The Tenor (10 Dundas St E, Ent Prop Trust, 10s, Baldwin & Franklin)

[lordmandeep]

retail stores are flooding to the city and even the big suburb only ones as well.

 

[VoiceofReality]

Downtown Toronto has lost many movie theatres over the last 15 years (Plaza, University, Eaton Centre, Uptown, Backstage, etc.). At the same time its population has surged. There's no question, the downtown will easily be able to handle AMC's presence.

Yes, but most of those theatres were the older format (sloped seating etc). These types of theatres closed across North America, I do agree however that downtown Toronto can support multiple theatres.

 

[grey]

retail stores are flooding to the city and even the big suburb only ones as well.

Even TLS itself is filled with a big box suburban movie theatre and big box suburban restaurants (Jack Astors, etc).

I hope the TLS restaurants put the pitiful Pickle Barrel across the street in The Atrium out of business so that something better can open in its place.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Downtown Toronto has lost many movie theatres over the last 15 years (Plaza, University, Eaton Centre, Uptown, Backstage, etc.). At the same time its population has surged. There's no question, the downtown will easily be able to handle AMC's presence.

Also gone is the New Yorker/Showcase, Biltmore, Rio, Towne, Coronet & Imperial Six but movie attendance is down substantially in the past 15 years. The battle for Hollywood fare is going to be fought between the two Goliath complexes, AMC & Scotiabank. I really think AMC is going to pull away a fair amount of business from the Scotiabank being more conveniently located and on a subway line. AMC also offers a customer loyalty program, value menu concession combos and other incentives that the other doesn't.

 

[Hypnotoad]

I know I'll go to which ever theatre plays the movie I want to see at the time I want to see it. 9/10 out of ten AMC will be my destination of choice, with Varsity losing out.

From my vantage, Scotiabank is a 25 minute walk, Varsity is a 10 minute walk and AMC is a 3 minute walk. I still count Silvercity Y&E in my general decision making because with my metro-pass it is only a 25 minute subway/walk combo.

Anyway, I don’t think any theatre chain has anything to worry about. There are more than enough seats to fill so long as there are good movies to exhibit. Smaller exhibitors (Carleton, Cumberland) will continue to cater to niche audiences.

 

[grey]

In my experience (moviegoing in Mississauga/Oakville/Toronto), AMC theatres are often cleaner and smell more fresh than Famous Players.

 

[Cast_Member]

In my experience (moviegoing in Mississauga/Oakville/Toronto), AMC theatres are often cleaner and smell more fresh than Famous Players.

Cineplex theatres such as Silvercity Oakville, Varsity, Queensway, etc have cleaner washrooms too. Since Cineplex bought Famous Players, those second hand theatres have changed little. Multiplex theatre chains usually have overnight cleaners who are private contractors are hired to clean theatres and washrooms. I highly doubt its the AMC staff who clean the washrooms when you have contractors cleaning them overnight.

 

[grey]

Cineplex Odeon bought Famous Players? I thought it was the other way around. They sure made it seem that way. I guess they liked the Famous Players branding a lot better than their own, so they closed/rebranded most of their theatres.

 

[Cast_Member]

Cineplex Odeon bought Famous Players? I thought it was the other way around. They sure made it seem that way. I guess they liked the Famous Players branding a lot better than their own, so they closed/rebranded most of their theatres.

Cineplex bought FP 3 years ago. The reasons were Viacom have invested $500 million US to built Silvercity theatres and guess what. They builted too much theatres and the Canadian population is small. Not only Famous Players were losing money because builted too much theatres, Viacom were not happy because FP was a lawsuit magnet from its customers and employees for different reasons. So Viacom sold off FP to Cineplex.

As a merger deal, the government asked Cineplex to sell off some theatres. Silvercity Empress Walk and Cineplex Odeon Square One for example were sold to Empire Theatres (Sobeys supermarkets). Some theatres in Quebec were sold off to Fortune Cinemas. Cineplex have only rebranded Paramount theatres with the Scotiabank name. Cineplex have removed the FP name from its Silvercity, Coliseum and Colossus logos in their advertisements.

