Fox Theatre
Fox Theatre (Toronto) is located in Toronto
Fox Theatre (Toronto)
Location of Fox in Toronto
General information
TypeCinema
Town or cityToronto, Ontario
CountryCanada
Coordinates43°40′22″N 79°17′14″W / 43.672853°N 79.287311°W / 43.672853; -79.287311
Website
foxtheatre.ca
Inside the Fox Theatre, 1947.

The Fox Theatre is a cinema in the Beaches neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario at the intersection of Queen Street and Beech Avenue.[1] It has operated since 1914 when it first opened,[1] and as a result it is the oldest continuously operating cinema in Toronto.[2][3]

The Fox Theatre has a single screen and shows a mixture of new releases (in their second-run),[1] independent and foreign films, and classical Hollywood cinema.[4]

History

Fox Theatre inside in 2023

The Fox Theatre was built in 1914, making it the second-oldest cinema that is still in use in Toronto, after the Revue Cinema,[5] which was built in 1912 and later closed in 2006,[6] before re-opening in 2007;[7] as a result of this, the Fox Theatre lays claim to being the oldest continuously operating cinema in Toronto.[2][4][3]

Before opening in 1914, the theatre was referred to as "The Theatre Without A Name."[4] A week before opening, a naming contest was held in the community, and the name "The Pastime" was chosen.[4] The Fox was built for roughly $15,000 and was first owned by Arthur Brooks Webster.[4] The first film to screen at the theatre was The Squaw Man (1914).[8]

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.[4] The name change was also intended to aid in recruitment for the war, and recruitment meetings were often held in the cinema.[8]

Years later, after Edward's abdication from the British throne in 1936, the theatre was renamed the "Fox Theatre".[4] 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, screening a mixture of old classic films, foreign films, genre films, and new releases.[4]

In 2007, the Fox Theatre underwent an extensive restoration.[9] 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.[10]

During the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, 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.[1][11][3]

In 2020, the owners of the Fox Theatre planned to hold a séance due to long-running rumours that the cinema is haunted.[12]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Who says movie theatres are dead? Toronto's Fox Theatre, open since 1914, is pure movie magic". thestar.com. 2021-04-18. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  2. 1 2 "Is Toronto's Fox Theatre haunted? A seance is being held to find out". torontosun. Retrieved 2022-07-17. Staff at Toronto's longest continuous-running cinema...
  3. 1 2 3 "Toronto's independent cinemas get creative in bid to stay relevant amidst city shutdown | TRNTO.com". Streets Of Toronto. 2020-04-15. Retrieved 2022-07-17. The charming and intimate Fox Theatre in Toronto's Beach neighbourhood is the oldest continuously running cinema in the city dating back to 1914.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Fox Theatre". Local Film Cultures: Toronto. 2014-11-11. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  5. ↑ "Vintage photos of Toronto's opulent, old-timey movie theatres". Toronto Life. 2016-06-22. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  6. ↑ "About The Revue Cinema | Revue Film Society". 2008-04-20. Archived from the original on 2008-04-20. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  7. ↑ "HISTORY OF THE REVUE – REVUE CINEMA". Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  8. 1 2 johndougtaylor (2013-06-15). "Toronto's architectural gems—the Fox Theatre on Queen East". Historic Toronto. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  9. ↑ "Fox Theatre - Beaches in Toronto, CA - Cinema Treasures". cinematreasures.org. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  10. ↑ Seale, Andrew (2019-02-20). "A tale of two cinemas: Toronto's Fox Theatre and Kitchener's Apollo Cinema". Digital Main Street. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  11. ↑ Simonpillai, Radheyan (2020-04-03). "The Fox Theatre is selling naming rights to seats to stay in business". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  12. ↑ "Toronto movie theatre is holding a seance to find out if it's haunted". www.blogto.com. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
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