Movie Theatres in Toronto - Old and New

[dt_toronto_geek]

The Bloor Cinema, now the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, offered a media preview two weeks ahead of it's scheduled re-opening and it looks absolutely stunning! I don't understand the need or desire to have the lobby open to the auditorium, that will cause no end of grief if they run matinees and for evening screenings in the summer when it's still bright outside not to mention noise carrying from the lobby, BAD idea. At best, it should be a movable partition or collapsing wall. I can't wait to see it in person and enjoy their programming http://www.blogto.com/film/2012/02/inside_the_new_bloor_hot_docs_cinema/

 

[Tulse]

I don't quite understand the documentary emphasis -- are people really more likely to go see first-run documentary than second-run general release hits?

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

I don't think it's going to work, I'll bet by the end of the first year they'll also be playing alternative/foreign & second run films along with docs. to help fill the seats. I do hope that they succeed though, this is the best renovation that the Bloor has had in at least half a century.
I still wish that the Eve cinema (aka King George/Baronet/Alhambra) across the street from Honest Ed's on Bloor had have survived the wrecking ball over The Bloor. It was a larger 1100 seat cinema, was considerably wider offering a much larger screen, it had great "bones" - relatively untouched ornamental plaster ceiling and wall designs, two balconies and large lower & upper lobby areas.

The Alhambra 1947 -



The Alhambra interior 1950 (it was wider than this photo appears & the balcony side boxes had been removed when I worked there in the early 80's) -



The Alhambra 1960 -



Changed to adult programming in the early 1970's, it was renamed "The Eve" and ran until the mid-1980's when it closed, and was demolished (incidentally, the Bloor Cinema was The Eve's sister cinema which ran the same programming but was named "The Eden" until it went legit again in 1980) -



The property was rebuilt in the late 1980's and today is a Rovers restaurant (was a Swiss Chalet for a long time until a few years ago) and ReMax office upstairs.

 

[waltthizzney]

i dont think i can ever step foot in another scotia theater again... after paying 15 dollars for a ticket, I had to sit through a ton of ads(no trivia) then "interactive ads" god help me, then only 1 preview then the movie....... this is why i usually go to carleton

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

I saw those interactive ads when I was last at Scotiabank in early December, first time I had seen them. You have to download an app for your smart phone and aim it at the screen and swing it around and such. So much for discouraging the use of cell phones inside an auditorium! I'd rather see a trailer like this before the movie starts as cell phones are a major distraction when trying to watch a movie (coarse language, don't open it if your offended by that) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L3eeC2lJZs

 

[Cast_Member]

Yeah, those Time Play ads at the Scotiabank. The boss of Time Play is the same person who founded Playdium; the same company that supplies Cineplex with arcade games.

 

[GKW]

I used to love seeing movies at The Imperial Six on Yonge St when I was a kid...does anyone else remember The Palace at Pape and Danforth in the early 80's?

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

I used to love seeing movies at The Imperial Six on Yonge St when I was a kid...does anyone else remember The Palace at Pape and Danforth in the early 80's?

Of course! It was a big single cinema built in the 1920's then eventually relegated to being a bingo hall (same as the Runnymede cinema) on & off through the 70's & early 80's. Then around 1982-3 it was badly chopped up into two tiny cinemas and one big one before the wrecking ball took it down in 1987-8. I saw my absolute favorate film of the 1980's there, "Streets of Fire" just because I wanted to see what it looked like inside. I went back and saw it a few more times but at the better sounding Uptown 1 in 70MM (it was 70MM at the Palace too but the sound wasn't the greatest and the screen was somewhat small for the day).

Palace, 1947

I practically lived at the Imperial Six on weekends from the mid 70's to early 80's, I liked the films that they played there.

1973 -

Yonge Street front, there was also a box office on Victoria Street, usually only open on weekends. This photo is also significant in that it shows Yonge Street closed during the summer to pedestrian traffic only, pre-Eaton Centre.

Yonge Street lobby entrance (turn your monitor brightness down, the colours are bright!)

Lower lobby - cinemas #5 & #6 + exits (originally the orchestra section chopped in half)

Cinema #1

The Victoria Street box office and cinema exits

 

[Ice_Burn]

I don't quite understand the documentary emphasis -- are people really more likely to go see first-run documentary than second-run general release hits?

It's definitely a niche product, but it's unique enough that I think it could do well. There's lots of opportunities to do concurrent programs with school groups and for lectures along with the docs like Lightbox often does with their films. One assumes that Hot Docs has done the numbers on this and has seen enough potential revenue to keep it going. Better than the monthly 'Pink Floyd/Wizard of Oz' screenings that have gotten very stale, anyhow. The Underground Cinema kind of ate their lunch in terms of more cult programming, and Lightbox has the indie stuff locked down.

 

[canmark]

It's definitely a niche product, but it's unique enough that I think it could do well. There's lots of opportunities to do concurrent programs with school groups and for lectures along with the docs like Lightbox often does with their films. One assumes that Hot Docs has done the numbers on this and has seen enough potential revenue to keep it going. Better than the monthly 'Pink Floyd/Wizard of Oz' screenings that have gotten very stale, anyhow. The Underground Cinema kind of ate their lunch in terms of more cult programming, and Lightbox has the indie stuff locked down.

I initially worried about the Bloor's ability to support an all-documentary format, but then if you consider all the documentaries that are playing right now at various theatres around town, it's quite a lot.

Bloor Hot Docs Cinema: Being Elmo: A Puppeteers Journey, Roger Corman: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel

TIFF Bell Lightbox: Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Pina, The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye
Varsity Cineplex: Payback
Carlton: Undefeated
Projection Booth: Pink Ribbons, Inc.

 

[Ice_Burn]

I initially worried about the Bloor's ability to support an all-documentary format, but then if you consider all the documentaries that are playing right now at various theatres around town, it's quite a lot.

Bloor Hot Docs Cinema: Being Elmo: A Puppeteers Journey, Roger Corman: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel

TIFF Bell Lightbox: Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Pina, The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye
Varsity Cineplex: Payback
Carlton: Undefeated
Projection Booth: Pink Ribbons, Inc.

It's true. Lightbox, especially, has been doing really well with documentaries. Werner Herzog's 'Into The Abyss' had a good run there as well the absolutely riveting Cave of Forgotten Dreams which was one of their most successful runs to date.

I'd love to see Bloor do some runs of older docs - especially some of the most stunning ones like Dark Days (which is, to me, the high water mark of documentaries)

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Documentaries are my favorate film genre and they have come such a long way in the last 20 or so years, there are so much talent out there making docs. on important and interesting subjects. I look forward to spending more time at the Bloor!

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

I unknowingly started my career in movie theatres here back in 1981 as an usher, so many good memories and great friends made. I always sort of dream that a brave, enterprising group will pick the place up and re-open it as a cinema like it should be once the Eglinton subway or LRT is completed. The last film I saw there was Titanic, first show opening day. Magical. Fun fact: the same company in England that supplied many of the fabrics for the Titanic also supplied the custom designed wall fabrics at the Eglinton which are still there today.

http://torontoist.com/2012/03/placemaking-the-eglinton-theatre/

 

[Cast_Member]

Empire Theatres is planning to open a digital Imax at their Empress Walk location next month.

thechronicleherald.ca/business/81030-empire-takes-imax-screen-toronto-area

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Just about every third ad for a movie that I see on TV is in Real D 3D and IMAX 3D, we can use more of these faux IMAX screens in Toronto to play all these films. I'm surprised AMC & Scotiabank (downtown) haven't each added a 2nd digital IMAX at their complexes.