AMC Yonge & Dundas 24 Opens, Underwhelms, Despite Free Movie Offer
The new movie theatre, AMC Yonge & Dundas 24, had an anti-climactic grand opening at the newly dubbed Toronto Life Square, with 18 different movies playing yesterday.
After trudging through the Toronto Eaton Centre, trying to avoid the throngs of teens, tourists and trash, I emerge at the intersection of Yonge and Dundas to a visual assault.
Billboards up to the sky greet me with their gaudy, flashy welcome. There's already a multiplicity of megaplexes in our city. Why not have another one in the downtown core, right beside the concrete eyesore that is Yonge-Dundas Square?
It's debatable that we need a new movie theatre at this corner now. Look what it's replacing? One that had closed after years of poor attendance and neglect.
Given the poor turnout on day one, I wonder how long until this new megaplex suffers the same fate. Do we really need to be inundated with a 24-theatre venue?
Quantity over quality may very well be its death knell. We'll see how they plan to attract and retain customers....
I wade past the Spiderman chalk drawing and the busking noise-maker and cross the street twice to reach the north-east corner.
Heading east a few doors over and I'm inside The Future Shop entrance where the ticket line-up should be.
In spite of having a well-circulated email FREE MOVIE PASS, there are no line-ups on a Saturday afternoon around 6 p.m.
I get to skip past the long, winding truncheons to one of the ticket booths where an absent-minded teenager gives me tickets to the 4:05 p.m. show of Martian Child.
Given the next show is at 7:05 p.m I have to go back and have him initial the ticket again, just in case another dimwitted drone happens to notice.
I've got about an hour to kill and I'm getting peckish, so I go back outside and ponder the possibilities in the area. No need to get gouged at the concession stands with so many other options available.
Even without line-ups, it takes a good five minutes to mount at least three escalators to get to theatre number 19.
About half-way up I see a sea of chairs and tables cordoned off in what appears to be a future food court. A sole security guard slumps over one of the tables as its only occupant.
The area just outside the movie entrances is a spacious oval with high ceilings, adorned with panels of larger-than-life images of moviestars, giving the place a sense of grandeur. 
Perhaps a little classier than the Para... er, Scotiabank Theatre in the entertainment district, but not by much.
The theatre itself boasts an "all digital presentation," with more than four times the resolution of HDTV. They've got nearly 5,000 seats to fill. It had better be good.
While the experience watching the cute Martian Child was adequate, I'll have to test out the bigger experience with a different movie.
With 18 films to choose from, none of them were really appealing. Maybe Alien vs. Predator 2 or I am Legend will make this experience worthwhile.
If you've got three friends and a few hours to waste, you'd better line up with those passes tonight or tomorrow, as the price goes up to $13 a regular adult ticket after Monday.
If this is still not your cup o' tea, wait until Wednesday, when you can catch Up the Yangtze at The Royal cinema for free, courtesy of CBC.
Photos by Roger Cullman.
Comments (74)
Years ago, I had friends who managed the great cinemas of Toronto. It was an experience to dress up for. Going to the movies was an "event" and one dressed appropriately.
Today, it's more of a come-as-you-are attitude and the movie-goer is merely a commodity in a "shopping mall" of screens.
Not only did the workers have pride in their work but cinema-goers were more polite compared to these modern-day boors with their cellphones and such.
Last time I went into a cinema, I felt more like a commodity than a visitor or guest. My last visit to a cinema was 7 years ago. Now that I have a HDTV and DVD player, I'll watch at home. Things are more civil here.
I think there will be plenty of demand for an AMC at this location. Currently the only first run theatres downtown are cineplexes. With Cineplex's target audience tending to be relatively young (although the Varsity seems to be an exception to the majority of their theatres), I think the AMC would appeal to many people.
David, I think that is a fact of life in just about every industry out there. With the public demanding cheaper and cheaper goods, services like you remember have become a thing of the past. It's not really the theatres' fault. We really only have ourselves to blame for that one.
