Montreal's Imperial Cinema may close its doors in January — unless more funding comes through

Strapped for cash and in need of repairs, Montreal's Imperial Cinema, a heritage building and regular venue for film premieres and festivals, may soon close its doors for good on Jan. 31 unless it says it's handed a lifeline by the federal government.

Nestled on Bleury Street in downtown Montreal's Quartier des Spectacles, the landmark cinema welcomed audiences for the first time in 1913 and formerly housed a vaudeville theatre but has fallen on difficult financial times.

Over the last six years, the Imperial has been able to count on $8.5 million in aid from Quebecor, but the media company — which recently announced it was laying off 547 employees at TVA — is pulling the plug on its monetary support.

Imperial Cinema board member Benoit Clermont says the cinema has been looking for funds to complete major renovations since 2017. Its lighting and audio systems need to be changed but perhaps its biggest issue is its leaking roof.

Currently, Clermont says the venue is open for business but only in a limited capacity due to its state of disrepair, leading to yearly deficits, which Quebecor used to help with.

"If there is no renovation made to the theatre, we will have to close it because it will not be at least financially viable," he said.

According to the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Imperial will receive $1 million over two years starting in 2025.

'If there is no renovation made to the theatre, we will have to close it because it will not be at least financially viable,' said Imperial Cinema board member Benoit Clermont. (Radio-Canada)

But Clermont doesn't think that will be enough.

Although the Quebec government is helping out with a $5.6-million commitment and talks with the city of Montreal are going well, he says the federal government needs to step up to the plate and at least match the province's contribution.

The office of the Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge told CBC that the minister understands the difficulties caused by the loss of a private investor, saying it will continue with its plan to the keep the cinema afloat.

"As a government, we have committed to supporting the Cinéma Impérial through a contribution in the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, which was designed to support key projects by organizations," it said in a statement.

Guilhelm Caillard, managing director of Cinemania Film Festival, says the Imperial has helped bring in audiences and 2023 has been the best year so far for Cinemania. (John Ngala/CBC)

Film festival success 

The building may have played a prominent role in Montreal cinema in the past, but it is also bringing in viewers in the present, says Guilhelm Caillard, managing director of the Cinemania Film Festival.

He says the Imperial has served as the venue for reinvigorating and reconnecting audiences with the magic of the big screen.

"This year Cinemania reached its best performance ever with 100,000 entries in 12 days, so it was our best success in our history. We have [rediscovered] the link between the audience and Cinemania, and this link is specifically the Imperial Cinema," Caillard said, adding the film festival has organized 800 screenings at the venue since 2006 and welcomed 600 international guests.

Like Clermont, Caillard is asking the federal government to step up and save the space.

"If it dies, it is the cultural scene of Montreal which is dying in it," he said.

"We are sending them a message today. The Imperial must not disappear. It is one of our jewels."

Other than Cinemania, the Imperial also hosts the Fantasia International Film Festival and the Festival du nouveau cinéma. For years, it was a main venue for the now defunct Montreal World Film Festival.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, the Fantasia International Film Festival, expressed its dismay.

Keeping the venue alive

Dinu Bumbaru, policy director at Heritage Montreal, also describes the cinema as a "jewel," one that was declared a heritage building over 10 years ago by the Quebec Culture Ministry because of its grandeur and cultural significance.

Bumbaru says both the building's interior and exterior are wonderfully designed and retain much of its character from when it first opened its doors over a century ago. But protected status isn't enough to keep the venue a living part of the city.

"The Imperial is a beautiful building. It has a history, but it's not an object that you put in a museum," he said.

"The question [is not] whether it's a heritage or not. The issue at this point is really how we keep it — not as an artifact … but as a living venue."