Toronto repertory cinemas close doors

It's lights out for four of Toronto's repertory theatres, but there's hope that two of them may be revived as cinemas.

The Revue, the Royal, the Paradise and the Kingsway all part of the Festival Cinemas group close after a final screening Friday night.

All four Festival Cinemas were owned by Peter McQuillan, who died in 2004. His family members say they are not able to keep the discount cinemas going because too few people attend now that they can rent movies at home.

The McQuillans have accepted a sale offer for one mid-town cinema and a community group is hoping to save another west-end movie house.

The Royal has been bought by Theatre D Digital, which currently operates the neighbourhood Regent Theatre.

Like the Regent, the Royal will be renovated so it can be used as a post-production facility during the day, and there is a possibility it will reopen to show films in the evening.

A community group calling itself Save the Revue met Thursday night and the group agreed toput together a proposal to lease back the Revue cinema from its owner.

Attempts to save cinema

After a community meeting last week, the McQuillan family said it would be willing to issue a call for business proposals for the cinema building, says Susan Flanagan, organizer of Save the Revue.

Save the Revue wants to set up a non-profit corporation to run the cinema, and has begun a fund-raising and membership drive in the neighbourhood to put some money down on a lease, she told CBC News Online.

"There's an incredible feeling of passion and commitment to the Revue in the High Park-Roncesvalles area," she said.

Both area businesses and community residents want the cinema to stay, she said.

"There are a lot of people who don't want the multiplex experience and still don't want to watch a DVD at home," Flanagan said. "We're doing an online survey to work out what they want to see and what would bring them into a cinema more often."

About 3,000 people have signed an online petition against losing the Revue. But that won't stop the closing after a final showing of Lawrence of Arabia on Friday night.

Save the Revue has invited community members to come dressed as Charlie Chaplin characters for vigil as the Revue closes.