Timeline of the decline of Toronto movie theatres

1979 - [OPENING] Cineplex Eaton Centre

• "18-screen complex was once cited in the Guinness Book of World Records"
• smaller "shoebox-sized" theatres of 56 to 398 seats allowed more movies to be played in a compact space
• some auditoriums used 16mm projection while others used 35mm projection
• quantity over quality
• more Cineplex multiplex complexes would follow:
  • Scarborough Town Centre - 12 screens - "lowest seat count was 63 in Cinema #7 and higher count of 176 in Cinema #5"
  • Hillcrest Mall
  • Erin Mills
  • Warden Woods

1984 - [MERGER] Cineplex merges with Odeon

• "Odeon merged with Cineplex in 1984 to form Cineplex Odeon Corporation"

1986 - [CLOSED] University Theatre demolished

• projected 70mm six-track Dolby surround titles such as Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Apocalypse Now, Top Gun and Aliens
• "a single screen theatre that sat some 1300 people"
• "Despite a petition of over 25,000 people, it was closed when the property value became too great to continue operating as a theatre. The University Theatre was demolished in 1986 and, today, only its rebuilt facade remains"

1999 - [CLOSED] Hollywood Theatre

• projected 70mm six-track Dolby surround titles such as Tron and Star Trek III
• "Famous Players closed the theatre in February 1999, and it was demolished later in 1999"

2001 - [CLOSED] Hyland Cinema

• projected 70mm six-track Dolby surround titles such as E.T., Back to the Future and The Abyss
• "When Cineplex Odeon was granted interim bankruptcy protection two months later, the Hyland was closed immediately."

2001 - [CLOSED] York Cinema

• projected 70mm six-track Dolby surround titles such as Ghostbusters, Amadeus, Lawrence of Arabia, Vertigo and My Fair Lady
• "this two-screen theatre opened in 1969 and closed on August 26, 2001"

2003 - [CLOSED] Uptown Theatre

• projected 70mm six-track Dolby surround titles such as WarGames and Dick Tracy and later Dolby Digital titles such as The Fugitive and The Matrix
• "the Uptown Theatre was one of Toronto’s largest"

2003 - [CLOSED] Eglinton Theatre

• projected 70mm six-track Dolby surround titles such as Cocoon, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Malcolm X and DTS titles such as Stargate and Titanic
• "The Eglinton Theatre has now been renovated into a rental hall for banquets and special events and has been renamed the “Eglinton Grand.”"

2005 - [BUY] Cineplex Buys Famous Players

• "from Viacom for CA$500 million"

2015 - [DEBUT] Dolby Vision debuts in five non-Toronto theatres

• "Disney’s historic El Capitan theater is one of five theaters in the world to meld Dolby Vision and Atmos together for a mind-blowing experience"
• but no Dolby Vision in Toronto