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Royal Cinema
Category: Arts & Entertainment Cinema Cinema [Edit]
608 College StToronto, ON M6G 1A1
Neighbourhoods: Little Italy, Bickford Park
(416) 534-5252
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
13 reviews for Royal Cinema
13 reviews in English
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Review from Dave M.
2/7/2012
It's so refreshing to see, at the height of our cookie-cutter multiplex overload, a cinema taking the moviegoing experience back to its most basic form.
The place is easy to find, smack dab in the middle of Little Italy, and I really dig not only the fact that the theater has 1 screen, but also that they seem to cater to us diehard fans of indy and art house cinema. At the very least, that strategy should keep out a lot of riff-raff.
Once you buy your ticket, you go into their lovely lobby area to wait until just before the screening starts. We were also warned that the film will begin very quickly after being allowed in to sit, so if we needed to relieve ourselves, it's ideal to do it before getting seated.
The pre-screening tinkle room is pretty standard. I was pleased to see the John Wayne 'Standing Tall' urinals in use at this place, and utilized that thing like a boss.
The popcorn is another department in which the Royal can hold its head up high. Perfect!
The theater itself takes you back to the glory days when your biggest concern in choosing a seat wasn't to avoid cell-phone talkers or annoying douche-canoe teenagers, but rather the height of the gentlemen seated in front of you. Granted, this theater is sloped enough to probably not be an issue, but it reminded me just the same. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that the seats weren't run-down relics of many movie moons ago, but seemed pretty fresh and comfortable. The screen and acoustics are also perfectly acceptable.
Great theater, great employees, great location. There's really nothing to complain about. Great work Royal, keeping it old school, and probably risking financial loss, for the sake of screening hidden gems for us grateful film junkies. Bravo! -
Review from Melinda M.
Toronto, ON
6/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
I like the Royal Cinema for it's fabulously alternative schedule, and it's dynamic location in the heart of Little Italy and close enough for me to walk home (in warm weather).
Some of the shows I've seen here are unavailable anywhere else in the city: The Bicycle Film Festival, The National Parks Project. This uniqueness makes the Royal a gem for me. I don't go to normal movies, I go to the Royal.
It's an old school theatre, so no AMC stadium seating, and probably no surround sound, but I don't care. It's sort of time-warpish, and the popcorn is better than at those mega-cinemas.Listed in: Places on College Street
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Review from Nicole H.
Toronto, ON
5/28/2011 3 Check-ins Here
The Royal is a gorgeous little single-level rep cinema out in Little Italy, and although I don't get over there too often, I feel it deserves my time for a review!
Most of what i've been out to the Royal for are one-off screenings, special cult movie screenings, performances, or festival films. I guess this is what they are known for, and while it does mean that i've gotten to see some cool stuff there, it has limited my reasons for visits. (I also can't comment on a regular ticket price because of this!)
The screen and sound are just fine, and there's a gentle slope to the cinema floor which means you won't be too obstructed by other audience members. The seats are reasonably comfortable, although the backs are strangely sproingy.
Other things worth mentioning - decent lobby space for loitering/lineups at the small concession stand, washrooms are upstairs and have a decent amount of stalls, even if they are crammed in Tetris-like.
A fourth star would be tagged on if there were more/regular screenings because i'd be more likely to head over to see stuff. (I guess you could consider this a 3.5).Listed in: Moving Pictures - Toronto…
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Review from susan c.
2/16/2010
The facilities are run down and once their heat was busted on a night when the temp was -9, but the S.O. and I decided to stay (and shiver) because it was the one and only screening of an obscure film that we would likely never get to see again on the big screen.[1]
And that's why this theater deserves four stars; they show the stuff nobody else does even though they won't make money from it. Also, they have the best popcorn I've had at a movie theater. It's popped fresh in clean oil and they offer real butter as a topping.
The employees are the quirky adorable types you'd see in a Jim Jarmusch film. The patrons have enough reverence for the cinematic experience that they would rightly lynch anyone who dared talk during the flick or smack on their smuggled-in stanky food. (I'm looking at you, Karl R.) We had a great conversation about the film with the staff and an audience member after our viewing. This is something you can't get at AMC Dundas or Scotiabank Theatre.
Tickets are usually $10. This venue is not good for kids.
