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67-648: Opened in August 1920, the theatre was designed by Thomas W. Lamb to host vaudeville performances and films . The theatre was originally named the Pantages Theatre , after its first manager and theatre magnate Alexander Pantages (1867–1936). From 1930 to 1973, the theatre was named the Imperial Theatre , and, following the 1973 multiplex renovations, was renamed the Imperial Six . In 1989,

134-472: A 17-year-old actress named Eunice Pringle . Pantages was originally convicted and sentenced to 50 years in prison, but his conviction was overturned on appeal. Despite this, the scandal and legal costs severely harmed Pantages. As a result, he was forced to sell his theatres and other assets. In 1930, Famous Players assumed complete control of the venue. The theatre was renamed the Imperial Theatre , and began only showing movies. This continued until 1972, when

201-607: A duopoly, and choking off the film supply so smaller theatres could not show the same products. Cineplex's control over the market allowed them to increase prices. They were criticized, including by Mayor Ed Koch , for raising ticket prices from USD$ 5 to USD$ 7 in New York City. In April 1998, Cineplex Odeon Theatres merged with New York City -based Loews Theatres (founded in 1904 by Marcus Loew ) to form Loews Cineplex Entertainment . Alliance Atlantis purchased Cineplex Odeon Films assets along with its home video division

268-621: A merger between Canadian Theatres and Odeon Theatres of Canada in 1978. Theatres formerly operated by the company are now operated by Cineplex Entertainment in Canada and as AMC Theatres in the United States. Nathan Nathanson attempted to create a theatre chain with Fox Film , but was unable to due to the company entering receivership . Nathanson returned to the board of Famous Players and became its president in May 1933, resulting in

335-526: A new theatre chain while serving as president. His brother, Henry Nathanson, formed Odeon Theatres in April 1941. It initially started with four theatres in Vancouver and expanded using equal partnerships with Henry Morton's four theatres, Jack Barron's theatre, and Henry Friedman's theatre which were later bought out. Famous Players sued Nathan over the ownership of Regal Films, managed by Henry, in 1942, but

402-690: A private summer home in the Adirondacks in the village of Elizabethtown, New York . The house, which is still extant as a residence, is situated on the Boquet River . The eight-bedroom manor, referred to today as Cobble Mountain Lodge, is a shingle and cobble stone design marked by the inclusion of a stone turret. Cineplex Odeon Corporation Cineplex Odeon Corporation was one of North America 's largest movie theatre operators and live theatre, with theatres in its home country of Canada and

469-491: A theatre". Shortly thereafter, Rakas approached Famous Players' main rival, Cineplex Odeon with an offer to take over the lease. On May 30, 1986, Cineplex CEO Garth Drabinsky met with Rakas and quickly signed the lease. The following day, Cineplex Odeon seized control of their part of the Imperial Six building. This effectively locked Famous Players out of the theatre offices, some of the projection booths, and some of

536-568: A vaudeville venue in Toronto. The Toronto theatre was the easternmost house of the Pantages Theatre Circuit. The venue, which was named the Pantages Theatre , was designed by theatre architect Thomas W. Lamb and was the largest cinema in Canada at the time (originally 3,373 seats). Although construction of the theatre was commissioned by Famous Players founder Nathan L. Nathanson, Pantages managed and booked performances for

603-971: The Boston Opera House ), Warner's Hollywood Theatre (1930) in New York (now the Times Square Church ), the Hippodrome Theatre (1914) in Baltimore, and the Loew's Ohio Theatre (1928) in Columbus, Ohio. Among Lamb's existing Canadian theaters are the Pantages Theatre in Toronto (1920) (now the Ed Mirvish Theatre ). and Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres . The Cinema Treasures website, which documents

670-640: The CAA Theatre . The sponsorship included naming rights to the Mirvish Theatre, renaming it the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre . The agreement also allowed for CAA-branded lounges at Mirvish's properties, as well as promotions for CAA members. Theatre critic J. Kelly Nestruck criticized the agreement in a Globe and Mail editorial, citing the possibility of confusion between the venues due to their shared naming rights. On May 31, 2022,

737-670: The Sherman Antitrust Act if they did not provide first-run films to the Beverly Center. The first Cineplex location, an 18-screen complex in the basement of the Toronto Eaton Centre , earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest cinema at the time of its opening. In July 1982 they opened their first theater in the United States, with a 14-screen multiplex in