I've always scoffed at the accusation that blogs are getting way too bitter and hateful these days but this is the first post that I've actually understood that viewpoint, nauseatingly so.
Oh! It starts with a fresh and original attack on Dundas Square... I've never heard that one before. "Billboards suck guyzzzzz!! It's a concrete eyesore!! SRSLY!!!" Yeah, we got it the first twenty times.
Then you slouch and grimace your way through the rest of the review, casting mean glances everywhere you goes. I can just imagine what a ray of sunshine you must've been that day.
I'm not saying you have to give the theatre a glowing review but you had clearly condemned it from the get go. I think it'd be a pretty exciting addition to what's supposed to be the heart of the downtown core.
if you're going to hate on a movie theatre, in a building that isn't even finished - at least try to be funny about it. or something. just relax.
Not many people really knew about the opening, despite the e-mail (I got it too) and because it's Easter time, people were confused on whether or not it was open anyway.
Thing is, the Eaton Centre's previous theatre was small, viewers want megaplexes, and that's exactly what they got.
It's a good location, right next to the Eaton Centre, so all those tweens can just walk over to it. The Varsity, Cumberland and Bloor are all catered to the older crowd and rarely play big releases, they're mostly independent and artsy movies... and they're SMALL theaters. Scotia Theater is the nearest megaplex, but people don't wanna travel that far down to a less-than-TTC accessible place anyway.
i didn't know about the free movie.. btw, why are you so bitter.. it seems like you are always against the fact that this city is getting more like a big city.. what's wrong with bb? it pays for part of the infrastructure, ie lower our property tax.. if you hate bb so much, why dont you just move to the rural area and live in a farm.. or better yet, buy a piece of land in dt, and develop it yourself, and we can see what you can come up with!
@ DavidE: your comments about today's 'commodity' cinema environment lose credibility when you note that you haven't been to a theatre in 7 years.
Whatever. You're not in the target demographic anyway.
When I saw this in my RSS feed, I thought I was reading Torontoist. Geez, even free movies can't catch a break these days.
Btw, the "dimwitted drone" comment is a little rude. Someone's gotta do that job. I'm sure you didn't have a $50k paying job when you were a teen, either.
Hey YOU (aka- the author of this piece): You're just bering critical for the sake of being critical. And it doesn't take 5 minutes to ride the escalators. 2.5 tops. A long way yes. But your exaggeration is just you showing off as a writer. And not a dignified one. Facts should take precedence over style. As for the staff I encountered at the new AMC cinema - friendly, courteous and kind. As for the film quality (I watched Golden Compass and Michael Clayton) the HD is breathtakingly beautiful. What a difference. It also means seats close to the screen are no longer BAD seats. I know cuz the crowds were quite sizeable (contrary to what YOU say) and I had to sit close to the screen for Michael Clayton.
Although the mainstream fare at this cinema probably will not lure me back all that often, I'd say the writer of this piece is just wanking negative cuz he (and no one else) like to hear himself talk.
Go see a free movie tomorrow and Tuesday y'all!
But guys... there are ads! ADS!!! AND LIGHTS!!! AND IT'S AT YONGE AND DUNDAS!!!
It must be evil! It MUST BE!
If it's not a hole in the wall on West Queen West showing something indie, it just doesn't belong in this city!
You must be suffering from the winter blues. The only thing is that it's not winter anymore. So something else must be compelling you to be so critical.
Hmmm. Free Movies. Gratitude. Zen. Thanks?
"I wade past the Spiderman chalk drawing and the busking noise-maker..."
Cool ! ya saw Chalkmaster dave ! :)
his son and his sons mothers apartment burned down,
so he was out there raising money and donations to rebuild.
--
yeah, I can Imagen how the amc is frustrating,
as just to be curious and see if there was anything
worth while playing I followed the link to view show times,
and couldn't get a single listing for any movies or
show times playing for the next several days.
not a great way to start off..
