The Revue Cinema is a cinema in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Built between late-1911 and early-1912, it is a designated 'heritage' site and is Toronto's oldest standing movie theatre in use for showing movies. When news of its closure became public, a grass-roots community movement sprang up in order to save the cinema. After a great deal of effort, the movement was ultimately successful and the Revue reopened in October 2007. It is now operated by the not-for-profit Revue Film Society.
History
The Art DecoEdwardian cinema was built between 1911 and 1912 by the Suburban Amusement Company.[1] At the time, Roncesvalles Avenue was on the suburban western edge of the City of Toronto. The area was being developed intensively and the local population was increasing. The cinema was successful and operated as a first-run theatre from its opening date until 1972 when it became a repertory cinema.[1]
In the 1980s, the Revue became part of the Festival Theatres chain of repertory cinemas in Toronto, which also included the Fox, Royal and Kingsway theatres. In 2004, the Festival Theatres founder died, and in April 2006, the founder's family announced their intentions to close all of the theatres except the Fox. The family found it financially impossible to continue due to the rise of DVDs and the shorter period of public exhibition of films available to repertory cinemas. The last show of the Festival era was on June 30, 2006, showing Lawrence of Arabia.
When news of the Revue's closure became public, a grass-roots community movement sprang up in order to save the cinema. The movement founded the Revue Film Society to explore ways to re-open the cinema for film showing. The building's owners put the building up for sale, with the intent to sell to new owners prepared to re-open the cinema.
While the theatre was shut, the marquee, known for its tendency to hold water and snow, collapsed on February 19, 2007, most likely due to the weight of a recent snowfall. Portions of the marquee were placed in storage for eventual restoration.[1]
The movement to save the cinema was ultimately successful. On June 12, 2007, a press conference was held in front of the Revue Cinema, announcing the purchase of the Revue by local residents Danny and Letty Mullin. The Mullins lease the Revue building to the Revue Film Society to operate. The cinema re-opened on October 4, 2007, with a screening of Some Like It Hot.
The lease was set to expire on June 30, 2024, and Danny Mullin did not extend it. There have been disagreements with him and the board over the way the theatre is managed and maintained. The Mullins believe that the operation of the theatre should be a for-profit initiative, instead of a non-profit. They also want the board to have exterior maintenance done, an ongoing sore point between the Mullins and the board. The board sought an emergency court injunction to get the lease extended,[2][3] which was granted on June 28, 2024. The Revue Film Society said the theatre will continue to operate normally until further notice.[4][5] Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro called on Toronto mayor Olivia Chow to help save the theatre.[6] In September 2024, Grant Oyston, the Revue Film Society Chair, told CP24 that a five-year lease agreement with the Mullins was signed by his group.[7]
del Toro, a part-time Toronto resident who has called himself a passionate fan of the venue, subsequently announced a special fundraising screening of his 2015 film Crimson Peak at the Revue on October 3, 2024, to help fund renovation efforts.[8]
At the Toronto Film Critics Association Awards 2024, the Revue Film Society were awarded a Special Citation for their efforts throughout the year to protect and save the venue.
Heritage designation
The property was designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act in 2009. The designation reads in part: "The cultural heritage value of the Revue Theatre is related to the building's design or physical value as a representative example of a World War I era theatre with features of Edwardian Classicism. The style developed after 1900 and represented a return to restrained Classical detailing that was popular for all building types during the subsequent decades."[9]
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Revue Cinema.