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804-517: The Toronto Fire Department . However, on the theater's planned premiere night, December 10, 1987, approximately 500 people, mainly Cineplex Odeon employees and stockbrokers, saw dozens of workmen file In and out of the lobby with electrical equipment and tools, bricklayers scrambling up scaffolding on the outside of the building with buckets of wet cement and a number of city officials, policemen and lawyers marching back and forth from

871-612: The United States . The Cineplex Odeon brand is still being used by Cineplex Entertainment at some theatres that were once owned by the Cineplex Odeon Corporation, with newer theatres using the Cineplex Cinemas ( French : Cinémas Cineplex ) brand. The company was the result of Cineplex Corporation in 1984 purchasing and merging with Canadian Odeon Theatres , which itself was the result of

938-646: The 1916 Rialto Theatre and the 1917 Rivoli Theatre , all in Times Square , set the template for what would become the American movie palace. Among his most notable theaters are the 1929 Fox Theatre in San Francisco and the 1919 Capitol Theatre in New York, both now demolished. Among his most noted designs that have been preserved and restored are the B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre in Boston (1928) (now

1005-401: The 1940s The Rank Organisation sought to expand into markets dominated by American companies. J. Arthur Rank became fifty-fifty partners with Nathanson on 24 November 1944. Paul Nathanson, Nathan Nathanson's son, became the president of Odeon following Nathan's death and served until he sold his 50% stake in the company to The Rank Organisation in April 1946. Odeon grew from 107 theaters at

1072-427: The 1973 partition walls, floors, fire exits and passageways. The basement underneath the original theatre floor was excavated to allow for deeper below grade spaces to accommodate modern live theatre amenities. All of the original plasterwork, some of which had been hidden behind drywall during the 1973 renovation, was restored. Architects and designers carefully ensured they were replicating the original design to restore

1139-659: The City of Toronto and further restoration of the sign. On February 11, 2020, the Canadian premiere of the popular Lin-Manuel Miranda musical Hamilton opened at the Ed Mirvish Theatre. However, the show's run was abruptly ended on March 14, 2020, when theatres were closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic . In September 2021, Mirvish Productions renewed a sponsorship agreement with CAA South Central Ontario for

1206-593: The City of Toronto listed the property on the City of Toronto Heritage Property Inventory . This designation preserves the original facades and exterior appearance of the property. On June 13, 1988, the property was designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act , resulting in heritage protection for the theatre. Productions are listed by the year of their first performance. Thomas W. Lamb Thomas White Lamb (May 5, 1870 – February 26, 1942)

1273-520: The Ed Mirvish Theatre re-opened with the Canadian production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child . The theatre underwent an estimated $ 5 million renovation to transform it into an intimate theatre for the open-ended run of the play. The renovations included new faux walls, seating, repainted walls and added decor to create an immersive theatrical environment. The renovation project was led by Toronto-based architect Athos Zaghi. On October 1, 1979,

1340-617: The Imperial Theatre closed for renovations. The final movie that played at the theatre was The Godfather . In 1972, the Imperial Theatre underwent renovations to be divided into six separate cinemas. The design was managed by Toronto architect Mandel Sprachman. In the theatre, much of the interior was retained while dividing the theatre into six cinemas: In addition, the gold leaf and faux marble balustrades were painted over with bolder colours - yellow, red, blue, black, and silver. The walls were now carpeted in red and blue. On

1407-559: The Opera . The musical's original cast starred Colm Wilkinson as The Phantom and Rebecca Caine as Christine Daaé. In 1999, Kiss lead singer Paul Stanley played The Phantom for several months, until the show's closing. On April 13, 1998, Drabinsky stepped down as CEO of Livent. He was replaced in the role by Michael Ovitz, who now owned a controlling stake in the company. After finding what were considered "serious accounting irregularities", Drabinsky and Gottlieb were suspended and Livent

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1474-418: The Pantages Theatre to their subsidiary, Live Nation , owners of Broadway Across Canada and Broadway Across America . After unsuccessfully attempting to run a theatrical subscription series at the theatre, Mirvish Productions entered into a lease agreement with Live Nation in 2001. This agreement allowed Mirvish to present productions at the venue and awarded him naming rights to the theatre. A key part of