(lol, on top of the poor attendance)
I think they should've had brand new movies. I didn't go cause I've seen most of the movies there and no FREE ticket is going to get me to see those movies again and maybe again.
I ended up going to another theater and seeing a BRAND NEW movie.
Oh and btw AMC theater is too little too late. They should've been here years ago but now it's just too much for people to handle.
I suspect this place may go under soon. I'm also not a fan of AMC theaters I tend to enjoy the other ones.
As many of the people here already mentioned, I myself didn't attend the free screenings as I had seen most of the films worth seeing that they were offering this weekend. The true fate of the cinema will not be reflected in a poorly advertised "free" weekend anyway.
The charm of AMC's is that they generally show different films than the Cineplex cinemas. For example, CJ7, the new Stephen Chow, is at an AMC. I used to live in Scarborough and would head to the AMC Kennedy Commons to see foreign films moreso than Western ones.
I think it will manage to thrive ;)
Gona side with the people who instantly thought "Did Torontoist write this as part of a fabled blog-crossover?" Yeah, Dundas has a lot of ads, boo hoo. Do we really need another megaplex? Beh, who cares, it gives us some choice and maybe we'll have a good old fashion price war!
But ya, the haterade tastes a tad stale here.
One can certainly debate the quality of the architecture of the building and plaza streetscape, which is not as high-quality as in many other North American cities, but there should be no flippant complaining about the land use. The city was right to encourage this use here. One of the things that makes Toronto unlike some other cities is that the downtown still matters; it is a place to do normal day-to-day shopping and entertainment. That includes the Eaton Centre and garish movieplexes. Try finding a first-run theatre multiplex in central Houston, or downtown Philadelphia, or the core of Miami. You can be one of those snobs who says "I like movies, just not ones from Hollywood" all you want, but I'm very pleased that this sort of economic activity can take place downtown, on top of a subway station, rather than be confined to a parking lot at the intersection of highways 407 and 7.
I saw '3:10 to Yuma' on Sunday at the new theatre.
Here's my few points:
1 - Finally a new theatre at the intersection, really it's too far to another theatre. GREAT!
2 - Neon signs, digital displays, billboards... GREAT! It's nice to see some huge lively cool-looking electric colour ala Times Square or Tokyo. Outside of the downtown you see nothing but brown, green and grey. The intersection will be a magnet for tourist dollars for well into the century, and will be a nice lively place for all sorts of mega-events.
3 - Many many theatre screens - GREAT. Just means all the more chances there'll be a movie I want to see, at the time I want to see it.
4 - All digital blah-blah - I am usually mixed about this, but was thoroughly impressed by the picture quality. No apparent hazing, fuzzyness, pixelation, etc.
5 - Chairs were the most comfortable theatre chairs I've sat in. The back rest has some spring motion to it, the arm rests are nice and wide, leg room is surprisingly very spacious.
6 - Escalator mania! BOOoo - Granted there isn't much space on downtown land except vertically, they way they use it seems like they almost intentionally want escalators to keep you trapped in their 'world' away from the street, to increase concession sales. Okay fine, one escalator is enough, but I had to go up 3 floors to get to my theatre! The escalators felt very clausterphobic and were just bland, no decorations.
7 - Staff were very courteous and polite.
Maybe it wasn't very busy because it's not a busy time of year for movies. Not many good movies this time of year.
I like the other AMCs around the GTA. They're much less tacky then Famous Players and with much better staff.
A note on the $13 is that at AMC with a student ID you can get $2 off, and every Wednesday you get a free (small) popcorn with admission and by having a (free) Moviewatcher card. Not meaning to advertise for them, but hey, worth mentioning.
Uhm... yeah.. there are so many things wrong with this post.
First of all, this is not the grand opening. AMC is having a 4 day "Preview Opening", which is what this is, to test its theatres and give their staff a dress rehearsal before the "Grand Opening" which is this weekend. This is why the movies are free and why they're not the latest blockbusters. When the theatre has its grand opening on Friday, it will be playing first run, new release features.
