The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) plays over 200 films across 18 theaters for eleven days. Such dizzying variety provides countless options for film lovers, but unless you happen to be a high-tier TIFF member or are otherwise very lucky, there’s a strong chance at least one from your wishlist is “off sale,” meaning there aren’t any tickets currently available.
But don’t give up; there’s a chance you’ll be able to get tickets later for that movie mid-festival, even on the day of the screening. If you check periodically on Ticketmaster, new inventory can free up alongside reasonably priced resale tickets. Alternatively, you can try rushing a screening, queueing up at a special rush line for a chance to buy tickets based on any remaining empty seats in the cinema around showtime.
As someone who’s attended TIFF for multiple years, I’ve had a reasonably decent success rate acquiring tickets through rushing and last minute Ticketmaster buys. Both methods form the majority of what I watch at TIFF each year. Certain strategies can dramatically increase your odds of success.
I go into a lot more depth on the how and why later, but to summarize key items to remember upfront:
Always approach last minute TIFF tickets with realistic expectations. You rarely get any discounts, and when you rush, you’re potentially giving up hours of your time queuing outdoors, with no guarantee you’ll get a ticket. You’ll also have little to no say on your seat selection, which means you may get some of the worst options in the theater (e.g., front row, back balcony). So, have focused criteria on the movies you are still pursuing mid-festival.
And be it via Ticketmaster or the rush line, last minute tickets follow trends, but exceptions are commonplace. “Impossible” premieres suddenly open up for a large block of new sales or unexpectedly let in huge numbers from the rush line. An obscure indie movie somehow remains off sale for weeks through the screening.
That’s why it’s essential to stay flexible and not have your mind set on just one movie but multiple, ideally spread across different showtimes in the festival.
Stick only with Ticketmaster; through extra ticket inventory that’s made public, verified resale tickets, or a legitimate app transfer with a friend or other source you can verify. Avoid other resale sites where prices can be grossly inflated, and scams can happen.
Regarding resale pricing, avoid prices significantly above face value. Days before the festival begins, pricing can be outrageous – five times the face value or more – because sellers prey on an audience that doesn’t have the patience to wait. You’ll almost always benefit by waiting on resales closer to the screening date; historically, more tickets pop up, often at lower prices, when sellers have less time to secure a sale.
Check Ticketmaster in the mornings, generally from 7 to 8 am ET, because this is a typical window a film’s producers or distributors release inventory held initially back to the general public. On a small theater, it might be just one or two tickets, while on one of the largest, 1200 plus seat venues it might mean entire block of fifty or more seats. The closer you get to the screening, especially on the event day, the greater the chance that a new block of tickets will get released. As you get closer to a screening date, schedules lock down, and film producers get a better sense of VIPs and other staff attending.
Of course, be ready to buy as fast as possible without hesitation. That means staying signed in with payment prepared on the Ticketmaster app or website and buying without guessing if that screening or seat still works for you. For a popular screening, many others may be itching to make the same move as you. A few seconds of delay can easily make the difference in getting a seat, especially if there’s more than one you’d prefer.
I’d recommend getting into a rush line at least one hour before showtime, with two hours being a good “sweet spot” to maximize your chances. However, that blanket recommendation is just a starting point; your timing (or whether you bother to try at all) should shift based on supply and demand.
Rush supply derives from the empty seats in a theater left around showtime, a mix of excess seats originally held back by a film’s producer, distributor, or another group, alongside a small percentage of sold tickets left vacant by those who don’t show up in time for their screening. Demand depends on how many show up in the rush line and how early. Naturally, for screenings with lower demand and higher supply, you generally can cut down your rush time accordingly (though I’d advise against cutting it ever below an hour), while those with high demand and lower supply benefit from a higher wait time, sometimes three or more hours. For especially in demand screenings, it may not be worth showing up.
When possible, prioritize the three largest TIFF theaters for rushing (Princess of Wales Theatre, Royal Alexandra Theatre, Roy Thomson Hall.) The rush supply tends to work in your favor because each of the theaters is, on average, four or five times larger than other TIFF screening locations (1200 to over 1700 seats versus the 200 to 400 screen average at Scotiabank or Lightbox). They often have the highest number of seats held back for film producers and others released at the last minute. Also, playing statistical averages, the bigger the cinema, the greater the number of public no-shows. If 3% of the ticket-carrying public at Scotiabank 14 miss their screening, with around 300 total occupancy, that leaves nine rush seats. That same percentage at Princess of Wales, with around 1700, leaves 51.
