Toronto’s indie cinema scene experience is completely different from the likes of Cineplex
On a freezing November night, moviegoers packed the Revue Cinema on Roncesvalles for a members only screening of the 1974 classic “Chinatown.”
Yasmin Katz, 17, was among the first in line.
“I come here every day,” said Katz, adding that while she attends new movie releases, she’s mostly drawn to the Revue for its repertory programming.
Katz is one of many rep cinema fans in Toronto. The scene has been booming post-pandemic, with screenings of older films, ranging from the iconic to the obscure, bringing in (often younger) crowds to movie theatres around the city every day of the week. Cinemas have leaned into the momentum by creating themed nights and parties: making going to the movies feel like an event.
Serena Whitney, programming director at the Revue, said their single screen, which originally opened in 1912, had been seeing increasing attendance since its first pandemic reopening in September 2021. Numbers have only grown since.
“This January, we started noticing that people were coming every day,” said Whitney. “January is generally the month where people don’t go to the movies, because they’re recovering financially from Christmas.” October 2023 was another record-breaking month.
While the Revue continues to play occasional second-run new releases and limited runs of newer films, its success is largely due to the theatre’s eclectic and (almost) daily rep screenings.
“It’s becoming a bit trendy to go to repertory screenings because they’re more event-based than going to the multiplex,” said Whitney, suggesting that young people have also been inspired by romantic cinematic depictions of characters attending screenings at older independent theatres.
The Revue offers monthly series like the horror-centric Nightmare Alley; the neo-noir soaked Neon Dreams; and the fun and rowdy Drunken Cinema. Then there’s Dumpster Raccoon, a series featuring “trashy” cult films and live performances before each movie; in December, there’s a singalong screening of the notorious 2019 bomb “Cats.”
Kristal Cooper, general manager at the Fox Theatre — a fixture of the Beaches neighbourhood since 1914 — said that attendance at the Fox has also recently risen above pre-pandemic levels, particularly among younger moviegoers.
“We’ve noticed more high school students coming out to things like horror movies where, before, that would have been mainly geared toward (an) older genre audience,” said Cooper.
Lately, the Fox has been aiming even younger by programming what Cooper describes as “hugely successful” special events, like their Kids’ Video Dance Party, complete with glow sticks.
The Paradise Theatre on Bloor Street West has also prioritized event programming and monthly series like Drag Me to the Movies and Queer Cinema Club, along with the live music and comedy shows that keep the multi-use venue going.
Lucy Walker, internal lead programmer at the Paradise, said she uses the theatre’s storied — and sometimes sordid — history to guide her. Built in 1937 in a beautiful, art deco style, the cinema has gone through many iterations.
“In the ’70s, the Paradise was Eve’s Paradise, an adult movie theatre,” said Walker. The theatre created a Sleaze Factory series in tribute. “It’s basically X-rated, soft-core, however you want to describe that mix of movies that we play late night.”
For moviegoer Maddie Shears, 31, it’s the variety that draws her out to the city’s rep programming, including old horror films and events like the Revue’s Trailer Trash, which screens classic movie trailers.
“It’s a different experience than, like, Cineplex,” said Shears.
TIFF Cinematheque at the TIFF Bell Lightbox is another important fixture in the city’s rep cinema scene. It offers free tickets for members and — new in 2022 — free membership for people under 25, which makes its curated series and retrospectives even more accessible.
Cinematheque regular Jenny Mao, 29, said the free ticket offer and the chance to see classics on the big screen have been a boon to her cinephilia.
“Making the commitment to come to the theatre, I think it’s really been beneficial in how I approach film and how I engage with film,” said Mao.
“The Cinematheque audience is younger than I think it ever was,” said Cameron Bailey, CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival. “And they’re really eager to see, not just new art-house classics, but they’re eating up the older films as well. We can show films (that are) 30, 40, 50, 60 years old to an audience that’s largely under 30. And that, to me, is maybe the most inspiring thing of all.”
David Cuevas, 21, another regular at TIFF and the Revue, hops on the train multiple times a week from Oakville just to take in Toronto’s rep offerings. He described the “adrenalin rush” of getting to see old films and talk about them with other frequent moviegoers.
“There’s culture here,” said Cuevas. “There is intent and passion and community here that I really appreciate.”
For most fans of rep cinema, it’s the experience that gets them out of the house and into the movie theatre.
“They’re doing something that I can’t get anywhere else,” said Steve Gold, 41, about the Revue. “They ran ‘Dracula’ for two nights and sold the place out two nights in a row. I couldn’t get a ticket. But ‘Dracula’ was on Netflix. People are coming for an experience that you can’t get at home.”
This article was reported by The Star
