After a tense summer of negotiations, Toronto’s oldest movie theatre has signed a new five-year lease with its landlords to keep the cinema in business.
The Revue Film Society, the non-profit organisation that operates the historic Revue Cinema in Toronto’s west-end, announced the lease agreement in a joint statement with the building’s owners, Daniel and Leticia Mullin, on Tuesday.
“Negotiations, even between long-standing partners, can often lead to misunderstandings, but the length and strength of our partnership with the Mullins and good faith on all sides allowed us to end up in a good place,” the press release reads.
According to terms of the lease agreement, the Revue Film Society will donate more than $62,000 worth of advertising space to St. Joseph’s Health Centre Foundation over the length of the lease. The society has also agreed to hold an annual fundraising event in support of St. Joseph’s Hospital.
The deal comes after a tumultuous summer for the 220-seat Revue, which has been in operation since 1912. In June, following months of negotiations to renew the cinema’s lease, landlord Daniel Mullin told staff that he planned to take over the business from the board, evicting management and turning it into a for-profit initiative.
A last-second injunction from the Ontario Superior Court halted a proposed eviction until a trial could be held, which was later extended until Oct. 30.
“We’re very lucky that the former mayor of Toronto, John Tory, reached out to us several weeks ago,” Grant Oyston, Chair of the Revue Film Society, told On The Record. “He was able to bring both parties to the table, hear both sides out, and help us come to a resolution that both the Revue Film Society and I think the landlords as well are very pleased about.”
The potential of the Revue closing sparked immediate backlash from film lovers across the city. In early July, Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro shared his support on X (formerly Twitter), posting the link to a popular online petition and calling on Mayor Olivia Chow to get personally involved.
Brandon Lim, a film programmer at the Revue, said he’s “incredibly relieved and full of joy” after the news of the lease agreement.
“We’re really back in the saddle, and ready to unleash some amazing cinematic experiences for our community in the near future,” he said.
Both Oyston and Lim are expecting a busy fall for the Revue, with programming already lined up until October. The society is also preparing for major restoration work on the facade of the building.
For Ben Markham, film-lover and long-time regular who calls the Revue a “second home,” the single-screen cinema’s ability to showcase up-and-coming filmmakers is worth the 40-minute drive from his east-end home.
“Theatres like the Revue give a spotlight to artists and allow them to shine, and allow unique stories and Canadian stories to be heard on the main stage,” he told On the Record. “It’s a tough industry to break into. This is giving people a platform to tell their stories, to network, and to create a sense of community around the love of film.
“Every time I go, it’s a memorable night,” he said, citing the Revue’s pre-screening live music, Q&A panels with filmmakers, and post-screening conversations as experiences movie-goers won’t typically find at a Cineplex.
The news of the Revue’s future is a major win amidst ongoing concerns about the future of the independent cinema industry.
“Toronto has lost a lot of places and venues that really make up the cultural fabric of the city,” said Lim. “If any of those places still exist for you today, support and appreciate the spaces we have now, because they may not be here forever.”
Carly Pews
Reporter, On the Record, Fall 2024.
