The results are in for Cineplex Inc (TSX: CGX), whom this morning reported its fourth quarter and full year 2021 financial results. Often used as a gauge for the current state of the ongoing pandemic, the firms results this morning were promising, with the company CEO commenting that it “delivered its strongest quarter in two years.”
For the fourth quarter, the firm reported revenues of $300.0 million, a massive increase over the $52.5 million reported by the company in the fourth quarter of 2020. Revenues however are still down 32.3% from the $443.2 million recorded in the fourth quarter of 2019, the final quarter before the firm was impacted by the pandemic.
The company however indicated that it continues to be impacted by capacity restrictions or closures at most of its locations. This could be seen by its theatre attendance numbers, which hit 10.2 million, as compared to 16.8 million in Q4 2019. Still, the figures represent a significant improvement over the 0.8 million in attendance in Q4 2020.
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Despite the strong fourth quarter results, it should be highlighted that much of the improvement appears to be related to big-name titles finally hitting the big screen. Theatre attendance was dominated in the quarter by titles such as Spider-Man: No Way Home, which represented 23.7% of box office revenues, and No Time To Die, a James Bond film, at 13.4% – indicating that the growth may be temporarily related to delayed films finally being released.
Box office revenues per patron climbed to $12.29, while concession revenues per patron climbed to $7.49, which is an improvement from $9.23 and $9.06, respectively in Q4 2020, and even an improvement over the $10.79 and $6.81, respectively, recorded in Q4 2019.
Perhaps the best aspect of the quarter is that the company managed to post a net loss of $21.8 million overall, which continues to improve as the reopening across markets continues. Comparatively, the firm posted a net income in Q4 2019, indicating that despite substantially lower revenues, the company may have streamlined its operations significantly throughout the last two years. Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter total 58.3 million, compared to a loss of $32.1 million in the year ago period.
For the full fiscal year, the company posted total revenues of $656.7 million, as compared to $418.3 million in 2020 – again, demonstrating how significant the fourth quarter was to the firms performance for the year. Theatre attendance hit 20.1 million, as compared to 13.1 million in 2020, while the firm overall posted a net loss of $248.7 million for the year, and adjusted EBITDA of $59.9 million.
Cineplex last traded at $13.79 on the TSX.
Information for this briefing was found via Sedar and the companies mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to this organization. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
