Originally built in 1939, The Royal Cinema is an historic Art Moderne movie house located in the heart of Little Italy. The 450-seat theatre was known as the Pylon when it first opened in 1939. Over time, it's become one of Toronto's most cherished landmarks. With the threat of closure looming in 2007, Theatre D Digital moved in during the fall, seeing an opportunity to bring their unique business model to a second facility (the first being The Regent Theatre). The Royal continues to operate in the evenings as a second-run indie/art house cinema. However with extensive upgrades and renovations, it is now also a digitally-equipped screening and live event venue, adhering to the highest standards for picture and sound presentation. It is suited for live concerts, screenings, film festivals, corporate events, multimedia exhibition, and moremore...See more text
Built in 1939 and called The Pylon back then, The Royal is often the first place buzz-worthy films are shown in Toronto. It was here that cult classics like The Room and Manborg made their Toronto debuts and they've since brought audiences back in droves to great acclaim. They also punctuate their screenings with create live events, including Q&As with filmmakers and interactive costume party screenings. Their latest experiment is The Eatable Film Festival, which combines films on food with real food and drinks during the screening. Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
With Netflix, HDMI cables and Apple TV, it’s awfully tempting to save a few bucks and watch movies at home. But no matter how cheap it is, nothing compares to watching a movie on the big screen, especially when you’re hitting up a Depression-era theatre. The Royal is one of the oldest surviving cinemas in the city, giving modern movie-watchers a truly retro flavour. They also show offbeat films you won’t see elsewhere.