The Park Theatre is Saved from Closure

Thank goodness the Park theatre is under new ownership

On the weekend there was shocking news that the Park theatre, a single-screen cinema on Cambie Street in Vancouver was going to close after 84 years. It was owned by Cineplex, but was giving it up.

I vividly remember the Park was where I saw The Muppet Movie, and possibly Star Wars. Have to admit I haven't been back in decades.

The landlord of the Park reached out to independent Rio Theatre, run by Corinne Lea to see if they were interested and they were... except they didn't have enough money to take the Park over.

The Park has been around for 84 years

But they knew some people in the movie business in Vancouver, like producer Chris Ferguson.

"If anyone other than Corinne had reached out to me, I would have said, 'Absolutely not.' We'd just be flushing away a bunch of people's money," Ferguson said. "But I know how good of a job she's done with the Rio, so this was exciting."

He made some calls and said, "I've never had an easier time raising money for a project in my life."

Those Ferguson contacted were all in, including the producers of the Oscar winning Anora, Samantha Quan and director Sean Baker.

The couple released a statement saying: "Under the leadership of Corinne Lea, whose incredible work with the Rio Theatre has inspired so many, we're confident the Park will once again be a vibrant home for cinema in Vancouver."

So while the Park showed its last film under Cineplex yesterday, the new owners promise the neighbourhood theatre will be back up and running in December of January, with the first order of business being the installation of a new 70-mm projector. 

Lea from the Rio will run the Park too

Located on Broadway and Commercial in east Vancouver, Rio Theatre is known for showing classics and hosting events, including comedy shows, live music and even burlesque, the plan is for the Park to show first-run movies and classics.

It sounds like the programming could complement VIFF downtown, which will be fantastic for people like me looking for alternative films to watch that are closer to me. That area of Cambie village is getting more buzz, with a hopping restaurant called June that opened over six months ago and houses a speakeasy called Lala in the basement.

Hopefully the revival of the Park energises the neighbourhood and lures back people like me!