Secondly, this "wide-released email"? I only found a copy of it from the discussion boards over at UrbanToronto.ca. Not a single person I passed it along to said they already had it or heard about it.
And all the criticism you're throwing at TLS is a little old and predictable. Echoing what was said earlier in this thread of replies, the building's not even complete yet. Pass judgement when it's done. But then again, if you're an anti-billboard hippie, nothing will change your attitude on this one, but that's your opinion.
@ Chris, who said, "I've always scoffed at the accusation that blogs are getting way too bitter and hateful these days but this is the first post that I've actually understood that viewpoint, nauseatingly so."
I'm not being bitter and hateful. I'm just telling it like I see it. While some writers may be purposefully negative, it's often those who comment on the articles who provide most of the hating.
@ Jack, who said, "it seems like you are always against the fact that this city is getting more like a big city."
By you, do you mean me personally or all of blogTO?
I'm all for big cities. I've lived in a small town enough to recognize the beauty and diversity that comes with the territory. Big cities mean more choices. After my first AMC Yonge Dundas experience, I'll likely choose to go elsewhere, given a choice. YMMV.
@ James, who wrote, "yeah, I can Imagen how the amc is frustrating, as just to be curious and see if there was anything worth while playing I followed the link to view show times, and couldn't get a single listing for any movies or
show times playing for the next several days... not a great way to start off."
Whether they figured everyone is going to see the FREE MOVIE list or not, it's shortsighted to neglect to put up the movie selections and showtimes on their website.
Going to their Showtimes and ticket search page and trying to find out this essential information is like going on a wild goose chase.
In this day and age, you're not going to get many people out to a theatre without making this basic knowledge available online. This big box company can take a few cues from the smaller, independent movie theatres.
Such as Bloor Cinema, who posts their schedule a month in advance, but fails to post anything of the upcoming month until that month starts?
It's great if its early in the month, but when its last few days of the month the system fails abysmally.
Can someone point me to the website of smaller, independent Royal Cinema? Or of Fox Cinema? Regent Theatre's site is currently broken.
I use third-party sites like Cinema Clock. They're comprehensive, up-to-date, and accurate, and don't discriminate between big and small theatres.
@ Laurence: I've been called many things in my time, but never a hippie. :)
MEA CULPA: The grand opening isn't until March 28, with its "Toronto Goes Hollywood" event.
This was just their preview opening. It must have been all the flashing lights that distracted me. ;)
Perhaps AMC will work out their kinks in time for their splashy debut.
Oh, and the FREE MOVIE voucher was all over the web. It appeared on Craigslist, redflagdeals, Scribd and TIFF Reviews as well as on the aforementioned Torontoist.
It was even linked from our City of Toronto Toronto festivals and events calendar - featured events webpage.
Yonge-Dundas is a GREAT sport for a multiplex. More and more people live downtown and we have lost a few theatres in the past few years (Yonge-Bloor, University, etc). Plus once the Film fest is on it's a great spot. I also understand Ryerson will have classes during the day. Sounds smart to me.
I've always preferred AMC theaters when I lived in the burbs. Now that I live downtown, I'll be sure to always go there. They were using membership cards with free movies and food & drinks long before anyone else.
Tho, I wish something more like this would open up in the city.
http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/03/18/cool-stuff-the-alamo-drafthouse-the-best-movie-theater-ever/
Hi, Roger. I also dropped in on Saturday night to see MICHAEL CLAYTON (as did Bruce, whom I ran into in the lobby), and I have to disagree with some of your take on this.
I think another reason (apart from those mentioned) there was no lineup was that without having to pay for the ticket, the whole transaction takes about 5-10 seconds, so the line was being processed extremely quickly. Lineups are a poor way to gauge quality, anyway, since some establishments have been known historically to build them up intentionally to put on the appearance of popularity. Besides, I'd be far more inclined to complain about a long lineup than a short one! Have you ever been to Disney World?!
