online or at the box office. Very disappointed

Located inside the Manulife Center, take the escalators up to locate this slightly awkward Cineplex location. By awkward, it's placed inside another building that other people have gotten lost and missed the theatre. Thank goodness for Manulife's information booths. Also, their theatre's aren't the Cineplex's higher incline seating. It feels more of a low slope auditorium. For some of the shorter audience, I would straight out skip this location. If you have someone that's taller than you and you're stuck with the lower slopped theatres (like #8), and you didn't order the mid-rows, good luck losing 30-40% of the screen. Both the VIP and regular movie theatre seating were alright. Definitely leaning towards the old cinema vibes in here. It feels like they need to overhaul this theatre to be more aligned to the rest of their other chains like Yonge & Dundas or Queensway with higher viewing from all seating and newer seats. The screens feel much smaller for the depth of the theatre #8. (The picture of the seats I have are from the far back row of theatre #8). In terms of service, they had a nice employee checking for the Proof of Vaccination and ID at the front of the theatre before entering (very great personality)! They also have 2-3 booths available to order tickets in person. Although, I highly recommend ordering ahead of time to reserve seating. They have two sets of bathrooms but unfortunately the ones located near cinema #7 & #8 were closed. All the customers had to use the washrooms by cinema #3 & #4 which caused a huge line up. Overall, quality of the cinema could be really improved. But if you're looking for one of the older cinema vibes, this one is for you!

My review here is mainly about the VIP experience. Buy your VIP tickets at another theatre. The good: The servers were incredibly attentive. Our food was yummy and delivered right before our movie started. The bad: The VIP theatres are tiny, which isn't usually a problem, except that the aisles are all very thin which makes it difficult for servers to deliver food and for movie-goers to navigate without at least stepping on a few toes. The seats are a little uncomfortable but not terrible, but the tables are absolutely tiny. Only just big enough to fit a plate of food, while praying it doesn't get knocked over by someone crab-walking to their seat. The cherry on top is the fact that the VIP theatres are located IN the lobby of this Cineplex, with barely any sound proofing. Which means whenever there's a line to get food, or a crowd just entering or exiting a movie, you can hear all the chatter just outside of the door while your movie plays. This was incredibly distracting and something I have never experienced at a Cineplex before. If you're looking to watch a movie at this theatre, don't go to VIP. If you're looking for a VIP experience, visit another theatre.

This location is mobility accessible, however there are a couple theatres that have steps to get into the theatre. Just ask a staff member and they can assist you to bypass the stairs. The staff are very friendly and ready to assist. The location has a nice lounge area that serves alcohol and food as well. The lounge overlooks Bay Street. This is one of my favourite movie theatres that feels more personal and local.