Plaza Theatre
Hudson's Bay Centre,
Toronto,
ON
M4W 1A0
Hudson's Bay Centre,
Toronto,
ON
M4W 1A0
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The Plaza Theatre was located at the corner of Bloor and Yonge at Hudson’s Bay Centre in downtown Toronto and opened in 1976.
Famous Players owned this twin theatre, which had Dolby stereo sound and 1,060 seats.
Sadly, the Plaza Theatre closed in 2001 when the lease expired.
Contributed by
Chad Irish
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
Too bad that Famous Players chose to close this. With the Uptown gone it would be nice if Famous had something in the Yonge/Bloor area where they used to dominate the scene. Who knows how long it will take to build their proposed 10 screen complex at the opposite corner to this one. Why didn’t they build something before they closed the Uptown. Now there is a big gap between the Paramount downtown and the Canada Square/Silvercity 9 way up at Yonge and Eglinton. Now at the “crossroads” of Toronto there is just the Cineplex Odeon Varsity 12 and the Alliance Atlantis Cumberland 4. What a difference from several years ago when there were more theatres in this area than any other part of Toronto.
The Plaza Twin was designed by architect Mandel Sprachman, known for his restoration work on the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres and for designing the first large multiplex, Nat Taylor’s Eaton Centre Cinemas, also in Toronto.
The Plaza Twin was featured in a special Modern Theatre issue of Boxoffice Magazine published on August 2, 1976. The recently opened Famous Players house had 1049 seats, with 664 in the larger and 385 in the smaller auditorium.
Art Deco does not describe the interior of this twin cinema – bland would be more accurate. There was nothing memorable about it at all. It’s only redeeming feature was it’s excellent location in the middle of downtown Toronto next to the subway entrance.
Indeed, this cinema’s interior was pedestrian but it excellenty located. I recall being blown away by Raging Bull here on its first release.
I often wonder what they use all the space for cinemas such as these after they close. I mean, when you walk by the entrance at the Hudson’s Bay Centre, you would never know a theatre ever existed there. Are the 2 cinemas still sitting there empty after all these years? Makes you wonder what they could use them for now. Even a twin cinema still open at this location would be better than nothing. You didn’t even have to go outside when you got off the subway. It was practically across the hall of the mall.
Famous did not choose to close but were evicted as the space was required for the new heating system that was being installed and the auditorium is now a boiler room
Famous Players would have to had to spend a fortune to make this theatre wheelchair accessible — and about the same time they were ordered to upgrade the Uptown, the Eglinton and the Plaza 1 & 2 — Famous Players chose wisely to close these theatres rather than spend any more money on them!!