1541-538: The TV screens and technical problems. In 1973, the venue was officially re-opened by Mayor David Crombie . Following the renovations, the theatre was renamed the Imperial Six . Throughout the 1970s and into the early 1980s, the Imperial Six was a financial success for Famous Players. The theatre played all of the big theatrical releases, which included all of the James Bond and Rocky movie releases. The Imperial Six

1608-480: The agreement was that the deal gave Mirvish Productions the right of first negotiation should the theatre ever be put up for sale. In September 2001, Mirvish Productions started their tenancy at the theatre, which then became known as the Canon Theatre as part of a naming rights agreement with Canon Inc. . The first production presented was a touring production of Saturday Night Fever , which played at

1675-410: The case was dismissed in 1948. Nathan attempted to hire Nat Taylor , but he rejected Taylor's demands and Taylor was instead hired by Famous Players to manage 25 theatres. Nicholas Schenck , the president of Loews , whose company owned Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer met with Nathanson, Fitzgibbons, Balaban, and other people in New York to allocate MGM films between Famous Players and Odeon months after Odeon

1742-402: The cinemas that they were still able to access at the venue. After Famous Players complained about a fire risk posed by the renovations made by Cineplex Odeon, Toronto building commissioner Michael Nixon imposed a stay on all activities in the theatre on December 7, 1987; the next day, however, District Court Judge Drew Hudson said renovations and planned opening could go ahead with the approval of

1809-413: The cinemas. The Supreme Court of Ontario dismissed Famous Players' application of an injunction blocking Cineplex Odeon's lease on June 2, 1986. Since Cineplex Odeon lacked an entrance on Yonge Street, the company considered gutting their half of the building and creating a new multiplex cinema. However, Cineplex Odeon quickly dropped these plans to preserve the grand lobby, staircase, and other parts of

1876-485: The company a $ 65 million line of credit before increasing it to $ 175 million over a ten-year period in 1987. The company's total screen ownership rose from 1,060 in 1985, to 1,501 screens in 1987, making it the largest theatre chain in North America. MCA Inc. acquired a 50% equity interest in the company for $ 219 million which allowed Cineplex to purchase the equity interest from its New York investors. In 1986,

1943-576: The company purchased the Loew chain of 222 screens for $ 325 million, RKO's chain of 97 screens for $ 169 million and taking on its $ 97.3 million of debt, Neighborhood Cinema Group 's 67 screens for $ 21 million, and Essaness Theatres ' 41 screens for $ 14.5 million. Walter Reade 's 143 screens were acquired for $ 32.5 million in 1987. The company's debt increased to $ 650 million by 1989, resulting in MCA and Claridge forcing Drabinsky's resignation on 1 December after he

2010-450: The company went public in order afford its expenditures and continue expanding. 3,653,573 shares were issued with 18.92% held by Max Tanenbaum, 15.89% held by Taylor, and 19.88% held by Andrew Sarlos. Only $ 3.85 million was raised and the stock price fell from $ 5 upon opening to between $ 2 and $ 2.50 in August 1983. The Ontario Securities Commission ordered the company to stop trading shares five months after it went public. The failure of

2077-468: The condition that Cineplex Odeon never again present a film at the theatre. As a result, the last film to ever play at the Pantages Cinema was Die Hard , starring Bruce Willis . The theatre was closed on August 25, 1988. Ousted from Cineplex Odeon, Garth Drabinsky and Myron Gottlieb retained control of the theatre's property and created their own theatrical production company, Livent . Once

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2144-497: The early 1900s, theatre magnate Alexander Pantages had steadily built many vaudeville theatres, which became known as the Pantages Theatre Circuit . By 1920, Pantage's entertainment company had owned as many as 30 theaters and controlled several others. All of these venues were located across the western United States and western Canada. Seeking to expand into eastern Canada, Pantages became interested in building

2211-618: The existing interior. Instead, a plan was made to create a single-screen 800-seat cinema with their own entrance on Victoria Street. On December 11, 1987, Cineplex Odeon opened the Pantages Cinema . The first film that played at the theatre was Wall Street , starring Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen . Meanwhile, the lapse of the lease caused tumult within Famous Players, with long-time President George Destounis being ousted. Famous Players continued to run movies out of

2278-402: The expiration of Canon's sponsorship, the theatre was renamed the Ed Mirvish Theatre in honour of Mirvish Productions co-founder Ed Mirvish , who had died in 2007. In February 2017, plans were announced to relocate the iconic signage of Honest Ed's —a former downtown department store that Mirvish had also owned—to the façade at the 244 Victoria St. entrance of the theatre, pending approval from

