Cinema Imperial
1432 Rue de Bleury,
Montreal,
QC
H3A 2J1
1432 Rue de Bleury,
Montreal,
QC
H3A 2J1
7 people
favorited this theater
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Cinema Imperial, Montreal (Official)
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Consolidated Theatres, Famous Players, RKO, United Theatres
Architects: Albert E. Westover
Functions: Concerts, Movies, Special Events
Styles: Italian Renaissance
Previous Names: Imperial Theatre, Cine Centre I & II, Cinema X
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
514.848.7187
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Apr 1, 2013 — "2001: A Space Odyssey" 45th Anniversary – The Cinerama Engagements
- Dec 5, 2008 — Remembering Cinerama (Part 14: Montreal)
- Mar 15, 2004 — Montreal's Imperial Cinema Under Restoration
The Imperial Theatre opened on April 26, 1913 in downtown Montreal, Quebec. It had a seating capacity of 2,300.
In 1934, the Imperial Theatre was rented to Leo Ernest Ouimet and in 1936, RKO Radio Pictures sold the movie house to Consolidated Theatres.
In 1950, the Imperial Theatre was first renovated and was altered again for Cinerama in 1954.
In 1970, it was sold to Cinema International and was renamed the Cine Centre in 1974. The theatre was twinned in 1975 and was renamed the Imperial Theatre in 1976.
In 1980, United Theatres (part of Famous Players) repurchased the Imperial and it was restored and reopened in 1981.
In 1986, the Imperial Theatre became the first cinema in Quebec to receive THX certification. It was donated to the Montreal Film Festival in 1995 by Famous Players.
The Cinema Imperial currently seats 819, and is still a true “Cinema Treasure”.
Contributed by
Chad Irish
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Recent comments (view all 17 comments)
Le 10 Octobre, 1975 l'une des salles de cinéma a poursuivi sa politique des adultes comme Eden. Sa grande ouverture journal annonce peut être trouvée dans la section de photo pour ce cinéma. L'Eden n'a pas duré longtemps
On October 10th, 1975 one of the cinemas continued its adult policy as Eden. Its grand opening newspaper ad can be found in the photo section for this cinema. The Eden did not last long.
Pop up in the France-Film listings as Cinéma X on March 4th, 1977. did not last long.
France-Film takes it over on June 18th, 1932.
Imperial under France-Film control Sat, Jun 18, 1932 – 6 · The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) · Newspapers.com
A larger ad from La Presse is also posted.
Hydro cuts power to the Imperial
Hydro-Quebec cuts power to the Imperial. Wed, Jul 26, 2017 – A9 · The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) · Newspapers.com
A chronology of Montreal’s 70mm presentation history, has recently been published. The Imperial gets several mentions in the piece.
MSC77, the Cinerama travelogs were not on the list.
rivest266: The travelogues do not belong on the list. The travelogues were made in 3-panel Cinerama which is not the subject of my article. The subject of the article is 70mm.
OK.
1981 reopening from Famous News on Page 13.
CTV News Montreal just reported The Imperial is facing permanent closure in January 2024, due to lack of funding.
If this 110 year old theatre should close, I’d be concerned about it succumbing to the same fate as so many other historical theaters in Montreal. Recent demolition examples being the Snowdon, Loews or Empress, all for the sake of condos.
https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/montreal-s-iconic-imperial-cinema-in-jeopardy-of-closing-next-year-1.6683298