TIFF ticket costs leave some feeling priced out

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is set to begin its 51st edition, but the price of tickets has some viewers feeling priced out. Chiyo Kim, who purchased tickets for the world premiere of Whatcha Want, a new comedy by Mina Shum, admits the cost left her feeling guilty. "It was $106 per ticket," she stated. "It feels like we are just getting priced out more and more."

Kim recalls attending TIFF a few years ago when she volunteered at the festival and believes it was more accessible back then. "This is kind of a shock," she remarked. According to TIFF's website, regular screenings start at $30 for non-members, while premium screenings, which include elevated experiences like red carpet galas, premieres, and audience Q&As with the cast, start at $46.

However, some fans claim tickets are going for much higher. For example, tickets to the premiere of Always Lalisa, a BLACKPINK documentary, are selling for $106 on Ticketmaster, while regular tickets range from $30 to $37. The same situation applies to the premieres of other anticipated films such as Fjord, Prima Facie, and Love of Your Life, all going for $106.

Some have even posted screenshots on Reddit of premiere tickets in the first few rows going for $128. Last year, similar-tier screenings reached $98. Charlie Keil, a professor at the University of Toronto's Cinema Studies Institute, suggests that TIFF might be raising prices because it can and because it needs to. "They're struggling with the same constraints many cultural institutions face, with inflation causing costs to rise significantly," he explained.

"As long as people don't push back and say, 'I won't pay those prices,' it's understandable why TIFF sets its prices where it does." Despite the high ticket prices, film enthusiasts like Stephen Brown are still attending. He traveled from Atlanta for the festival, buying 39 tickets, including a few conversation talkbacks and multiple movie screenings daily.

"I might've spent $2,000 to $3,000 on it," he said. Joe Baker, who has attended TIFF for the past decade, is set to watch 17 films this year. However, Kim admits she can only afford one screening. "I'll probably be able to stream these films for free at home a few months later," she said. A request for comment to TIFF about its ticket prices has not been answered by publication time.