I also welcome the added variety of a new downtown multiplex; sometimes AMC plays movies I missed the first time around, or can't find elsewhere, and it's nice to have the option of going to an AMC downtown, since I don't have a car and can't easily get out to 400 & 7 at the drop of a hat. AFAIK, you don't have a car, either, so I'd think you'd welcome some pedestrian variety. Yeah, maybe it's pandering to the masses, but if no one else is building anything cultural there, I'd rather see AMC do something with the space instead of leaving it a vacant property or, worse, giving it up to some condo corporation.
I agree the escalators were a drag, though really unavoidable in a downtown environment. I wonder if they wouldn't make more money (and engender less patron frustration) by having the cinemas a couple floors lower and putting the food court at the top. That way people would have a shorter walk to the overpriced concession stands, making them more attractive, and a longer walk to the food court, which presumably will offer cheaper fare than the food court at the former Paramount, since here the food outlets are outside the ticketed area. I went with a friend, and we both wanted popcorn, but at $10.75 for a large popcorn and drink, we balked and had dinner after the movie, instead; if the food court had been around, we would've eaten there, beforehand.
Everyone else seemed perfectly happy to shell out at those exorbitant prices, however, and if our cinema was any indication--we had to sit in the second-nearest row to the screen--the event certainly seemed successful. Virtually every seat was filled, and many of those people bought concessions, so I wouldn't be surprised if the profit made from those alone was comparable to that from the smaller crowd you'd get at a ticketed screening.
My friend, who is a video game programmer, claimed there was a lot of digital noise in the picture, and I did see some pixelation, but then, we *were* in the second row, so I think it was forgivable.
My two biggest complaints:
1. I would've expected the place to be much farther along in terms of construction and decoration than it was (given the proximity to the Grand Opening); as it stood, only the concession area, with the murals, was impressive, because I like that classy shit (acknowledging that it's almost ironic in a chain serving popcorn that tastes like cardboard).
2. As with your first commenter, David E., I was underwhelmed by the riffraff. I'm not blaming AMC for it, since anybody would get that turnout when they offer free stuff, and so I wasn't surprised by it, or anything...I'm just saying it was one of the more unpleasant parts of the experience. No one dragged me to the place.
Overall, I got to see a very good movie on a much larger screen than I have at home, for absolutely nothing. And I resisted being gouged at the concession stand, so I counted that as a victory, too. I may not be a regular visitor to the place in the future, but I can't say I'm a regular visitor to any other theatre, either; it depends who's playing what. The fact that there haven't been that many great movies out lately, anyway, has often led me to prefer quality TV shows...or, y'know, BOOKS!
@ DaleD: Thanks for your comment and the link. I'm awestruck that such a place exists today. What's stopping this sort of movie theatre experience in Toronto?
What we need is innovation, not just replication on a larger scale.
I'm very happy to see the end of Cineplex's monopoly on first-run cinemas downtown.
Thumbs up to AMC for these reasons:
-- investing in digital projection on all 24 screens. Cineplex bought one digital projector for the Toronto market a couple of years ago, and they've kept it up at the Colossus in Woodbridge.
-- $6 tickets before noon. Cineplex entered this market a few weeks ago with a.m. shows at the Scotiamount and Varsity, but at full price.
-- offering a loyalty program to everyone - not just Scotiabank customers like the Cineplex Scene program.
-- sticking with a classic snack menu - avoiding the foul smell of fast food that you get from people around you chomping away on Burger King at the Scotiamount.
I'm all for supporting Canadian companies, but Cineplex turned bloated and lazy with its overlord position downtown, and this competition is well overdue.
All we need now is some competition for the Cumberland.
Not really sure what you were expecting from a megaplex. It's big, and it's in the heart of downtown. Of course you're going to run into "throngs of teens, tourists and trash".
There's plenty of smaller venues if you don't want to deal with the crowds and the lights (College? Varsity?). This is not one of them.
