As Toronto gears up to enter Stage 3 of reopening tomorrow, Cineplex has announced that it will be reopening 25 movie theatres across the province including eight in Toronto. 

While movie theatres are one of the businesses permitted to open under Stage 3, Cineplex originally said the indoor gathering limit of 50 people was preventing them from doing so. 

The company asked the government to bend the rules for them as a result and, despite scoffs from many who felt safety rules should not be amended to improve profitability for one business, it seems the Ford government decided to comply. 

Cineplex movie theatres across the province will now be allowed to seat 50 guests per auditorium starting Friday, July 31. 

"The company is taking a phased approach to reopening and anticipates that the majority of its locations will reopen over the next several weeks, including its 43 other theatre locations across Ontario," reads a statement from the company. 

The first 25 locations scheduled to reopen tomorrow include: 

• Galaxy Cinemas Barrie, Barrie
• Cineplex Cinemas Hamilton Mountain, Hamilton
• Cineplex Odeon Gardiners Road Cinemas, Kingston
• Cineplex Cinemas Kitchener and VIP, Kitchener
• SilverCity London Cinemas, London
• The Rec Room (CF Masonville Place), London
• Cineplex Cinemas Milton, Milton
• SilverCity Newmarket Cinemas, Newmarket
• Cineplex Odeon Niagara Square Cinemas, Niagara Falls
• Cineplex Cinemas Winston Churchill & VIP, Oakville
• Cineplex Odeon Oshawa Cinemas, Oshawa
• Scotiabank Theatre Ottawa, Ottawa
• Cineplex Cinemas Ottawa, Ottawa
• Cineplex Cinemas Pickering and VIP, Pickering
• Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Toronto
• Cineplex Cinemas Mississauga, Toronto
• Cineplex Cinemas Queensway & VIP, Toronto
• Cineplex Cinemas Yonge-Eglinton and VIP, Toronto
• Cineplex Cinemas Yonge-Dundas and VIP, Toronto
• Cineplex Cinemas Yorkdale, Toronto
• Cineplex Odeon Eglinton Town Centre Cinemas, Toronto
• The Rec Room (Roundhouse), Toronto
• SilverCity Richmond Hill, Richmond Hill
• SilverCity Sudbury Cinemas, Sudbury
• Galaxy Cinemas Waterloo, Waterloo
• Playdium, Whitby
• Cineplex Cinemas Vaughan, Woodbridge

To start off, tickets will only be $5 per person and theatres will be showing mix of popular older and newer releases such as Beauty and the Beast, Jaws, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Invisible Man, Bloodshot, Sonic The Hedgehog, My Spy, Jurassic Park and Gravity and Jumanji: The Next Level.

A variety of safety measures will also be in place including reserved seating in all auditoriums, reduced capacity to allow for physical distancing, enhanced cleaning practices, debit and credit payments only, limited food options, PPE for employees, keeping VIP Cinemas and the play structures in Clubhouse auditoriums closed and readily available hand sanitizer.

In communities where it is mandated, such as Toronto, Cineplex will also be requiring customers to wear masks inside the theatre. 

"The past four months have given us a new appreciation for the importance of friends and family and the power of shared experiences with those we love," said Ellis Jacob, president and CEO of Cineplex, in a statement.

"Entertaining is what we do best, and we simply can't wait to safely welcome guests back to our theatres, The Rec Room and Playdium for some much-deserved entertainment, fun and escape."