The Park Theatre goes independent

When Cineplex announced it was shutting down operations at the single-screen Park Theatre, there was real concern that the Cambie Village venue would shut down as a cinema — sixteen years shy of its hundredth birthday.  

But unbeknownst to most, the building’s landlord and Rio Theatre CEO Corrine Lea had been working behind the scenes since August to save the Park Theatre and its art deco facade from an uncertain fate. 

“It actually came out of nowhere,” Lea described to Vancity Lookout, explaining that she was interested right when a representative for the Park’s long-time landlord approached her a few months ago about taking over operations at the theatre, once Cineplex decided not to renew its lease. 

Once Lea realized the start-up costs involved, she turned to local film producer Chris Ferguson, owner of Oddfellows Pictures, to help pull together the financial support required to make it happen. 

“Starting an independent theatre is a crazy venture to get into in 2025, so it had to be people who are super passionate about it,” Ferguson said of the decision to reach out to people with Vancouver connections in the film and television industry.

Nearly everyone Ferguson reached out to wanted to be involved; a “ridiculous success rate,” he said. That means the Rio’s takeover over the Park is on, with financing from a new company headlined by actor and musician Finn Wolfhard, power couple Samantha Quan and Sean Baker, whose film Anora won the Academy Award for best picture this year, and directors Mike Flanagan, Osgood Perkins, and Zach Lipovsky. Other backers include Eugenio Battaglia, Graham Fortin, Andy Levine, Jill Orsten, Christina Bulbrook, and Ferguson himself. 

“It’s all happening so fast,” Lea said, explaining that they’ll get access to the space on November 1 and are aiming to have the theatre back up and running one month later.  

For Ferguson, the involvement of film industry folks meant the money was coming from people who understood the importance of supporting independent theatres from an artistic perspective. 

“Going to a movie and having that communal experience is the core of making movies. The more we can do to enrich that experience, the better… that inspires people to be in film. So I think it's important to have that in a city like Vancouver, where we make all of the movies,” Ferguson said. 

In the 1940sm when the Park openedm there were dozens of neighbourhood theatres all around town. Almost all of them, like the Ridge Theatre on 16th and Arbutus, have become victims of development, according to Leonard Schein, a theatre manager, who ran the Park, the Ridge, and several other single-screen cinemas for decades.

Schein, who managed the Park for 23 of those years before it was bought by Cineplex in 2013, said Lea contacted him over the summer, asking for advice on whether she should take on a lease. 

“I said ‘yes you should,’” Schein recalled. “It’s a good neighbourhood theatre, it’s in good condition… [and] it was very successful, other than during the Canada Line construction.” Schein added that the Park’s ownership is still the same as when he started there in 1990. 

The Park’s owners are listed as two companies: Acorn Heritage Holdings Inc. and 886622 Ontario Ltd., Inc., according to CBC. “​​They're into film and don’t want to see another neighborhood theatre set down,” Schein said of the owners, who he described as “Vancouver people.” 

“You don't usually have a landlord reaching out to a movie theatre to say, please come run a movie theatre here. I think it's very cool,” Ferguson said.

Ultimately, Lea took Schein’s recommendation and went ahead with the project with a sense of duty to preserve the last of Vancouver’s single-screen theatres. “We cannot afford to lose one more. That's why we're stepping up,” Lea said. 

Asked about the differences between what the Rio brings to the Drive and what they’re hoping to add to Cambie Village, Lea described the Rio as “a real rebellious punk rock vibe.” While that’s exactly the East Van energy, it’s not quite the neighbourhood aura further west. 

“[It will] probably not [be] so rebellious and punk rock at the Park. I think it'll be a little bit more focused on the film quality over there,” Lea said with a laugh. The Rio also hosts all sorts of live events, but that won’t be a major focus of the Park under new management, Lea explained. 

“[The Park] doesn't have the infrastructure to have big live bands or anything like that,” Lea said, adding they’ll be looking to host events like stand-up comedy – an entertainment option that’s been missing from the neighbourhood since the Kino Cafe, a classic joint a couple doors over, shut down during the pandemic. 

The Park’s reimagined offerings on screen will include a thoughtful selection of new releases, classics, film festival screenings, and more. “Single-screen theatres need a certain level of focus and attention to really put some creativity into the programming,” Lea observed.

“I think getting this theatre back into the rotation of these festivals and special events that the city needs to have more of is going to add a lot” to Vancouver, Ferguson said. “We’re already talking with VIFF [Vancouver International Film Festival] about them coming in [to the Park] next year, and I hope we can find more partners like that,” he divulged. 

Anticipation for the Park’s curation is already building for cinema-going residents. “The Rio is such a big part of Vancouver’s culture for me… I’m so excited they’re going to be bringing that to the Park… I’m intrigued to see the programming,” Sara Gill, a movie enthusiast who lives in Mount Pleasant, told Vancity Lookout. 

“It’s also such a relief that the Park will remain a cinema – it’s my favourite one in terms of size, screen and layout. It always felt weird that it was a corporate Cineplex so going indie is the best case scenario and feels like a rare win for the arts in Vancouver,” Gill added. 

The energy, attention, and financial backing being put toward this new iteration of the Park are all signs of the continued, and at times tumultuous, revival of Cambie Village. 

“I really hope all the people out there that were sad to hear of the Park closing make an effort to come out,” Lea said. Movie lovers and neighbours will get the chance to do just that as soon as December 1.