If anything, tonight goes against everything said in this article. The crowds were crazy, especially the lineup out the door and stretching all the way to Victoria Street for tickets. And not to mention the atmosphere -- there was excitement in the air and vitality and most of all, smiles. I think without a doubt, the AMC is going to be a great addition to YD Square.
Sounds like word finally got out now and people are eager to check out the place, albeit for a free movie.
Wow, I totally disagree with you Roger. Dude, take your negativity some place else, we don't need it. I attended the 2:40pm viewing of August Rush and the line ups were long to get a ticket (you went when movies were in session). I love the grand layout and the 5 minute ride up on the various escalators was really no big deal. And Dundas and Yonge gawdy? Are to serious? I don't think we were at same Yonge and Dundas.
To all those who are reading this message, check it out for yourself, I believe you'll be pleasantly surprised!
Cheers,
Dennis
I was there on Sunday for the free movie screenings; I must totally disagree in that FINALLY there is a movie theatre beside the Eaton Centre, conveniently next to the TTC. Whereas Scotia Bank Centre requires a 10 minute walk from Osgoode station. I'm looking forward to AMC, but would have prefered Silver City over AMC establishment because of the Scene cards and cheaper tickets
That's pretty awesome! I live in Missauga and go Downtown once in a while. When I do go to the theatres downtown, I don't know where they are! Scotiabank Theatre is the ONLY one I know thats Downtown and while not too bad and I don't mind the walk, this AMC 24 Younge-Dundas Square is in the heart of all the action with Eatons Centre shopping just across and great restaurants around it! it's Perfect! I too prefer AMC over Cineplex, just a very clean facilities and more independent movie selections with great auditoriums and sound.
PLUS you haven't seen a movie until you see it on a theatre SCREEN and on DIGITAL PROJECTION! Amazing!
I was interested to hear about the state of the ads. That is to say, I no longer visit the Scotiabank because I don't want to attend a 20-minute advertising session at the scheduled movie start time (I timed it). Yes, for a 7:30 movie, the movie opening starts around 7:50, after you've watched ten or so minutes of ads for random products (shampoo, soda, zit cream, telephones) and ten or so minutes of ads for movies. If I wanted to watch ads... I'd watch broadcast TV. The $13.95 is supposed to be for an ad-free experience, or so I continue to believe. Anyway, I decided that the cost-benefit ratio sucked, so I no longer go there.
So, how many ads is this AMC showing before movies? If the answer is "zero", I'll go there often.
Looks like someone hates the Eaton Centre/Yonge and Dundas area. The negativity was a bit much in this one don't you think?
The square is finally looking like a place to be. If you ask me I would have placed a screen or two in certain areas. Not gaudy at all, but I guess if you prefer bland or "free space" then it's not your cup of tea.
Secondly, I don't recall there being trash in the Eaton Centre. Even on the busiest of days, the Eaton Centre is quite clean (especially when you consider the amount of kids that go through it).
As for the Theatre itself I think it's a lovely place to be inside. Probably start going to watch movies there from now on instead of Paramount.
Here is a link for the film schedule at the new AMC theatre starting on the 28th.
http://www.movietickets.com/house_de...%2F28%2F200 8
A truly atrocious selection of films. Any notion of the AMC Younge Dundas theatre adding anything to the local cinematic landscape is thrown out the window. Even the AMC in Whitby has a more diverse film selection than this. The film list is nothing more than the worst mainstream also rans Scotiabank disposed of more than a month ago + 21 on 3 Screens!!!!!!!
If you look at the list of films the Amc in Montreal plays, with an English speaking population of less than 100 000 it only makes one cry.
http://www.cinemaclock.com/aw/ctha.a..._Forum_22.html
It seems not a single one of the 24 screens will be reserved for any independent/foreign/arthouse fare. Secondly these types of films are available only in the Superior 35mm format so it is safe to assume this situation is permanent. Truly sad for a city and its film culture to be subjected to this gross homogeneity.
