Cineplex stakes a partial claim to the history of the Famous Players Film Company (later Paramount Pictures), founded in 1912 by Adolph Zukor, as Cineplex's earliest predecessor;[8] however, that company did not have any operations in Canada until 1920, when it bought Nathan Nathanson's Paramount Theatre chain, which Nathanson had established four years earlier.

[9][nb 1] Nathanson, the 5th richest person in the world, became the first president of the resulting entity, Famous Player Canadian Corporation.

To satisfy antitrust concerns, on August 22, 2005, the group announced the sale of 27 locations in Ontario and western Canada to Empire Theatres.

[18] The company also earlier acquired the Tinseltown Movies 12 theatre from another American chain, Cinemark, in the Gastown neighbourhood of Vancouver.

[citation needed] Over the subsequent years, Cineplex expanded into advertising, events programming and a new concept, The Rec Room, amusement venues with live entertainment that serve food and drink.

[23] In the 2010s, Cineplex began to deploy "VIP Cinemas" featuring reclining seats, in-seat meal services, and a licensed lounge.

On August 15, 2014, Cineplex opened a dedicated VIP Cinemas Don Mills location, the first to be devoted solely to the format.

[27] In February 2014, Cineplex announced that it had acquired Empire's planned Lansdowne Park location in Ottawa, and would construct a new 10-screen cinema at the site with three VIP screens.

[28] On December 16, 2019, Cineplex announced a definitive agreement to be acquired by the British cinema operator Cineworld Group, the second-largest film exhibitor worldwide,[29] pending shareholder and regulatory approval.

Cineworld would be paying $34 per-share—a 42% premium over Cineplex's share price prior to the announcement, valuing the company at CDN$2.8 billion.

[31] The company also stated that it planned to reach $120 million in cost efficiencies and revenue synergies (including the adoption of a subscription service scheme similar to Regal and Cineworld) by the end of fiscal year 2020.

[31] Activist shareholder Bluebell Capital Partners called for the Canadian government to block the sale due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[32] which in turn led to the temporary closure of all Cineplex properties for several months starting on March 16.

[35] In February 2021, CEO Ellis Jacob offered to temporarily convert Cineplex facilities into COVID-19 vaccination sites.

[37] In December 2021, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled in favour of Cineplex, and ordered Cineworld to pay US$1 billion in damages for breach of contract.

Selected Cineplex locations offer including large-screen formats, motion seats, and VIP for a higher ticket price.

[62][63] Early Xscape locations (such as SilverCity CrossIron Mills near Calgary) were also built with licensed lounges and party rooms, but most of the later builds have been designed as redemption-oriented refurbishments or conversions of existing space.

[64] Cineplex arcades in Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador, and at other locations that have not adopted the Xscape format, use the brand Cinescape Games.

The Rec Room targets a young adult demographic, with its locations featuring restaurants and bars, arcade and recreational game areas, simulators, and an auditorium equipped with a cinema-style screen.

[citation needed] Cineplex owns Playdium, an arcade and family entertainment centre chain focused on children and teens.

The chain was relaunched with two Ontario locations in 2019: Brampton on September 16, retrofitting the Cineplex Odeon Orion Gate theatre,[72][73] and Whitby on November 4.

The first Cineplex Junxion opened at Kildonan Place in Winnipeg in December 2022, succeeding the existing Famous Players location at the same site.

[79] On September 13, 2018, Cineplex announced that it would acquire a stake in VRStudios—a Seattle-based provider of virtual reality installations, and utilize its equipment for as many as 40 VR centres across the country.

[84] Hot beverages include Starbucks as the incumbent provider with 105 locations,[85] all which offer Pike Place Roast coffee (regular or decaf) and Tazo tea.

Alongside with Jacob are Jordan Banks who serves as a Facebook executive, Robert Bruce, Joan Dea, Ian Greenberg, the founder of Astral Media, Sarabjit S. Marwah, Anthony Munk, Edward Sonshine, Christopher Medlock, Robert J. Steacy and Phyllis Yaffe, who serves as its chair.

[91][92][93][94][95] During the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, festival organizers stated that Cineplex would no longer allow films distributed by an online video service (such as Prime Video or Netflix) to be screened at the Scotiabank Theatre Toronto (which has been considered the "primary" venue of the event for major screenings) due to company policy, as the services do not adhere to industry-standard theatrical windows.

ScreenDaily stated that this was "believed to be the first time an exhibitor’s position on theatrical windowing has affected scheduling at a major film festival".

[96][97] On September 23, 2024, the Competition Tribunal ordered Cineplex to pay a $38.9 million fine for deceptive marketing practices.