A community-owned repertory cinema saved by a petition and a co-op
The Revue Cinema
Opened in 1912 in Roncesvalles, the Revue Cinema faced closure in 2006 before a community campaign turned it into a non-profit, volunteer-supported repertory theatre run for the neighbourhood by the neighbourhood.
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The Revue Cinema opened in 1912 in Roncesvalles, one of Toronto's early neighbourhood movie houses, operating for most of the 20th century as a commercial single-screen theatre showing a mix of first-run and repertory films. Like many small independent cinemas, it faced increasing financial pressure by the 2000s as multiplexes and home video eroded the audience for a small neighbourhood theatre.
Saved by its own neighbourhood
When the Revue faced closure in 2006, Roncesvalles residents organized a community campaign to save it, eventually forming a non-profit organization that took over the cinema's operation with significant volunteer support, an unusual ownership model for a working commercial cinema. The Revue has continued operating under that community-supported structure, programming repertory screenings and festival-style events that a purely for-profit theatre in the same location might not have prioritized, making it one of the more distinctive examples of grassroots cultural preservation in the city.
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