Edit/Delete Message
It's posts like this that will ensure that "blogging" will never be taken seriously. It's just a slanted opinion piece. Passing judgement on an unfinished structure is unfair. I checked it out on Saturday and Tuesday, with very different experiences each time. Saturday went beautifully, since I assume the word hadn't got out about the free movies. Short line, good crowd, excellent picture quality. I tried to go on Monday, but the lineup extended around the block. People like free things. Tuesday was also crazy, and I had the misfortune of dealing with the stragglers who just wanted to see a free movie and weren't willing to enjoy the subtleties of "The Mist". Horrible crowd. Again, I'm willing to assume these people weren't on their best behaviour because it was free. Still, the digital projection is fantastic, and since 35mm projection has gone to hell since the days of the unionized projectionists, I'm all for the digital revolution.
I'm glad to see Cineplex getting some decent competition now. I was very wary when this theatre was announced, but with the digital projection, it's head and shoulders over the competition. I hope this forces the Scotiabank to upgrade their systems much faster. However, I'm not comfortable paying $13 for a movie. I'll definitely check out discounted matinees there, but I'll stick with the Rainbow in the meantime.
Scotiabank already got digital projectors, just look at cinema 8 if you don't believe me.
www.urbantoronto.ca/showthread.php?p=166365
Wow.
Roger, you're really not allowed to write anymore articles. You can still take pictures though.
"The trash I was referring to is the people, not the other garbage."
Please elaborate. It's starting to seem you hate everything about everything now.
cmon pppl. the Metropolis is a bag of shit. It fully trumps urbanism, architecture and the city of toronto. That toronto did not impose any design standards is appalling. its a fucking pathetic building, no one can deny it.
http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/article/293729
who cares if theres too much negativism - maybe its cause this city happens to suck.
A multiplex at one of the busiest, and most transit friendly intersections in the city is a reasonable use for this particular corner. The films playing there are reasonably representative of what Hollywood puts out in a given year (i.e 20% decent, 80% crap), and they are essentially a Hollywood retail outlet. Unfortunately, the arthouse/indie crowd won't pay the bills in a venue of this magnitude.
I can't comment on the interior design, nor the quality of the A/V equipment since I haven't been inside yet.
As to the exterior: jt above is being to kind. While I disagree with Roger that Y+D Square is "a concrete eyesore" - in fact, aside from the dick security agency and consumerist invasion, the Sq is a valuable public space for hosting concerts, protests, fairs, and exhibitions. When the weather is warm, and the fountains are sprouting, the place is full of life.
The exterior of the abomination is, however, an abomination. It bears mild resemblance to the Death Star - just not as cuddly and cute. It looms over the square and its sidewalks with its horrible gray facade, and its courtside view of the Futureshop Employee Lockeroom, like a stormcloud devoid of majesty or personality.
With some of the beautiful, creative architecture that Ryerson has implemented in the past few years (minus the box above Bay+Dundas) you would think they could've influenced the design at Y+D more positively.
this is not journalism. get over yourself. have you never been to the movies before? it's the best and the worst of people in the city. blow me.
yea, The Royal is super cool, dude... but who gains more seeing Vivre Sa Vie there vs. at home on dvd? get with it. blow me.
you suck.
I have to say I went to see a free opening movie and it was great until the end. I didn't mind the escalator rides up, could've been done better... but the escalator ride out??? Claustrophobic!!! I really hope what we experienced wasn't the finished product... one narrow (one person at a time) escalator to exit the building? With the escalator hitting a single door that causes a backlog as people have to pause and open it??? People were falling back on the people behind them! It was ridiculous and the stairs weren't even an option since they'd sound the alarm... please tell me this has gotten better!
I'm with you there, Lee.
There's no good reason not to allow people to exit via a stairwell. It becomes almost a fire hazard when a couple of movie theatres let out at the same time and everyone has to cram down a single-file escalator.
Seems like an accident waiting to happen.
