The original Yorkdale Theatre that was split became screens 5 and 6 after the 1986 expansion. The original Yorkdale cinema was screen 4 and the new screens were 1-3. One of the few Toronto-area cinemas that had box office windows facing outside (the only other one I can remember is Sherway). From the ground-level entrance you would head down separate staircases to either the “new” side (1-3) or “old” side (4-6) one level below — each with its own lobby and concession stand. Same seats as the Uptown, which were taller than most other Famous Players builds of the time. The theatre entrance was located in about the middle of the aerial photo of the mall, to the left of that small surface parking area bordered by the parkade and Eaton’s.
The back of the theatre can still be clearly identified in this Google Street View image, 20 years after it closed. The auditorium that was split is on the left, which became cinemas 2 and 3 (both narrow with single aisles down the centre). Cinema 1 is on the right. Under Famous Players' early 90s approach of using old theatre names instead of numbers, these were called Palace (red), Avalon (yellow) and Rio (green) – from largest to smallest, if my memory’s correct.
This Google Street View image from 2009 shows the original theatre structure after its conversion to a Goodlife gym. With the same entrance as seen here, the theatre had a narrow lobby down the centre with the concession stand on the right-hand side. Theatres 1 and 2 were to the left, 3 and 4 to the right (all were narrow auditoriums with single aisles down the middle). The old emergency exits for all four theatres (which were under the screens) can also be seen if you look closely. Around 2014, Goodlife moved to a different location in the mall and this exterior facade was rebuilt for Shoppers Drug Mart.
An urban explorer has published a 40-minute video touring the site as demolition was beginning in October 2021. He has also posted several photos on Instagram — a fascinating look at this building which won't be standing for much longer.
The original Yorkdale Theatre that was split became screens 5 and 6 after the 1986 expansion. The original Yorkdale cinema was screen 4 and the new screens were 1-3. One of the few Toronto-area cinemas that had box office windows facing outside (the only other one I can remember is Sherway). From the ground-level entrance you would head down separate staircases to either the “new” side (1-3) or “old” side (4-6) one level below — each with its own lobby and concession stand. Same seats as the Uptown, which were taller than most other Famous Players builds of the time. The theatre entrance was located in about the middle of the aerial photo of the mall, to the left of that small surface parking area bordered by the parkade and Eaton’s.
The back of the theatre can still be clearly identified in this Google Street View image, 20 years after it closed. The auditorium that was split is on the left, which became cinemas 2 and 3 (both narrow with single aisles down the centre). Cinema 1 is on the right. Under Famous Players' early 90s approach of using old theatre names instead of numbers, these were called Palace (red), Avalon (yellow) and Rio (green) – from largest to smallest, if my memory’s correct.
Added a photo of the mall floor plan from 1973 that shows the layout of the theatre.
This Google Street View image from 2009 shows the original theatre structure after its conversion to a Goodlife gym. With the same entrance as seen here, the theatre had a narrow lobby down the centre with the concession stand on the right-hand side. Theatres 1 and 2 were to the left, 3 and 4 to the right (all were narrow auditoriums with single aisles down the middle). The old emergency exits for all four theatres (which were under the screens) can also be seen if you look closely. Around 2014, Goodlife moved to a different location in the mall and this exterior facade was rebuilt for Shoppers Drug Mart.
An urban explorer has published a 40-minute video touring the site as demolition was beginning in October 2021. He has also posted several photos on Instagram — a fascinating look at this building which won't be standing for much longer.
ABANDONED - AMC Movie Theatre, This Location Was Huge!! (YouTube)
james.hackland (Instagram)
Torontoist has some pics:
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