kitestate
New Member
what amazing news i love the carlton!! whatever new form it takes in terms of cinema, i'll take it. have to assume it won't strictly be 1st run hollywood stuff all the time
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Carlton Cinema is shutting down... and opening back up again
- Thread starter barrytron3030
- Start date
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
Hopefully, none of the time!
Cast_Member
Active Member
Attracting the AMC and Cineplex crowd to the Carlton would be a big mistake for Magic Lantern, art house cinema is the only to go.
nfitz
Superstar
With 9(?) screens, surely you'll need more than one crowd. A mixture of first-run films, art-house films, and perhaps more is surely the way to go!
kettal
Banned
Magic Lantern also has great prices. This is a big win.
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
Presuming they keep the nine screens I see the Carlton for what always worked there before, foreign & independent film with a few second run films thrown in here and there which is geared towards the adult set that fits the Carlton movie-goer profile. Why break what wasn't broken?
nfitz
Superstar
Agreed!
barrytron3030
Active Member
well, the problem is that the Carlton was "broken." or perhaps i should say, poorly managed. i talked to the kids who worked there and they were surprised when anybody would show up to see a film. everytime i went there, it was nearly empty. having said that, this theatre has alot of potential. it is located right in the core, at a significant intersection. rainbow will have to do an excellent job of renovating the space and promoting it as a sexy and exciting.
in unrelated but relavant news, Quentin Tarantino saves a small LA theatre: http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=30937
Toronto has a lot of wealthy art lovers. it would be wonderful if someone stepped up saved or started another art house cinema. I'm looking at you David Cronenberg, Adam Egoyan and Sarah Polley.
in unrelated but relavant news, Quentin Tarantino saves a small LA theatre: http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=30937
Toronto has a lot of wealthy art lovers. it would be wonderful if someone stepped up saved or started another art house cinema. I'm looking at you David Cronenberg, Adam Egoyan and Sarah Polley.
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dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
Cineplex sure stripped the place, they even took the signs and marquee.
barrytron3030
Active Member
one thing that strikes me about the entrance is its lack of street presence. i think rainbow should extend the entrance to the sidewalk, make it glass heavy and light it up (like a real move lightbox). i bet that most non-cinephiles have no idea this theatre even exists. if they beautify the interior and offer even slightly lower ticket prices than their competitors, this place could do well.
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
It had great street presence until Cineplex pulled out, their east and west angled signs and lit canopy covered the stairs and a small part of the sidewalk hence my comment about stripping the signs off.
whatever
Senior Member
Yeah, the old streetfront just kind of worked. It was pulled away from the road, and offered lots of protection from the elements.
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
A sad day and a great loss for film aficionados
Click on the thumbnail to enlarge, then click again on the image for full size.
The Carlton's last evening under Cineplex, you can see that they had pretty good high profile signs here plus there was one with a Cineplex logo facing Yonge Street at the S/W corner of the building just before Toronto Hydro. Compare these to the stripped down entrance above.
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From the Downtown Yonge BIA:
Carlton's Magic Lantern reopening set for July 2
Get those tickets ready. After a $1.5-million renovation, the Carlton Cinema will reopen on July 2 as a Magic Lantern Theatre, an Edmonton-based cinema chain. All screenings will be free a few days prior to the formal opening. Prior to closing its doors last December 6, the Carlton had been, for the last three decades, the gathering place for Toronto cinephiles and one of the last remaining shoebox multiplexes to screen both mainstream and obscure local and international films. The new Magic Lantern will continue to show alternative films and will offer Tuesday film discounts.
Carlton's Magic Lantern reopening set for July 2
Get those tickets ready. After a $1.5-million renovation, the Carlton Cinema will reopen on July 2 as a Magic Lantern Theatre, an Edmonton-based cinema chain. All screenings will be free a few days prior to the formal opening. Prior to closing its doors last December 6, the Carlton had been, for the last three decades, the gathering place for Toronto cinephiles and one of the last remaining shoebox multiplexes to screen both mainstream and obscure local and international films. The new Magic Lantern will continue to show alternative films and will offer Tuesday film discounts.
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
I read in the Globe last week that when the engineers went in after Cineplex pulled out they had stripped everything out of the complex right down to the urinals and light bulbs. How ridiculous.