Paramount Theatre

This theater is operated by Landmark Cinemas.

Here is another vintage photo of the Paramount.

Closed November 3, 2010
Here is what Katie Bartel says of the Paramount
After 61 years of movie projecting, the Paramount Theatre played its last film production on Wednesday evening.
The City of Chilliwack announced on Thursday morning that Landmark Cinemas of Canada had donated the Paramount building and property to the city, which will not be continuing the operation of the movie theatre.
For almost a decade Landmark Cinemas had been working with the city on trying to build a new theatre in the downtown, but obstacles always got in the way of it moving forward. And when Landmark lost the bid for the new theatre, which will be opening later this month at Eagle Landing, to Cineplex, “life at the Paramount for us came to an end,” said Neil Campbell, chief operating officer of Landmark Cinemas, which has owned the Paramount since 1987.
“The City of Chilliwack had been very good to Landmark and [donating the Paramount to the city] was the right thing for that building. It’s a beautiful old building, that’s still in good shape, that could be turned into a real cornerstone for the downtown."
Mayor Sharon Gaetz was excited and grateful for the opportunity.
"We have no firm plans for the building and property yet,” she said. “But it gives us an opportunity to dream for the future."
Still, Gaetz was sad to see the Paramount close.
"It has truly been an icon for our community,” she said. “Whether you had your first date there, or watched your first love story, or your first horror movie there, or held your date’s hand for the first time there, the Paramount holds so many memories for all of us."
Chilliwack resident Glenda Standeven couldn’t agree more. Her first "grown-up” job was at the Paramount when she was an impressionable 17-year-old in 1972.
For two years Standeven worked as an usher and a candy girl. She remembers walking up and down the aisles with a flashlight, “shushing” anyone who was talking; having to watch A Clockwork Orange 27 times, a movie that by the end of its run she hated; and the melt-in-your mouth popcorn that was cooked in coconut oil and drizzled with a pound of real butter, “none of that fake stuff you get nowadays,” she said.
But even though the Paramount was a grown-up job for Standeven, she was still a teenager, and as teenagers are prone to do, she pushed the boundaries. On nights when the theatre wasn’t full, she would sneak her boyfriend up to the empty balcony seats for a cozy, and rebellious, “smooching” session.
She never got caught.
“We always wondered if the projectionist looking out the window could see us,” she laughed.
While the city doesn’t yet have plans for the Paramount, several ideas have already been floating around, said Gaetz. Ideas like transforming it into a museum, or using it as a fringe theatre that would play indie movies or foreign films, or classic flicks.
“Because it’s still so new, there’s been no opportunity yet to sit down and discuss what we’ll do with it … whether we’ll in turn sell it or retain operation,” said Gaetz.
But by owning the building and the property, “it is one more little piece of control the city has in designing the downtown."
The city’s downtown task force is currently looking at the best uses for the building and property. Its recommended strategy and actions will be released in early 2011.
The Paramount Theatre was opened in 1949. Landmark Cinemas took ownership in 1987.
“On behalf of Landmark Cinemas, I would like to thank Chilliwack movie fans for supporting us over the last 23 years,” said Campbell. “Whether you chose us as your first date destination, laughed until it hurt at a comedy, or were inspired by a documentary or dramatic movie here, we’re proud to play a continuing role in your memories.”
The closure of the Paramount comes just as the new Galaxy Cinemas sets to open on Nov. 25.

Header should be changed to closed.

Paramount Blade Removal link