Apollo Cinema

The Hyland Theatre was opened by Odeon Theatres around 1974 in the basement of the Ontario Tower office building on Ontario Street North in downtown Kitchener. It originally had 682 seats in its single auditorium at its opening.

Cineplex Odeon took over management of the Hyland Theatre in 1984, then closed it in 1998. It was later reopened for a few months in 2001 as the Kitchener-Waterloo International Cinema, which showed art films and was only open on weekends. It later became a mixed-use venue called the L Lounge, the Gig Theatre and then the Chrysalids Theatre, which hosted live concerts and occasional movies.

The theatre space reopened exclusively for movies as the Apollo Cinema on January 30, 2015, with its seating capacity reduced to 308. The Apollo Cinema screens first-run, classic, art and cult movies and is also the Kitchener-Waterloo region’s only cinema which is licenced to serve liquor.

Recent comments (view all 2 comments)

ScreenClassic on September 3, 2015 at 8:13 am

The Apollo Cinema website is listed here:

Apollo Cinema

rivest266 on November 17, 2023 at 2:33 am

The Hyland theatre was opened in the Corporation Square Complex by Odeon theatres on April 1st, 1971 and closed on November 17th, 1998. It reopened on weekends in 2001 by 16-year old Ethan Rotberg as the Kitchener-Waterloo International Cinema. It reopened as the Apollo Cinema on January 30th, 2015.

Articles of interest: Odeon Hyland opening 01 Apr 1971, Thu Waterloo Region Record (Kitchener, Ontario, Canada) Newspapers.com

and

Kitchener-Waterloo International Cinema 11 Aug 2001, Sat Nanaimo Daily News (Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada) Newspapers.com

and Apollo Cinema opening 31 Jan 2015, Sat Waterloo Region Record (Kitchener, Ontario, Canada) Newspapers.com