Cedarbrae Cinemas 8

3434 Lawrence Avenue E,
Toronto, ON M1H 1A9

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: 20th Century Theaters, Famous Players

Previous Names: Cedarbrae Theatre

Nearby Theaters

Exterior of cinemas as seen from the south side of Lawrence Ave., 2003.

The Cedarbrae Theatre was built by renovating the remains of the former Cedarbrae Bowl structure, built in the late-1950’s. Unfortunately, the parcel of land the theatre was located on was not much larger than the theatre building and a parking lot had to be created across the street in the Cedarbrae Plaza lot.

The Cedarbrae Theatre opened November 21, 1969 with two screens. Two more were added in 1975; two more added in 1982; and two more were added in 1987 turning the theatre into an eight-plex.

20th Century Theatres and later on Famous Players ran the Cedarbrae, which in later years showed discount movies.

In 1987-1991, the Cedarbrae was perhaps the biggest theatre in Canada until Centre Laval 12 opened near Montreal.

The Cedarbrae Cinemas 8 closed on April 17, 2003 after the nearby Eglinton Town Square opened. The theatre has been replaced by a shopping center.

Contributed by Chad Irish, Jeremy Hopkin

Recent comments (view all 19 comments)

telliott
telliott on January 1, 2015 at 7:32 am

Interesting. I DO wish Landmark would expand inside the city, like you said, we need the competition. I always regret that once Cineplex took over Famous Players, there went the 10 screen complex at 1 Bloor East to replace the Uptown. That would have been a nice addition to the Yonge-Bloor area.

Southern Comfort
Southern Comfort on November 2, 2015 at 5:13 pm

There is not one photo of this theatre in the photo section but there are two pages of advertisements. That is a ridiculous policy to have. Opening ads for a theatre would be an exception but a photo section should contain photographs.

robboehm
robboehm on November 3, 2015 at 6:50 am

Southern Comfort it’s amazing how difficult it is to find photos of theaters past. However, advertising still lives on. You have to take what you can get. Please feel free to do the research and find a photo of this theater.

laserboyTO
laserboyTO on January 5, 2016 at 6:34 am

I added three photos today, two that I took when I worked there in the 80’s, and one that I came across.

SilverPlaqueVII
SilverPlaqueVII on March 9, 2016 at 12:22 pm

Since Cedarbrae 8 left its legacy after its demise, Fit4Less by GoodLife opened in the former Staples building which still stands.

SilverPlaqueVII
SilverPlaqueVII on January 1, 2020 at 10:50 am

Perhaps Cineplex may have a look at Cedarbrae since closing the Walmart store last year in a form of a Junxion brand. Junxion is a movie theatre and entertainment Centre (like Xscape and Rec Room) to open in Mississauga in 2020.

I wonder if Cineplex will ever construct the new Junxion Cinema at Cedarbrae with eight screens. This will require the relocation of Goodlife Fitness.

Right now, Morningside and Cedarbrae Mall just went downhill since then.

CorusFTW
CorusFTW on February 10, 2021 at 8:13 am

Two movies that opened with this 20th Century theatre on November 21, 1969, were The Undefeated and Alice’s Restaurant.

CorusFTW
CorusFTW on August 20, 2021 at 7:08 pm

The theatre’s final day was on April 17, 2003. By the next day (April 18), it’s listed as closed.

CorusFTW
CorusFTW on November 15, 2021 at 4:37 am

The theatre’s closing movies include Anger Management (digital), Phone Booth (digital), The Core (digital), Head of State (digital), Agent Cody Banks, Basic, A Man Apart, and What a Girl Wants.

SilverPlaqueVII
SilverPlaqueVII on October 22, 2022 at 9:31 am

UrbanToronto reports that the Fit4Less, built on the old Cedarbrae 8, is set to be replaced by two new condominium buildings.

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