Also, because everyone in a rush line at the big three venues is in line for the same movie, you can more easily ballpark your chances. Combined lines at Scotiabank and Lightbox are more complicated (more on that below.)
Demand generally drops later in the festival and during weekday mornings and afternoons. By the first Monday or Tuesday of the festival, a large swath of big name actors and directors have already walked the red carpet, and most of the biggest premieres are over. Consequently, many press and visitors from out of town leave Toronto, cutting down on potential competition in the rush line. Screenings during weekday mornings and afternoons can also be challenging for locals in the area who work traditional hours, doubly for rush time, given queuing doesn’t guarantee entry.
Demand tends to be lower for movies with less general audience interest. Movies without any recognizable cast or crew, especially those outside the Gala and Special Presentation categories, or films with offbeat, unorthodox, and challenging genres or storylines will attract less of a mainstream, general audience to the rush line.
Scotiabank Theatre and TIFF Lightbox each have a special combined rush line outside their venues, which can work heavily for or against your chances. If you’re interested in rushing any screening in the building, you get in a single line. TIFF staff will generally come by to ask what movie you are in line for so they can keep track of a running count of interest. Once TIFF staff call to bring a select number of people from the rush line into a screening, they’ll walk from the front, reconfirming if individuals are interested in that screening. Staff give those interested a colored token or mini ticket associated with the screening, and they head into the venue to buy their rush ticket. Those who pass on that rush opportunity keep their place and can stay in line for future rushes in the same venue.
The best case scenario for a combined line is when there are multiple movies you’re interested in rushing, all playing at the same venue around the same time. This significantly increases your odds, because you’re technically no longer rushing for just one theater, but now multiple, without expanding a significantly higher investment in your rush line wait. If you miss your first showtime, wait a few more minutes for the next.
However, a combined line tends to hurt your chances when there is any screening of high general interest within an hour or so of yours. If the popular screening plays before what you’re after, those who get shut out may decide to just stay in line and rush yours, and many of them may be ahead of you. Conversely, if the screening plays after yours, those ahead of you in line might get antsy about waiting for their first choice and take yours as a backup. When in doubt, add more time in rush as a buffer in these overlapping scenarios to increase your odds.
To better illustrate rushing logic, let’s review three movies from this year’s slate with different perceived rush difficulties.
While the cast is fairly anonymous, Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or winner is one of the most buzzed about movies in the awards season. It also has a genre blend of comedy, romance, and drama that will likely attract a huge audience at TIFF. It only plays twice early over the prime first weekend, once in a large theater (Royal Alexandra) and a day after at a typical Scotiabank screen seating under 400, both at widely accessible times (8 pm, 8:30 pm).
Rush difficulty: very high thanks to low seat supply, sparse screenings available, and off-the-charts demand.
Director Hong Sangsoo has his admirers with his minimalist ensemble dramas, but he’s primarily built his reputation among the festival and art house crowd, not the general public. However, he rarely makes movies that become awards sensations like some other selections in the Centerpiece category (e.g., The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Cloud). Overall, I’d rate the movie’s appeal as a “medium” by TIFF standards; not a buzzy, star-filled Gala selection, nor a first time low budget director in Discovery. By the Stream plays three times during the back half of the festival in small theaters at midday.
Rush difficulty: low, mostly due to softer demand and screenings late in the festival and midday.
On one hand, this is a Platform selection with a cult director (Nacho Vigalondo) and what feels like a screenplay taking creative risks. On the other hand, it stars a fairly recognizable Henry Golding, and its three showtimes are widely accessible and trend early (two of the three over the first weekend). The first world premiere screening plays at Royal Alexandra, the latter two in smaller theaters.
Rush difficulty: medium, given hard to gauge audience demand. However, with the much higher supply of seats, the Royal may give the best chances.
Regardless of your success rate at last minute TIFF tickets, don’t forget you’re there to have fun. If you strike out at the rush line and the resale prices stay sky high, double check the schedule on what’s left afterward. There are so many good movies at TIFF there’s almost inevitably a gem of an option remaining, even over the last weekend. Stay flexible, and good luck.