Cineplex Inc. (TSX:CGX) owns the movie theater business in Canada. The company’s 165 theaters and 1,683 screens represents a market share just under 80%. Its largest competitor, Landmark, has just 10% of the market.
Cineplex has done a terrific job expanding its offerings in the last decade. It has put in larger screens, more comfortable chairs, and other features like 3-D effects. This has helped it grow box office revenue per patron from $7.99 to $9.55 in the last decade.
Concessions per patron has seen even better growth. In 2007, Cineplex collected just $3.84 per person. That number hit $5.65 per patron in 2016. Reasons for the increase came from a wider variety of food choices and being able to pass through price increases.
Cineplex is so much more than a movie company today. Outtakes, its fast-casual restaurant brand, has nearly 100 locations. It also has nearly 100 YoYo’s self-service yogurt locations, as well as 23 Poptopia (which serves premium popcorn) locations.
The company has also been experimenting with showing alternate events on its screens, like foreign films, concerts, and other special events. And it has leveraged its digital marketing experience into a business doing these services for other Canadian companies.
The company’s SCENE loyalty program is also among Canada’s most popular, with more than eight million members.
Finally, Cineplex has delivered solid dividend growth over the last seven years. In 2010, the company paid $1.26 per share in annual dividend. It paid $1.60 in 2016, with another dividend increase expected this year. The current yield is 3.1%.
