The Fox Theatre is a

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking * ...

the Beaches The Beaches (also known as "The Beach") is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is so named because of its four beaches situated on Lake Ontario. It is located east of downtown within the "Old" City of Toronto. The approximate boundar ...

neighbourhood of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

at the intersection of Queen Street and Beech Avenue. It has operated since 1914 when it first opened, and as a result it is the oldest continuously operating cinema in Toronto. The Fox Theatre has a single screen and shows a mixture of new releases (in their second-run),

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

and

foreign films World cinema is a term in film theory that refers to films made outside of the American motion picture industry, particularly those in opposition to the aesthetics and values of commercial American cinema.Nagib, Lúcia. "Towards a positive d ...

, and

classical Hollywood cinema Classical Hollywood cinema is a term used in film criticism to describe both a narrative and visual style of filmmaking which became characteristic of American cinema between the 1910s (rapidly after World War I) and the 1960s. It eventually be ...

History

The Fox Theatre was built in 1914, making it the second-oldest cinema that is still in use in Toronto, after the

Revue Cinema 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 ...

, which was built in 1912 and later closed in 2006, before re-opening in 2007; as a result of this, the Fox Theatre lays claim to being the oldest continuously operating cinema in Toronto. Before opening in 1914, the theatre was referred to as "The Theatre Without A Name." A week before opening, a naming contest was held in the community, and the name "The Pastime" was chosen. The Fox was built for roughly $15,000 and was first owned by Arthur Brooks Webster. The first film to screen at the theatre was '' The Squaw Man'' (1914)''.'' After less than a year, the name of the cinema was changed to the "Prince Edward Theatre" after Prince Edward VIII to honour British dignitary who visited that year during the beginnings of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

.'''' The name change was also intended to aid in recruitment for the war, and recruitment meetings were often held in the cinema. Years later, after Edward's abdication from the British throne in 1936, the theatre was renamed the "Fox Theatre".'''' A stained glass panel with the Prince Edward name, over the doorway from the lobby, remains from the Prince Edward period. In 1978, the cinema was taken over by Tom Litvinskas and Jerry Szczur, who began to develop it as a

repertory cinema A revival house or repertory cinema is a cinema that specializes in showing classic or notable older films (as opposed to first run films). Such venues may include standard repertory cinemas, multi-function theatres that alternate between old movie ...

, screening a mixture of old classic films, foreign films, genre films, and new releases.'''' In 2007, the Fox Theatre underwent an extensive

restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

. Some of the changes include 250 new plush reclining red-finish seats with cupholders, a 1930s-inspired carpet, a new concessions stand with an old-fashioned popcorn machine and menu chalkboard, a reupholstered smoking wall, one-of-a-kind classic light up movie posters, and the original Prince Edward and candy bar signs. As of 2019, the cinema is owned by Daniel Demois and Andy Willick. During the beginning of the

COVID-19 pandemic in Canada The COVID-19 pandemic in Canada is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (). It is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). Most cases over the course of the pandemic have been in Ontario, Que ...

, the cinema remained open, but instead of screening films in the theatre, it hosted virtual screenings, sold popcorn and other concessions to the local community, sold naming rights to each of the cinema's 248 seats, and rented out the box office marquee for people to display personal messages. In 2020, the owners of the Fox Theatre planned to hold a

séance A séance or seance (; ) is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word ''séance'' comes from the French word for "session", from the Old French ''seoir'', "to sit". In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, spe ...

due to long-running rumours that the cinema is

haunted Haunted or The Haunted may refer to: Books * ''Haunted'' (Armstrong novel), by Kelley Armstrong, 2005 * ''Haunted'' (Cabot novel), by Meg Cabot, 2004 * ''Haunted'' (Palahniuk novel), by Chuck Palahniuk, 2005 * ''Haunted'' (Angel novel), a 200 ...

References

External links

Official site
{{Theatres in Toronto Cinemas and movie theatres in Toronto

History

See also

References

External links