Historic Edmonton theatre to celebrate 85 years with movie marathon

Edmonton's only operating historic movie theatre, the Garneau Theatre, is celebrating a major milestone Friday. CTV News Edmonton's Connor Hogg reports.

Edmonton’s only operating, independent movie theatre is celebrating a major milestone on Friday, as the Garneau Theatre is set to blow out the candles for its 85th birthday with a special movie marathon.

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The ‘One Helluva Night’ 85th anniversary event will feature six iconic movies, and run from 7 p.m on Friday to 7 a.m. on Saturday. Organizers say there will be door prizes and a free breakfast at the end for those who make it through the 12-hour marathon.

“There’s so many old theaters that have come and gone in this city, and I think it’s pretty special to have a place like this that still exists,” Dan Smith, with Metro Cinema, told CTV News Edmonton on Thursday.

The Garneau Theatre first opened in 1940 in Old Strathcona, with close proximity to the University of Alberta campus and the commercial area of Whyte Avenue. Several operators have come and gone over the years, including Famous Players and Magic Lantern, with Metro Cinema currently operating the theatre since 2011.

The non-profit says it relies heavily on the community to keep the lights on in the single-screen theatre, which Smith said is an “anomaly” in the movie industry.

“We run based on donations (and) public funding that really help run this place,” he explained. “It makes this a community place like … it’s everybody’s theatre, which is kind of nice.”

Smith added that they continue to sell out on some nights, like the recent screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

“You get the big screen, you get the big sound, and you get theatre popcorn – it’s a whole kind of experience that you can’t really get at home in the same way,” Smith said.

Heather Noel is the programming manager at the Garneau Theatre. She agrees with Smith that the shared experience at a movie theatre is what makes the Garneau special compared with streaming services and the distractions at home.

“This is a place where you can come and give yourself time to just relax into a movie fully,” Noel said.

“People come here with friends, they talk in the lobby after, share a drink, and kind of have a reflective experience and a social experience at the same time.”

Noel described working at the Garneau Theatre as a “dream job,” having previously worked in a video store. She said they focus on playing an assortment of films for all different types of movie-goers.

“There’s always going to be something that’s for you, and then there’s always going to be something that maybe you didn’t know is here for you yet,” she said. “Like if you take a chance … you might find that there’s this whole world of film.”

Smith said they hear stories from ticket holders saying the Garneau Theatre houses special memories for them – from first dates to first movies – and he said the building has “multi-generational importance” in the city with 85 years of history.

As for the secret to the theatre’s longevity when others have closed their curtains in Edmonton, Smith said the answer might not be so simple.

“Maybe there’s just a magic-something about it that’s keeping it going. It’s hard to say.”

Tickets for the anniversary movie marathon can be purchased online.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Connor Hogg