2345-537: The exterior, the Yonge St. façade was replaced with a new aluminum-paneled front signage without a canopy. The sign featured a large circle opening above the entrance, into a brightly lit open outdoor square with bright modern marquee panels above on 3 sides. There were 6 television screens airing movie trailers on each side leading to the entrance doors. However, these television screens were later replaced by poster cases due to visibility problems with sunlight washing out

2412-421: The film distribution outlet ceased operation in 1997 and the home video outlet a year later after MCA was renamed as Universal Studios . The company also operated Live Entertainment of Canada , which was established in 1989 after they acquired Pantages Theatre from Famous Players. Livent became an independent company after an internal conflict between Drabinsky and MCA. Cineplex Odeon had grown to become one of

2479-636: The history of film theaters, lists 174 theaters designed by Lamb's company. Aside from movie theaters, Lamb is noted for designing (with Joseph Urban ) New York's Ziegfeld Theatre , a legitimate theater, as well as the third Madison Square Garden and the Paramount Hotel in midtown Manhattan. Lamb died in 1942 in New York City at the age of 71. His architectural archive is held by the Drawings and Archives Department of Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library at Columbia University . During

2546-413: The industry's annual revenues. The key to the success of the two organizations was in large part due to their supply chain. Cineplex Odeon had exclusive first-run rights to films made by Columbia and Universal Studios , which allowed them to seize a hefty market share. Controversy surrounded the practices of both Cineplex Odeon and Famous Players in 1998. The two companies had been accused of operating as

2613-737: The investigators rather than face trial in 1983, and they altered their theatrical distribution policies causing Cineplex to have better access to first-run films. After successfully winning a legal challenge against the Famous Players/Canadian Odeon duopoly and their exclusive contracts with major studios, Cineplex acquired Odeon on 28 June 1984, for $ 22 million and taking on Odeon's $ 35 million in debt. This increased its property ownership to 143 theatres, 383 screens, and 29 drive-in theatres. A lease with Landmark Cinemas in February 1985 added 22 screens. The Bronfman family

2680-436: The largest film exhibitors in North America by 1993, with 1,630 screens and operations in 365 locations within North America. At this point, Cineplex Odeon accounted for roughly 8% of box office revenues in North America, competing mostly with Famous Players in the Canadian market. Cineplex Odeon and Famous Players were two dominant forces in the Canadian film industry, with both organizations accounting for roughly two-thirds of

2747-476: The last ten years of his practice, Lamb's associate was the architect John J. McNamara. After Lamb's death, McNamara continued as an architect of theaters under his own name. McNamara was responsible for renovating some of Lamb's older New York theaters, and among his original designs was one for the 1969 Ziegfeld Theatre in Manhattan, which replaced Lamb's original building. In 1920, Lamb designed for himself

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2814-516: The leading architects of the boom in movie theater construction of the 1910s and 1920s . Particularly associated with the Fox Theatres , Loew's Theatres and Keith-Albee chains of vaudeville and film theaters, Lamb was instrumental in establishing and developing the design and construction of the large, lavishly decorated theaters, known as " movie palaces ", as showcases for the films of the emerging Hollywood studios. As early as 1904, Lamb

2881-664: The newly built Beverly Center in Los Angeles, the largest in the US at the time. Also in 1982, the company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange . Cineplex was not financially successful and its debt rose to $ 24.6 million by the end of 1982 due to loans taken out with 22% interest rates. In September 1982, Pan-Canadian Film Distributors, Tiberius Productions, Toronto International Studios, Cineplex Theatres, and other companies were combined into Cineplex Corporation and

2948-551: The next day, and Drabinsky decided, afterward, to open the theatre at 6 PM. After the opening, Famous Players then filed to have its portion of the former Imperial Six theater demolished; the request was denied by the Toronto Historical Board , which wanted it preserved. In August 1988, Famous Players agreed to sell their portions of the property (including the Yonge Street entrance) to Cineplex Odeon, on

3015-492: The north wall of the main lobby, was leased from Edna Rakas, whose family had owned this section of the property prior to the venue's original construction in 1920. On May 24, 1986, Famous Players had accidentally allowed their lease on Rakas' part of the property to expire. Rakas rebuffed Famous Players' attempts to renegotiate the lease at a rate that was more favourable to the company. Famous Players were convinced that any other company would not be interested in owning only "half

