Halifax's iconic Oxford Theatre to close next month

Haligonians react to Oxford Theatre closure The Halifax Oxford Theatre will be open for two more weeks to give people a chance to bid farewell.

Halifax’s iconic Oxford Theatre is closing its doors after 80 years.

Cineplex said Thursday that the building at the corner of Quinpool Road and Oxford Street has been sold to Nanco Group, a local business owned by the Nahas family.

As a result, the historic single-screen theatre will go dark on Sept. 13.

“The decision to sell The Oxford was not an easy one as we share the community’s love for the theatre and respect the important role it has played in the city’s history,” said Daniel Seguin, vice-president of operations for Cineplex in eastern Canada, in a statement.

“Back in 1937 when The Oxford first opened, single-screen theatres were the norm, but today multiplex cinemas provide our guests with many film choices in one location.”

The executive director of the Halifax International Film Festival says many moviegoers now tend to prefer multiplex cinemas with a variety of choices.

"There's multiple screens and there's all these food choices, and there's a lounge, and there's an arcade, so the moviegoing experience has changed a little bit, actually, it's changed a lot,” says Wayne Carter. "I have a great nostalgia for this type of experience, because it is a bit different than the movie experience of today, but it wasn't unexpected."

Cineplex will host a special week of programming featuring screenings of iconic films that have played at The Oxford over its 80-year history. The screenings include classics like Casablanca, Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, and Grease.

The final screening will be Titanic on Sept. 13.

Tickets to all screenings will be $4.99, with proceeds going to the IWK Foundation.

"80 years of history is hard to compete with, so starting anything fresh in a place that holds this much history will be a challenge,” says The Coast deputy editor Allison Saunders.

The new building's owner says he grew-up in the area and wants to keep the nostalgia in the building as they move forward.

"We want to take that into consideration when finalizing the building and incorporate as much as we can from the name, to design, to the look and feel, ultimately the composition of the mix,” says Norman Nahas.

Nahas says they haven’t finalized any plans for the building yet.

“We are currently exploring a number of options for the future of The Oxford,” says Nahas. “We are looking at multiple uses for the space including retail, office and residential so stay tuned for what the next 80 years of The Oxford’s history will look like!”

So far, there are no plans to tear it down.

The Oxford is known for showing more independent and art-house films. Cineplex said it will be transitioning those films to neighbouring Cineplex theatres, like Park Lane. The company says employees of the Oxford also work at the Park Lane theatre, so the closure won’t impact staff.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Suzette Belliveau.