Boite Noire, a haven for Montreal cinephiles, closing down

CTV Montreal: Cinephile’s haven closes down La Boite Noire thought it could defy trends and stay open, bu the video rental store finally closed today.

A favourite spot for Montreal's cinephiles is closing for good.

Since 1986, the Boite Noire has offered a carefully scrutinized selection of cult films available for rental.

The store filed for bankruptcy protection in 2013, but owner and founder François Poitras now says it's just not possible to go on.

"The movie rental is at the end, it's not just the Boite Noire," Poitras said.

La Boite Noire's focus was not on new releases, but on rare, old and collector’s movies. From Fellini to Goddard, titles were classified by director. Entire sections were devoted to rare international films and fans of off-beat genres could usually find whatever they were looking for.

The business's inventory of 39,000 films and television series will officially go on sale Friday at 11 a.m.