3082-544: The opening of its first theatre. The company received financial backing from the Bronfman family , Cadillac Fairview 's chair and chief executive officer John H. Daniels, and received a $ 1 million line of credit from the Toronto-Dominion Bank . The company grew to 202 theatres by July 1983. Taylor and Drabinsky also founded Pan-Canadian Film Distributors. Drabinsky threatened to sue American companies under

3149-555: The original Pantages Theatre name was restored, until 2001 when it was renamed the Canon Theatre under a naming rights agreement. In 2011, the theatre was renamed the Ed Mirvish Theatre in honour of Ed Mirvish (1914–2007). The name was amended to the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre in 2021 as part of a naming rights agreement with the regional chapter of the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA). In

3216-579: The public venture resulted in Sarlos and Tanenbaum resigning from the board of directors and Barry Zuckerman, a principal shareholder, made a $ 1 million write-down for his investments. Drabinsky and Myron Gottlieb, vice-chair of the board, increased their share of the risk and the Beverly Center was sold to TTI Movies Limited Partnership for $ 4.33 million. The company almost fell into receivership . An investigation into multiple distributors in Canada

3283-483: The rest of the board resigning in protest. Holt and Ross, who left alongside Nathanson, returned with him. Zukor agreed to give control of the company back to Nathanson after the expiration of the voting trust on 8 March 1939. Barney Balaban replaced Zukor as president of Paramount-Publix Corporation in 1936, and rejected the agreement. Nathanson resigned from Famous Players on 14 May 1941, and Balaban selected J.J. Fitzgibbons to replace him. Nathanson worked on creating

3350-399: The same year. After the merger, the company ceased to exist and was merged into the operations of Loews Cineplex Entertainment. In 1999, Ellis Jacob and Steve Brown, former executives who left Cineplex Odeon Corporation during the ownership change, created Galaxy Entertainment designed to bring big-city entertainment to mid-sized markets across Canada. In 2001, Loews Cineplex Entertainment,

3417-518: The theatre between September 5 and October 14, 2001. On January 24, 2008, Key Brand Entertainment , owned by British theatre producer John Gore , announced that it had acquired all of Live Nation's North American theatrical assets. Under the terms of the financial agreement, Key Brand Entertainment placed both the Canon Theatre as well as the nearby Panasonic Theatre up for sale. This triggered Mirvish's legal right to make an offer to purchase

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3484-631: The theatre to a parking lot in Victoria Street. Eventually, an inspection from the Toronto Fire Marshal John Bateman forced the shuttering of the theatre, declaring "it's not ready. The exits are the main problem. There aren't enough of them. No one can go in there tonight." Drabinsky then redirected guests to the nearby Varsity theatre for the Wall Street screening. The theatre installed a complete set of exits

3551-420: The theatre, which including recreating the grand staircase, Yonge Street ticket box, and the marquee and canopy on Yonge Street. In 1989, the original Pantages Theatre name was restored, with a seating capacity of 2,200. On September 20, 1989, the theatre officially re-opened. The theatre's first legitimate live theatrical production was the Canadian premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber 's musical The Phantom of

3618-550: The theatres, which the company did successfully in April 2008. This sale prompted Aubrey Dan , owner of rival Toronto theatrical company Dancap Productions and minority shareholder in Key Brand Entertainment, to seek an injunction blocking the sale. On August 19, 2008, the request for an injunction was dismissed. By September 2008, Mirvish Productions formally closed a deal to purchase both theatres from Key Brand Entertainment. On December 6, 2011, following

3685-401: The time of Rank's acquirement in 1946, to 180 theatres by 1948. Earl Lawson , a former parliamentarian and member of Prime Minister R. B. Bennett 's cabinet, was selected to replace Paul as president in 1946. The board under Rank included president of Canadian Pacific Railway D.C. Coleman, president of Imperial Oil R.V. LeSueur, and Rank lawyer Leonard Brockington . Leonard Brockington

3752-403: The venue was closed, Drabinsky underwent plans to completely restore the theatre back to its original 1920 look. Drabinsky wanted to create another Toronto venue that could attract big successful Broadway shows to Toronto, such as the successful run that Cats had enjoyed earlier in the 1980s. The architect for the 1988-1989 renovation was David K. Mesbur. Interior demolition work removed all