 

[grey]

And Rainbow Cinemas, which is by far the most economical theatre in Toronto.

 

[Cast_Member]

Rainbow Cinemas is still an independent chain.

 

[Hypnotoad]

True story - used to be a Famous Players employee/usher as a teenager. We had the overnight cleaners who did all the heavy lifting. However, it was our job to clean up the theatres between shows and keep the washrooms clean.

Not to get too off-topic, but I cannot listen to the Titanic song (Celine), or the theme songs from Armageddon (Aero Smith and Chantal K.) and Tarzan (Phil Collins) without breaking out into tears and crawling into a little ball on the floor. Why? So many months of cleaning up other people's trash listening to those songs will make anyone go mad. Add to it that often times theatre-goers would dispose things like condoms, tampoons, diapers (all used!) and empty bottles of rum, vodka, etc... I mean, who drinks a micky of rum during a saturday matinee of Tarzan? Who is so engrossed in the movie that they have to change their baby's diaper in the theatre? So gross.

Anyway, AMC and now Cinepex -- they are relatively the same thing. They've created the same movie-going experience and offer slightly different perks. I for one do not see how they are distinct enough to generate brand-loyalty from their customers. In downtown, specifically, people will go to whatever movie theatre is playing the movie they want, when they want it.

The issue for TLS will be whether or not Ryerson students make a big mess prior to the screenings since auditoriums will double as classrooms in the day.

 

[Hipster Duck]

True story - used to be a Famous Players employee/usher as a teenager. We had the overnight cleaners who did all the heavy lifting. However, it was our job to clean up the theatres between shows and keep the washrooms clean.

Not to get too off-topic, but I cannot listen to the Titanic song (Celine), or the theme songs from Armageddon (Aero Smith and Chantal K.) and Tarzan (Phil Collins) without breaking out into tears and crawling into a little ball on the floor. Why? So many months of cleaning up other people's trash listening to those songs will make anyone go mad. Add to it that often times theatre-goers would dispose things like condoms, tampoons, diapers (all used!) and empty bottles of rum, vodka, etc... I mean, who drinks a micky of rum during a saturday matinee of Tarzan? Who is so engrossed in the movie that they have to change their baby's diaper in the theatre? So gross.

Post of the day!

The issue for TLS will be whether or not Ryerson students make a big mess prior to the screenings since auditoriums will double as classrooms in the day.

I would imagine that this would be a problem. I also wonder how long the theater/classroom arrangement will work out because I don't think that a cinema environment is all that conducive to learning. The lights are always dim, the seating is way too plush to concentrate for over an hour in, and the best courses are taught on blackboards, anyway. Everytime a class was taught in Power Point, I usually scored about 5% lower than a class where the prof broke out the chalk.

 

[ShonTron]

I will never, never think about going into a movie theatre the same way ever again.

I hate lectures by Power Point, and now I find PP is a part of my job now (at least our slides are intentionally very simple, with a blank background and no animated junk). I had one class at the Carlton one year doing my undergrad at Ryerson, and stopped showing up after the second class because the prof would put up her slides on the student web service. Thank goodness the tutorials were much better.

 

[cruzin4u]

I mean, who drinks a micky of rum during a saturday matinee of Tarzan?

That would be... me.

I did it once. This was probably 10 yrs ago when I was young and irresponsible. I already had a big bottle of Max Ice and figured why not go see a movie while smashing down some vodka in the threatre. Long story short, I chugged the vodka in the theatre (big mistake) and somehow ended up sleeping on a pile of cardboard by the street.

I could imagine how bad that must have been, listening to Titanic over and over again. You should have sued for post traumatic stress!

As far as the tampons go and the diapers, that I don't get. I'm thinking more that the diapers were adult ones. Probably a few older individuals may have soiled themselves?