Toronto’s Historic Revue Cinema Faces Threat of “Hostile Takeover” by Landlord; Fights Back
Hungry for some more blood-curdling drama after the Interview with the Vampire finale? Let us tell you about a real horror show currently taking over Toronto.
In a plotline straight out of a Scooby-Doo episode or a modern adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera, The Revue Cinema, a historic landmark and favorite haunt of Canadian horror movie lovers, is facing possible closure after an unfriendly conflict with its 96-year-old landlord.
The news broke on the Revue Cinema’s social media feeds on Thursday, June 27, As their posts explained, the board of directors (known as the Revue Film Society) were “unable to secure” a lease renewal with the aforementioned property owner Danny Mullin and as a result, they were “unsure” if the cinema, which first opened its doors in 1912, would still be operating come July 1.
The dispute, which board member Grant Oyston has called “an illegal eviction,” is not due to lack of funds or payments. The Revue Film Society previously accepted Mullin’s 50 per cent rent increase, bringing their monthly bill to $15,000. However, Mullin refused to accept their latest cheque, setting his sights on more than just the property.
Speaking to The Globe and Mail, Mullin expressed his desire to turn the not-for-profit cinema run by a volunteer board of directors into a private theatre of his making. “I’ve said that everyone who works there can keep their jobs if they want to work for me,” he stated. “All I want now is to get rid of the board.”
The Revue Film Society has been running the theatre successfully since when Mullin first purchased the cinema in 2007. Together with programming director Serena Whitney, general manager Caitlin France, operations staff and over a dozen series programmers, the board turned the previously at-risk business into the most popular independent cinema in Toronto. They did all this while also taking on over $500,000 worth of building updates (a fact that Mullin refutes).
Mullin, who oversees several Toronto properties, did not purchase any of the Revue Cinema’s key assets including the digital projector and sound system. What’s more, while he is the owner of the building, he is not on the business license.
“It’s essentially a hostile takeover attempt, where [Mullin] wants us to transition all of our staff, all the resources and the goodwill we’ve built up over 17 years,” Oyston told local news outlet CP24 over the weekend. “We have no confidence he’s able to do this as a 96-year-old with no experience.”
After a flurry of media coverage, on Friday, June 28, the Revue posted an update stating that the Revue Film Society received an injunction, which prevents Mullin from taking further action and allows regular operations to continue as planned until a trial date (tentatively set for July 8). In the meantime, cinephiles from Canada and beyond are urged to sign a petition to protect “Toronto’s longest-running cinema” from further threats to its livelihood.
Those who live in, or are able to visit, the city can check out an assortment of scary movie screenings scheduled for July, including 4k restorations of The Return of the Living Dead and Blue Velvet, a 20th anniversary tribute to Shaun of the Dead, a 35mm presentation of Firestarter (1984), and Jacob’s Ladder hosted by Steven Landry, curator of the monthly Nightmare Alley series. You can view the full July calendar here.
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