What to know
- Film critic Scott Menzel says TIFF feels noticeably different after 17 years of attending.
- Some festivalgoers are pointing to higher ticket prices and changes in the fan experience.
- Ticket affordability has already emerged as a wider issue around TIFF 2026.
- TIFF has also launched its first official industry market this year, bringing thousands of delegates to Toronto.
- The reaction isn’t universal — major premieres are still drawing large fan crowds.
Something feels different at TIFF this year — at least according to one longtime festival regular.
Los Angeles-based film critic and entertainment journalist Scott Menzel, who says he has attended the Toronto International Film Festival for 17 years, took to X this weekend to say the 2026 edition isn’t quite hitting the same.
I’ve been coming to TIFF for 17 years and this is the first year that I’ve attended where the vibe just feels entirely off. I can’t pinpoint what it is but something is definitely off.
— Scott Menzel (@ScottDMenzel) September 12, 2026
“I’ve been coming to TIFF for 17 years, and this is the first year that I’ve attended where the vibe just feels entirely off. I can’t pinpoint what it is, but something is definitely off,” the post reads.
And he wasn’t the only one feeling it.
‘Tickets cost too much’
Several people responding to Menzel pointed first to cost.
“Tickets cost too much, public is staying away,” one X user commented.
That complaint isn’t limited to the replies.
Ahead of TIFF’s opening, festivalgoers told The Canadian Press that some premium screening prices had climbed sharply compared with previous years. One attendee said a comparable premiere that cost about $50 in 2022 had balcony seats selling for as much as $106 this year.
Regular TIFF screenings start around $30, while premium screenings begin at $46, with prices varying by event and seat.
Global News also reported before the festival that ticket costs were making some moviegoers reconsider how much they planned to attend.
Has TIFF become more industry-focused?
Others responding to Menzel argued the festival has slowly shifted away from its reputation as a so-called “people’s festival.”
“I’ve been coming to TIFF for 30+ years, and the vibe’s been off for a while now, Scott,” one user wrote.
“TIFF used to manage the balance between being a people’s festival and a business one very well. That balance has shifted dramatically to the latter years now.”
That is ultimately one attendee’s view, but TIFF has undergone a significant industry expansion this year.
The festival has launched the inaugural TIFF: The Market, a formal film and television marketplace running alongside the public festival at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Around 6,000 industry participants, including hundreds of buyers and exhibitors, were expected to attend.
At the same time, TIFF says it is also trying to broaden its public audience. Chief programming officer Anita Lee told Reuters this year’s lineup was designed in part to reach younger, more globally minded moviegoers through independent and international films.
Reserved seating also gets some blame
Some of the frustration is more practical.
“I HATE RESERVED SEATING!!!!” one person wrote in response to Menzel.
Another attendee said they had made TIFF an annual trip for six years but “never felt welcome” as someone attending without industry credentials.
Similar discussions have popped up among TIFF regulars this weekend, including complaints about empty prime seats, rush lines and how reserved seating is managed. But those comments remain anecdotal, and there’s no evidence that reserved seating itself is responsible for any broader change in the festival’s atmosphere.
And not everyone agrees that TIFF has lost its energy.
The festival is still drawing big crowds and fan frenzies. BLACKPINK’s Lisa, for example, was met by screaming fans at the premiere of her documentary Always Lalisa on Saturday.
So maybe TIFF’s vibe isn’t gone so much as changing.
With higher ticket prices, a bigger industry presence and a festival trying to serve everyone from international buyers to fans waiting along the red carpet, longtime attendees are noticing the difference — even if they can’t all agree on what exactly has changed.
