The Paramount Theatre at 503 Victoria Street is pictured at night in 2024.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Facebook/ Downtown Kamloops

Walking into a classic theatre under a lit-up marquee is like walking back in time. The familiar ambiance of the small, simple venue mixed with the aroma of buttered popcorn can invoke good memories and nostalgia.

Cinemas have been communal hubs since the early 1900s, drawing spectators into the magic of film. Many have shut down over the decades or have been replaced with modern multiplexes. Those remaining are cultural landmarks that reflect the history and social texture of a town.

There are not a lot of the relics still in operating in Kamloops and the Okanagan. 

“Theatres are closing down all across North America, it’s not an easy business to run, it takes a lot to keep the doors open,” Kamloops Film Society executive director Colette Abbott.

The society runs the Paramount Theatre which is the oldest operating theatre in Kamloops, which has been a cultural fixture since first opening in 1955. It was a thousand-seat single auditorium cinema until 1979 when it underwent renovations to turn it into two cinemas, one with 480 seats and one with 280 seats.

Abbott said the venue at 503 Victoria Street still looks similar to what it did decades ago.

“It looks pretty similar from the outside, with the same neon sign and the marquee showing what movies are playing at night,” she said. “Not a lot has changed inside. We still have the original seats in the auditoriums, it’s a bit of a trip down memory lane when you enter the theatre doors.”

A popcorn machine is pictured at The Towne Theatre in Vernon in 2022.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Facebook/ C. Cretors and Company

Keeping a historic theatre operating isn’t easy. The film society took over the theatre in 2019 after the previous owners, Landmark Cinema, put the building up for sale.

“Thankfully there were a few visionaries in the community who didn’t want to lose it as it provides so much wonderful access to film,” Abbott said. “There was someone with the city that met with Ron Fawcette, the founder of the Kelson Group, and he purchased the building to save it with the intention our society would operate it.”

The film society is a registered non-profit that relies on donations, government grants and fundraising to keep the vintage theatre running.

“We don’t just show movies, we have to distinguish ourselves from the bigger blockbuster cinemas and from the movies people can access at home on their phones or televisions,” she said. “We build events around the screenings and often partner with community partners and sponsors. People can watch a film and connect afterwards to talk about it." 

One of the oldest remaining classic theatres in the Okanagan is the Vernon Towne Theatre in the city's downtown.

The movie theatre originally opened as a dance hall in 1929 before being converted to a cinema in 1938. Initially called the Capitol Theatre, the venue had numerous different operators over the decades.

“It has become a beloved institution in the region, holding memories from generations of Vernonites,” reads the theatre website.

Much like the Paramount Theatre in Kamloops, the Vernon Towne Theatre faced the risk of closure in recent years.

In 2021, a community campaign called Save Our Towne raised funds through the non-profit Okanagan Screen Arts Society to take over management of the theatre.

It has become a community and arts hub offering numerous events including film screenings, comedy shows, live music, Indigenous arts evenings, youth nights and anime nights. Event proceeds go to bursaries for youth pursuing arts education, and to preserving and maintaining the theatre.

The oldest theatre in the province, and the country is the Patricia Theatre at  5848 Ash Avenue in Powell River. It was built in 1913 and replaced at a new location down the street in 1928. The single screen independent cinema shows first run movies and art films with traditional theatre organ music playing before each show. Burlesque shows, theatre performances and weddings are a few of the events happening there today.

The Kamloops Film Society is gearing up to host the 4th Annual Stseptékwles re Sk’elép Indigenous Film Festival running at the end of September. 

"This is a collaboration where we've partnered with the local Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc to put on a three day film festival, we're really looking forward to that event," Abbott said. "The theatre is really about building community.”

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