3819-456: The venue. The Pantages Theatre officially opened on August 28, 1920 as a combination vaudeville and motion picture venue. During the first week of the theatre's opening, there were six acts that performed, which included Sick Abed , High and Dizzy , and On the High Seas . By 1929, Pantages was involved in a highly publicized legal battle, in which he was charged with the rape of

3886-545: Was a Scottish-born, American architect . He was one of the foremost designers of theaters and cinemas of the 20th century. Born in Dundee, Scotland , United Kingdom, Thomas W. Lamb came to the United States at the age of 12. He studied architecture at Cooper Union in New York and initially worked for the City of New York as an inspector. His architecture firm, Thomas W. Lamb, Inc., was located at 36 West 40th Street in Manhattan, New York. Lamb achieved recognition as one of

3953-507: Was a major investor in the Odeon purchase. Drabinsky fired two-thirds of the staff at the head-office and the remainder had their salaries cut. By 1984, the company had a profit of $ 12 million. From 1985 to 1986, profits rose by 153% to $ 31.6 million. Merrill Lynch predicted that by 1988, the company's revenue would be above $ 659 million. The company paid USD$ 2.3 million for the worldwide distribution rights for The Glass Menagerie which

4020-609: Was appointed as president following Lawson's death in 1950. Rank controlled Odeon until January 1977, when they sold it, as Rank had stopped its activities in film production, to Michael Zahorchak for $ 31.2 million. Zahorchak combined his chain of 47 theatres with Odeon's 131 theatres. He died in 1982, leaving control of the company to his family. The Zahorchak family sold the company to the Cineplex Corporation on 28 June 1984. Taylor and Garth Drabinsky formed Cineplex in 1977, and started operating in April 1979 with

4087-576: Was credited with renovations for two existing theaters in the city: the Weber and Fields' Broadway Music Hall at 1215 Broadway, and the Dewey Theater on East 14th Street, the latter owned by Tammany Hall figure "Big Tim" Sullivan . His first complete theater design was the City Theatre, built on 14th Street in 1909 for film mogul William Fox . His designs for the 1914 Mark Strand Theatre ,

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4154-423: Was forced to file for bankruptcy protection. On October 31, 1999, the Canadian production of The Phantom of the Opera closed at the Pantages Theatre. The show played for over a decade and 4,226 performances. In 1999, Livent was forced to sell off their assets, with the Pantages Theatre being purchased by Clear Channel Entertainment . Once the sale was completed, Clear Channel Entertainment assigned ownership of

4221-414: Was formed. Famous Players retained MGM's films, but they would be distributed by Regal films. Theatre construction fell during World War II with nine theatres being built between 1941 and 1944 due to a ban on constructing entertainment facilities. Odeon expanded their amount of theatres from 107 to 180 between 1946 and 1948. Odeon and Famous Players accounted for 60.8% of box-office receipts in 1947. In

4288-679: Was launched by the Department of Consumer and Corporate Affairs against 20th Century Fox , Astral Films Limited , Columbia Pictures , Paramount Pictures, United Artists , Universal Pictures , and Warner Bros. under the Combines Investigation Act in the 1980s. An application with the Restrictive Trade Practices Commission was filed on 22 December 1982, by the director of investigation and research. The distributors negotiated with

4355-403: Was located on three separate lots, with two different owners. Famous Players owned the Yonge Street entrance, which bridged an alley and connected to the main building on Victoria Street, and they also owned the front half of the main theatre building, from the centre of the dome to the back wall of the stage house. However, the other half of the main theatre building, from the centre of the dome to

4422-497: Was recovered by selling the home video rights to MCA. The company's subsidiary in the United States purchased Plitt Theatres , the fourth-largest theatre chain in the country, for $ 136 million on 15 August 1985, which added 574 screens and 209 theatres. A New York investor group financed the Plitt Theatres purchase through a 50% partnership and the company reported record financial results in 1985. The Bank of America gave

4489-708: Was unable to raise $ 1.1 billion. The company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in May 1987. They acquired 20 Circle Theatres in Washington DC and Maryland with 75 screens for $ 51 million in December 1987. In 1986, the corporation established a film distribution outlet, Cineplex Odeon Films , and a home video distribution outlet, Cineplex Odeon Home Video (Later Cineplex Odeon Video) replacing Pan-Canadian Video Presentations. It distributed all titles in Canada on MCA's behalf, but

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