Couldn't you find one redeeming quality about the theatre or it's surroundings? How about the lively, bustling atmosphere of street musicians, the convenince of having a shopping centre nearby to run errands, the convenince to having a theatre so close to the subway stop,the fact that you got to see a free movie. All your complaints are actually a city slicker's dream. And many of us who choose to live in or visit Toronto are here specifically here to experience the city's stimulating atmosphere, diversity and energy. Just thought you could've been a little more objective in your article....that's all.
I'm a student at Ryerson University. I loathe all the construction that seems to be never end in the Yonge/Dundas area. The pan-handlers are agreesive and people trying to con me into buying their $5 newspapers is not cool. The last thing I want to do is "relax" in a movie theatre in the [supposed] "heart" of the city. I don't mind sitting and observing at the seats and tables in Dundas Square but truthfully, I'd rather play a game of chess with a homeless person at Nathan Phillips Square.
@Michelle
It's because the blogto crew gets paid to bitch and whine like a bunch of old ladies. If they post too much positive news people will stop reading and they'll be out of work.
I saw I Am Legend for free. It was fun going. The lines moved quickly, the crowd was well-managed and the theatre was big enough such that we could find seats together. The seats themselves were very comfortable and the couple-friendly design was a nice surprise that makes it the top theatre in the city.
probably the worst looking building in toronto, but im not suprised its sponsored by toronto life, they have no taste.
how many years did they spend to put that up? what is wrong with this city. STARBUCKS / FUTURE SHOP = trash
p.s could the texture on those carpets be any more tacky? they make me want to puke out that stale popcorn they were serving there all night.
Holy crap... Came over to read review of a theater and instead found some bitter piece of crap barrelly passable as bathroom wall art. Whoever it was that pissed in your cerial, I'm sure it wasn't AMC.
Your cheap shots at Eatons (which btw most of the time is spotless clean) and Dundas Square further discredit your already lacking "review" (and yes, these are air quotes).
Myabe instead of focusing on the urin in your cerial you should pay attention to the subject you are trying to review. Not a word about seating or theaters themselves. Nothing was said about the theater or sound.
Sad little scribble, that's what it is. I suppose you and the idiot above who didn't like the carpets could go around together reviewing surroundings of other theaters and how great their buildings look.
I love the theatre... I hate the woeful lack of blockbuster new releases there! Sure they have Iron Man playing every half hour... but that's it. No Indiana Jones? (Just bitter because I live a block away and have only wanted to see 1 movie playing there.)
Why is Indiana Jones not playing? That makes no sense to me. I know that Cineplex is not that far away (Under 2 KM) but this is a very busy city I?m sure you could show it at 2 movie theaters and still make a lot of money!!
I went in today and asked why they had such a crappy selection of 8 week old movies, and was told they are not allowed to show any movie that the Paramount is showing. With that as their business plan, the place won't survive a year.
Whoever wrote this article is nuts and judging from the way he talked about the staff there, kind of an elitist jerk. I've always found the staff very polite. I love this place. It's so beautiful, really really clean and I personally don't need to see movies the day they come out and watch them with 200 talking, coughing people.
It's not their business plan, it's the studios. Seeing that the studios think that the Cineplex is close enough to the AMC to compete, the studios will only give the movie to one of the two theatres. If AMC has the new release, then the Cineplex doesn't and via versa. It's all politics on the studios part.
@Roger,
What is your first job? If it is happen to be in the service industry, people would have think the same thing about you.
@Spade: I do not understand people who work minimum wage and especially for a big company such as AMC. Why not borrow money or start their own business? Why should I pay for their education and work experiences?
This review is pointlessly snotty. It's less a review about the actual theater and more a review about this person's personal feelings on how commercial that area has become.
He made the walk from the subway in the Eaton's center to the theater across the street sound like such a chore and never stops complaining about things that have little if anything to do with the actual movie experience.
View More Events
Suggest an Event
Join the blogTO Flickr group
Join the blogTO YouTube Group
RSS