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Toronto’s Movie Houses An Endangered Species

By Ron Nurwisah, Boy Reporter

2006_5_18royal.jpgTorontoist heard through the grapevine that three Festival Cinemas were going to be closing down. The rumour was confirmed by the Star this morning. The Fox, the Royal and the Revue will be closed by June according to their story. With the Uptown being torn down and the fate of the Metro up in the air Toronto’s old-time movie houses are more threatened than a baby seal in Newfoundland. (too soon?)
We agree that it must be hard now to run a repertory movie house, especially in a city with great independent video stores and DVDs cheaper and easier to get a hold. Nonetheless Torontoist worries about the effect closing down all of these theatres will have on the city’s many small film festivals. The Royal in particular is popular among many fests. Torontoist chatted with Deanna Wong of the Reel Asian Film Fest and she points out that losing all of these independent theatres will make it harder on fests looking to book cheaper, large venues.
There’s also the loss of a part of neighbourhood history. Movie houses like the Royal were important entertainment venues for the neighbourhoods they’re located in and many were built pre-WWII and are great examples of the architectural styles of that period. Sometimes a neighbourhood gets lucky and these theatres, like the Danforth Music Hall and the Eglinton are converted to live venues. Others though, like the beloved Uptown, met ignoble ends. Let’s hope that something can be done to save these theatres.

Comments

  • http://www.torontoist.com mathew

    I agree. Something must be done, at least to save the Royal. With only the Bloor left, which is a huge venue, it’s going to be too hard for smaller festivals, or say, Colin’s Kung Fu Fridays to run, and they’re almost certainly all going to die. It fucking sucks and has ruined my day, it seriously has.

  • Danielle

    No! no, no, no, no, no! The Royal was one of the reason I moved where I did! What can be done?

  • Jameso

    The Fox anchors about the only section of the Beach where you can avoid the worst of the yuppies and the summer crowds. Man, would I be sorry to see it go.

  • Clide Roskwell

    Rep theatres need a new business model, perhaps you should get your friends together and try to make one profitable again. Look at new ideas like this:
    http://www.cooltownstudios.com/mt/archives/000767.html

  • Gary

    It’s not the Fox that’s closing, it’s the Kingsway according to the Star article.

  • Liffe the Sleeper

    What a drag. I always assumed the Royal did brisk business given its location and proclivity to host festivals. Hopefully some wealthy entrepreneur steps up and saves the place.

  • Oat Globe

    Every time I fall back in love with this city, it rips out my guts.

  • Michael

    In my former life as a Biology student, I was always impressed with The Bookshelf in Guelph, ON. It was a rep cinema, coffee house, bar, poolhall, dance club and bookstore all in one. Anyone been there? That’s a business model that seemed to work. It might be specific to a University town, but as you’ve all heard the saying….
    If you can make it in Guelph, you can make it ANYWHERE.

  • http://emiline.livejournal.com emily

    Michael, The Bookshelf is one of my favourite places in Guelph. I keep looking for its twin in Toronto but I haven’t quite been able to replace it.
    That’s really too bad about the rep cinemas. I hope something can be done to save them.

  • rek

    This sucks! I live just around the corner from The Royal, I stopped going to Famous Players because the Royal was such a better deal, had movies the big places weren’t carrying, and didn’t carry a lot of the crap.

  • http://torontoist.com sarahL

    i love the royal. don’t want to lose hope yet. the star article doesn’t say what the present owners are planning on doing with them? what, i wonder.

  • Betty

    Damn! The Royal and Revue are both gems. I am quite upset to hear this.

  • http://www.newmindspace.com kevin bracken

    > great independent video stores
    i think that’s because you can’t own an independent liquor store ;)

  • Palmerston

    This is totally devistaing news.

  • mike

    This blows!
    Toronto is losing it’s soul!
    Soon Multi-plexes, Parking Lots, Walmarts and Condos will be the only thing left…
    Aren’t these theatres considered to be landmarks of some kind???

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/dstopping David

    This reminds me of a long time ago – like a decade – when the Runnymede theatre closed down and was replaced with a Chapters, and the theatre just down the street at Jane and Bloor closed a few years later. That sucked – I stopped going to the movies – and this sucks.
    Dose, Movie Theatres…what’s next, are babies banned from Toronto now? Surely, we cannot ban babies!

