Frequently Asked Questions

We publish two months' worth of movies at a time, which may give the impression that we can see a long way into the future. But, astonishing as it may seem, we're not sure of anything beyond the current listings in the ByTowne Guide. Many people ask us about the likelihood of a particular film coming to the ByTowne (or coming back), but the simple truth is that the movie industry is a multi-billion dollar source of uncertainty.

Giving inaccurate information to curious movie fans is much worse than saying "Heck, we don't know", so our answer to all these questions is the same: Heck, we don't know.

When we DO know, we publish our listings in the ByTowne Guide, and on this web site, which gives most movie goers from 10 days to 10 weeks to do their planning. Our best advice is to make sure you pick up every issue of the ByTowne Guide. With a ByTowne Guide in hand, you know pretty much everything that we know.

See also: "Why don't you answer my e-mail?"

Tickets can only be purchased in person from our box office. The box office opens 30 minutes prior to the first screening of the day. Once it's open, you may buy advance tickets for that day's films only. "Why is that?", you ask. Well, we just don't have the fancy technical equipment required to track anything beyond same-day sales.

The good news is that the ByTowne is quite large (670 seats) and we rarely sell out, so if you arrive about 15 minutes before show time, it's pretty easy to get your ticket, your popcorn and a good seat.

You got us; Members, Seniors and Youth customers can skip the box office queue by buying pre-paid vouchers. They are $7 each, can be bought well in advance, and they never expire.

Buy as many vouchers as you like from the cashier on your next visit. (Remember to bring lots of cash, because we still don't take plastic!). After that, you can skip the box office line-up and go straight to the usher, or to the Ticket Holders line-up if we haven't yet finished with the previous movie. Show the usher your Membership (or proof of age if you're a Senior or Youth) and hand over a Pre-Paid Voucher -- you're in!

Give yourself the gift of speed and convenience!

As of July 1, 2010, our regular show ticket prices are:

• $10.00 for Non-Members
• $7.00 for ByTowne Members (with card)
• $7.00 for Seniors (age 65 and over, with I.D.)
• $7.00 for Children and Youth (age 17 and under, with I.D.)

Unless otherwise noted in our program guide, separate admission is required for each film. Prices above apply at all shows, 7 days a week, except for some special events and charity fundraisers.

A valid, signed Membership card must be presented to obtain the Member's price. Please don't ask our cashier to break the rules.

The Basics
ByTowne memberships cost $11.00 and are valid for 12 months from the time of purchase. The membership card entitles you to the discounted admission price of $7.00 per film and a mailing list subscription to receive the bi-monthly ByTowne Guide. 

How to Buy
You may purchase a membership at the box office when you join us for a movie. The total cost is then $18.00 - $11.00 for the membership plus $7.00 for your admission at member's rate. The membership card should be signed in the space provided and must be presented at the box office every time to get your discount. If you wish to receive the ByTowne Guide by mail, simply fill out the mailing list form available from the cashier at the time of membership purchase.

Please note that ByTowne membership cards are not transferable; it is for your personal use only. And sorry, we do not replace lost or stolen cards.

Buying by Mail
You may also purchase a membership through the mail at the slightly higher cost of $12.00.

Send a cheque to:
ByTowne Cinema, 
325 Rideau Street, 
Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 5Y4

Please include a clearly visible return address to cover the postage cost of mailing your new membership card back to you (that's where the extra $1 comes in).

We like small, unmarked bills slid discreetly under the glass partition to that cheerful cashier waiting on the other side. Sorry, no credit or debit cards here; we like to do things the old-fashioned way (told you we were low-tech!). Besides, this way we avoid those nasty debit/credit service charges, which we therefore don't have to pass along in our prices to you.

We do have an ATM inside the auditorium. If you're short of wee bits of paper, please visit the ATM before joining the queue for tickets.

Yes, absolutely! We recommend one for the office and one for your fridge door.

There are two versions of our calendar available from the site. One is an exact replica of the centre-page calendar as it appears in the ByTowne Guide, downloadable from here. It's 11 x 17 format, though, so it's a bit awkward to print.

The other is a simpler, easy-to-read version that prints very nicely on a standard 8 x 11 page, in colour or b&w. You can find it at this link.

The basics: The ByTowne Cinema is located on Rideau Street, between King Edward Avenue and Nelson Street.

The detailed: More information (including directions and parking info) can be found on our Map page.

The ByTowne's a spin-off of the old Towne Cinema that lived on Beechwood Avenue in New Edinburgh. We've been at our 325 Rideau St. location since 1988. The cinema itself was built in 1947 and was called the Nelson Theatre. We're working on a page about the ByTowne's history which should be up and running soon.

We make an effort to reply to (almost) all e-mails. If you write us and haven’t received a reply in a week, something has gone wrong (the internet still isn't perfect) and you should re-send, or simply call us at the office: (613) 789-4600.
There is one category of e-mail that we don’t reply to, though; those which ask something like “Will you be playing ______ in the near future?” We really like hearing from you about which new films you’re interested in (and we especially love it when you include links to the movie’s site, or to a review you spotted), but we really don’t know when they are coming. To keep our work load to a reasonable level, we respectfully ask that you suggest films to us without asking when they will show up. When we know the answer, we’ll list the movies in the ByTowne Guide and on our web site.
 

When you buy a ByTowne Membership, either as a new Member or as a renewing Member, the cashier will give you a small white form to fill out.

On that form, you can:

• give us your mailing address to receive the ByTowne Guide (it's free for Members)

• give us your e-mail address to receive Cinemail, our weekly reminder e-mail (it's free for anyone)

• sign up for both of the above

It's completely optional, of course, but if you're concerned about security, you needn't be. We will never give your address or e-mail address to any other businesses or services.

ONE NOTE ABOUT RENEWING: 
Because the weekly e-mail costs nothing for us to send, we'll keep you on our list until you tell us to stop. But sending the printed Guide is more expensive, so your subscription will lapse one issue after your Membership expires, and you should remember to fill out a new registration form every time you renew your Membership.

Thanks!