Frequently Asked Questions

Does the cinema have all the amenities of a "regular" theatre?

Yes!

The Cinema has a large auditorium, a modern DTS and Dolby stereo surround sound system, and a big Cinema screen.

The Cinema sells snacks (pop, coffee, hot chocolate, chips, popcorn and chocolate bars) starting at $1.50 each.

When are you open?

The Cinema is open from mid-September until the beginning of May, excluding Christmas and Easter weekends. Shows are selected Friday evenings at 7:00pm or 7:15pm and every Saturday at 2:00pm.

Box office, memberships, and advance tickets office opens Saturdays at 1:00pm and Fridays at 6:15pm.

What are your admission prices?

Admission for regular shows is as follows:

Member child (12 and under) in advance: $3.00
Member adult in advance: $4.00
Member child (12 and under) on day of show: $4.00
Member adult on day of show: $5.00
Non-member child in advance: $5.00
Non-member adult in advance: $6.00
Non-member child on day of show: $6.00
Non-member adult on day of show: $7.00

Admission for special shows may vary. Check the information for the specific show for details.

Are there special rates for groups?

There are special rates for birthday parties (10 or more) and groups (20 or more). Group and Party rates may not be available for all shows. Call the cinema at 613-722-8218 or send an e-mail to info@familycinema.ca for details.

What is a membership for?

Membership gives you a discount on all movies. The prices for memberships are as follows:

Family membership: $25.00 per family
Individual membership: $12.00 per person

Memberships are good for one Cinema season (September of one year to September of the next).

More information is available on our memberships page.

What methods of payment do you accept?

In order to keep costs low, the cinema only accept cash. If you are a member, cheques are also accepted.

The cinema does not accept $100 bills.

Any restrictions on children that can attend?

For the purposes of admission prices, children are 12 years old and under. Babies under 12 months are admitted free to Saturday afternoon shows.

Children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult. For movies rated 14A, children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.

Children under 5 are not admitted to Friday evening shows.

What is so special about the cinema?

The cinema is a non-profit registered charity, all proceeds beyond operating costs are given back to the community. In addition to a feature film there are door-prizes, previews, and a cartoon with free gifts for children at selected shows.

The Cinema also has three movie parties per season. One at Hallowe'en, one at Christmas, and one in the spring for our birthday. This means extra fun for everyone... Hallowe'en costume contest, Santa Claus, birthday cake, the Movie Game Show, Sing-a-longs, free gifts, and much, much more are all part of the fun.

What is the seating capacity of the theater?

The theatre holds approximately 675 people.

So how do you keep your prices so low?

All Cinema staff are volunteers.

The Cinema is a not-for-profit organization. This means all money raised through ticket and concession sales are returned to the community to schools, churches and other charities or used for direct use in the Cinema in operating and equipment upgrades, door-prizes, give-aways etc. All cinema staff and management are volunteers.

For some shows, all the proceeds are donated to a particular charity such as CHEO or the Red Cross.

The Cinema itself is a registered charity. This means that you can make a donation to the Ottawa Family Cinema and receive a tax receipt. Our registered charity number is 0528539-56-10.

Is the Cinema wheelchair accessible?

Yes, the Cinema is wheelchair accessible.

Do you take movie requests?

We do take requests for movies however it is not always possible to fill the requests depending on many factors including availability, costs etc. In the case of most films when the movie becomes available on video it is difficult to get folks out of their homes to see it in the cinema.

We would need approximately 120 people in order to cover the costs of one showing.

Do you have facilities for private screenings?

Sorry to say we do not hold private screening at the cinema. You could try the Mayfair theatre on Bank St.

Do you have a mailing list for upcoming shows?

We do have an e-mail list where the list of upcoming shows is sent out each Wednesday between September 1 and May 10.

If you have an account, you can subscribe to the list in your account options. If you do not wish to register for an account, you can send an e-mail to: cinema-schedule-request@lists.familycinema.ca with the word "subscribe" in the message body.

Do you have an RSS feed for upcoming shows?

Yes. http://www.familycinema.ca/shows.rdf

If you are using Firefox web browser, go to http://www.familycinema.ca/shows/ and click the orange icon on the far right of the status bar.

Do you have an ical calendar for upcoming shows?

Yes. http://www.familycinema.ca/shows.ics

How do I purchase tickets in advance?

Tickets can be purchased in advance for any movie listed on the web site showing ticket availability.

Advance tickets may be purchased before the day of the show in 3 ways:

  1. At the theatre on the Fridays and Saturdays that we are operating (selected Fridays 6:15pm to 9:30pm and every Saturday 1pm to 4:30pm). Check our show times.

  2. Tickets may also be purchased by mail to the cinema's office mailing address at:

    Ottawa Family Cinema Office
    120 Anna Avenue
    Ottawa, ON
    K1Z 7T6

    There is no personal service at the office, mail orders only.

  3. You can reserve tickets for the Cinema over the phone, or via the Internet during the week before the show date. You would then pick the tickets up at the cinema by showtime on the day of the show. A $1.00 surcharge will be added to your ticket order.

Notes:

Birthdays: How much is it to bring children to a birthday party?

Minimum number for Birthday Party rates is 10 persons. If you are not a member, admission prices for a birthday party would be the regular non-member rates. Depending on how many children you were bringing it might cost less to get a membership, even if you only use it the once.

Here is an example calculation for bringing 8 children and 2 adults (10 guests), the minimum for a discount, purchasing tickets in advance. 

 
non-member (in advance, with discount):
$5/child * 8 =  $40.00
$6/adult * 2 =   12.00
----------------------
total            52.00
 
member (in advance, with discount):
$25 membership = $25.00
$3/child * 8 =    24.00
$4/adult * 2 =     8.00
-----------------------
total             57.00

So a membership in this case only costs $5.00 and can be used at any other time for your family to get discounted prices at the cinema. Note: A membership can save you even more money for our special event movies!

Birthdays: Do you have facilities for before or after the movies?

Yes. Please see our Celebrating a Birthday page.

Birthdays: How do I get my child called up on stage?

This is free if you have booked the Birthday Party at the cinema. The Birthday child will be called up on stage and presented with a gift and Birthday card.


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