Three rep cinemas to close by end of June
May 18, 2006. 01:00 AM
Three longtime repertory cinema houses â€" the Revue, the Royal and the Kingsway â€" are slated to close by the end of June.
The theatres â€" part of the Festival Cinemas group â€" were owned by cinema entrepreneur Peter McQuillan, who died in October 2004.
Last night, his son Mark told the Star that he and his two siblings made the decision to close the theatres reluctantly.
“The heart and soul was my father. Since (his death), we have been trying our best to run (the business).
``But we don’t have the time, the energy and the financial wherewithal to keep it going,“ said McQuillan, noting difficult market conditions contributed to their decision.
“I feel bad if they are closing. We might get a few more customers but I don’t know what it says for the industry,” said Carmelo Bordonaro, owner of the Bloor Cinema.
“It’s a labour of love, these cinemas, believe me — a lot of hard work,“ Bordonaro said.
Bordonaro, a one-time partner with Peter McQuillan, said he was a “great guy.”
“He loved film, he loved cinemas and he really supported the film industry in a lot of ways. He was an amazing guy. I miss him all the time,” Bordonaro said.
Bordonaro said the entire movie industry is experiencing dramatic changes, with new films being downloaded from the Internet, DVDs being released in a shorter time period following a new film’s release at major theatres, and DVDs also being sold at big discounts.
All those factors and others are making it increasingly difficult for repertory theatres to compete and survive, he said.
Three rep cinemas to close by end of June
May 18, 2006. 01:00 AM
Three longtime repertory cinema houses â€" the Revue, the Royal and the Kingsway â€" are slated to close by the end of June.
The theatres â€" part of the Festival Cinemas group â€" were owned by cinema entrepreneur Peter McQuillan, who died in October 2004.
Last night, his son Mark told the Star that he and his two siblings made the decision to close the theatres reluctantly.
“The heart and soul was my father. Since (his death), we have been trying our best to run (the business).
``But we don’t have the time, the energy and the financial wherewithal to keep it going,“ said McQuillan, noting difficult market conditions contributed to their decision.
“I feel bad if they are closing. We might get a few more customers but I don’t know what it says for the industry,” said Carmelo Bordonaro, owner of the Bloor Cinema.
“It’s a labour of love, these cinemas, believe me — a lot of hard work,“ Bordonaro said.
Bordonaro, a one-time partner with Peter McQuillan, said he was a “great guy.”
“He loved film, he loved cinemas and he really supported the film industry in a lot of ways. He was an amazing guy. I miss him all the time,” Bordonaro said.
Bordonaro said the entire movie industry is experiencing dramatic changes, with new films being downloaded from the Internet, DVDs being released in a shorter time period following a new film’s release at major theatres, and DVDs also being sold at big discounts.
All those factors and others are making it increasingly difficult for repertory theatres to compete and survive, he said.