  • http://www.torontoafterdark.com Adam Lopez

    As someone about to launch a new film festival in this city (www.torontoafterdark.com) , and a big fan of alternative and second run film going, this is absolutely devastating news. If you read the linked Toronto Star article, the owners talk of not having enough time to dedicate to the theatres as is needed. That’s just awful. If they had announced that they needed help – serious help – with marketing, funding, sponsorship – you name it, Toronto’s alt film crowd would have been there to help. At least the Royal, a real gem in the Festival Cinemas crown, could have, SHOULD have been saved. Fans would have rallied around that one. Aurevoir festival cinemas, you will be missed. If there’s talk of this happening to the Bloor, I’ll be out there with an ARMY to stop it. Just say the word…

  • justto

    I too strongly believe Royal is very important for little italy, as well for the film and culture communities. Royal has served as anchor for the area. Without it, I feel the area will loose some soul and begin to go downhill.
    Someone with money and vision. Please rescue Royal, et al.

  • Dion Conflict

    Toronto can kiss goodbye any unique theatrical programming, edgier films, and smaller film festivals. When FESTIVAL closes its doors you will see the whole landmark of cinema change in Toronto, and it won’t be for the better, replicating towns with many cinemaplexes such as Aurora, or, wherever.
    Having shown cult films at the Royal for a decade, it’s been very sad news.

  • Oat Globe

    Aurora has only one multiplex and it’s been in the town for less than a year.

  • shari k.

    wanna buy it?
    …you can only buy it if you plan on keeping it as a rep theatre for films (must include kung fu fridays)
    http://www.xlretail.com/view_listing.cfm?id=38

  • rek

    What can we do to save the Royal? I’m going to see Cache tonight or tomorrow, I was planning on it anyway, and V For Vendetta next weekend. Can we get the word out, try to fill the house at least one night?
    They have to listen to money, right? Isn’t that how it works?

  • http://www.torontoafterdark.com Adam Lopez

    Jeezus Christ… two and a half weeks for Toronto’s film fans to raise $2.7 million in capital to buy the Royal. Why the heck didn’t the owners try and give more notice this was coming? Rather than just pull the plug, giving no time for the alternative film community to help. My background’s in marketing, and I’ve done some fundraising in the past too. There’s other film fans like me I’m sure with useful backgrounds who could have pulled together: either to promote the theatre’s programming better, or to buy it outright, set it up as a chartitable trust /historical landmark etc. Sadly 2.5 weeks gives little time for a grassroots campaign : any film fans with deep pockets, please we will be indebted to you if you go for it and save this landmark.

  • http://www.somnambulant.net Wes Hodgson

    noooooo! This is AWFUL!
    I sincerely hope that this turns out to be a blessing in disguise. Someone in Toronto has to have the same idea as the one Clide referred to above and have the means to open something along the lines of the Alamo Drafthouse.
    Here’s to trying to stay positive.

  • http://www.torontoafterdark.com Adam Lopez

    Wes, I actually went to Austin’s fabled Alamo Drafthouse last October, as research for our own festival launch this October. The bar/restaurant/theatre model was nothing short of genius. It means that even with reduced seating (so wait staff can spoil you rotten – in silence I might add) while you watch alternative movies, the theatre makes money. I met the founder Tim League of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, which Quentin Tarantino frequents by the way, and joked with them about the idea of bringing the concep up to Toronto.
    They actually were up for the idea. It still means a lot of retrofitting though and cash injection. The Bloor for example, would lose upto half its seating, to make way for the tables and wait staff passage needed, and a kitchen and beer on tap would need to be installed somewhere. Yes it would be messy and expensive to start with, but it would GUARANTEE profitabilty even at screenings of VERY alt programming with just 50 people there -which is what the Alamo does really well. Because the additional bar/food revenue made DURING screenings would pay for it.

  • http://tragicrighthip.blogspot.com ragdoll

    My heart is heavy with this news. Just a few months ago my husband’s band, The Fembots, played a once in a lifetime-type show there celebrating what else then this city of Toronto. And now, even more parts of the city we love are disappearing. All I can say is that they’d better not make it into a damn condo.