Movie Night In Canada

''Movie Night in Canada'' is a film programming block that has occasionally been aired by CBC Television. The branding has been used on two occasions by the CBC as replacement programming for its Saturday-night lineup during major interruptions of the National Hockey League which prevented the regular broadcast of the block's namesake, ''Hockey Night in Canada''.

The branding was first used during the 2004–05 NHL lockout, airing a lineup of three films per week. ''Hockey Night'' host Ron MacLean presented wraparound segments on location during the block, highlighting amateur and junior hockey teams across the country. In March 2020, following the suspension of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CBC revived the branding with a focus on Canadian films.

2004–05

The program first ran in 2004 during the 2004–05 NHL lockout,Christopher Hutsul, "Flicks, not sticks, on CBC this fall; Movie night will fill in for hockey". ''Toronto Star'', September 3, 2004. premiering on October 16 with a triple bill of ''Dinosaur'', ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' and ''Jaws''. The programming strategy in this era was to run a family film at 7 p.m., a blockbuster film at 9 p.m. and an "edgier" film at 11 p.m. To "keep the hockey spirit alive", ''Hockey Night in Canada'' host Ron MacLean presented short introductions for each film, first taped in an empty hockey arena and later travelling across Canada to highlight and publicize amateur and junior hockey teams that were still playing. The second week included ''The Princess Diaries'' at 7, ''Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'' at 9, and ''Blazing Saddles'' at 11; later lineups included a golf-themed bill of ''The Legend of Bagger Vance'', ''Tin Cup'' and ''Happy Gilmore'' on November 20.

The series attracted ratings roughly equal to regular ''Hockey Night in Canada'' broadcasts. It aired weekly until December 18, and then took a hiatus for Christmas programming, before returning in January 2005. With the lockout's lack of resolution beginning to cast doubt on whether the 2005–06 NHL season would happen, the CBC began to send signals in February 2005 that it would continue to buy and schedule movies if the next hockey season was also cancelled. By the time a deal was reached between the NHL and the players in July 2005, the CBC was also affected by a labour dispute with its own technicians, although that was resolved in time for the return of ''Hockey Night in Canada'' when the NHL season began in the fall.

The block's reliance on American films in this era was criticized by Friends of Canadian Broadcasting for significantly reducing the amount of Canadian content broadcast by the network during its run."Can-con advocates attack CBC's 'Movie Night in Canada'"
Canadian Press, October 18, 2004.

2020

The brand was revived in March 2020 when the 2019–20 NHL season was suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a lineup focusing on Canadian films. It launched on March 14, 2020 with the double bill of ''Bon Cop, Bad Cop'' and ''Bon Cop, Bad Cop 2

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