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[1] With the Girl of Black Soil by Jeon Soo-ilListed in: I Am Not a Freeloading Movie…
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Review from Alejandro A.
Toronto, ON
11/28/2008
Back in the day, the Royal was one of the great festival cinema's in Toronto. You could catch second run movies here on a regular basis, and enjoy the sense of community. Then the festival cinemas hit some hard times, and most of them (including this one) shut down. The masses wallowed in sorrow.
In time, some of these cinemas, now independently or community run, began to find new ways to operate. The Royal installed a digital projector and began to rent its space out for business groups and private functions during the day. It was a way of during the space into a smart business and at the time I thought it was a great idea.
Since then, however, I have come to this theatre once, maybe twice, and that is because only rarely will I see regular movies being played. The theatre's plan to rent out the space became such a popular idea that more often than not there seems to be some sort of function to which I am not invited happening here. This results in me not bothering to check the schedule anymore, but if you do, you'll be able to pick out the rare occasion when you can go to the movies and... actually, watch a movie. -
Review from Emily T.
Toronto, ON
12/3/2008
On College Street in Little Italy, there is a tiny, independently owned movie theatre called the Royal. One of the few remaining in the city, the Royal is not a big box theatre. No $20 popcorn and drink combo here!
Threatened, for years by increasing rent prices in one of Toronto's trendiest neighbourhoods, the Royal has been shut down a few times during some tough times. Today, the Royal is still an indie owned and operated theatre that usually has about 3 or 4 popular films playing and is house for events such as the Toronto Film Festival every year.
This is the kind of theatre that makes you feel like you're watching a movie in the 1930s. The seats are close knit, and the room is small. The movie projector makes that rattling noise and you truly feel a sense of community and kinship with the other movie goers. It's almost as if you've all been let in on a little secret and are smug that the people outside don't know about it. I love seeing films at the Royal!
Best of all, the prices are reasonable-about $10 will get you a movie AND a snack during a matinee! I also think the Royal is a great place to bring a date if you're out for a movie. Skip Cineplex Odeon or the 400 escalators you have to take to get up to screening room 52 at Dundas Square. The Royal has a bit of culture and history and you won't lose your wallet to go see a film either. -
Review from Eva B.
Toronto, ON
4/10/2011
The Royal is still theeeee royal in my eyes.. independent from the main-stream tastes it keeps its connoisseurs coming back for more. It shows also European movies, rarely shown elsewhere in-between film festival times. Maybe obsolete, but intimate and affordable... and lovers you can still use the small seats as a pretext for embracing :-))) Long live The Royal
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Review from Ann L.
8/7/2011
The Royal is perfect for what it offers . . . indie and/or foreign films not being showed at the big theaters. There may be two different movies and are only shown once a day, but for the price it is perfect! Can't beat $8 for a ticket.
Love the atmosphere, character of an old movie theater. It is simple with friendly employees. It looks like renovations and updates are slowly being made. The seats were comfy and the bathroom is getting a face-lift.
I will definitely be going back. -
Review from Connie T.
Toronto, ON
Updated - 1/26/2009
Okay, I went back to the Royal and don't know why I gave it such a bad rap. Though it doesn't offer the great fare and community of the Bloor, it's really not a bad theatre.
And I even got used to the bouncy seats.
(Man, the free screening of Monty Python's Holy Grail totally puts this place in a new light.)1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/8/2008
I'm all for the repertory theatre cause (give me the flag, and I'll wave it), but this one gives me… Read more »
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Review from Erin H.
Toronto, ON
8/26/2008
Having seen every summer toilet flick possible, I avowed to my rapidly rotting brain that it was high time to get some culture, so I decided to go to Toronto's Independent Movie theatre, The Royal.
I know that movie watching is more about the film in front of your eyes than it is about its surroundings, but there is something off-putting about seeing a movie in a theatre that needs to drown its lobby in noise, video games, Burger Kings, and gumballs in order to get society through its doors. At least the Royal, an independently owned theatre with one screen and one candy counter, does not blast your brain with over stimulation so that it is too numb to absorb the offensively inane film that is about to play in front of it.
The Royal usually plays independent films but it also screens films that have been critically touted and have disappeared from multiplexes (probably because they were too smart for the masses). So if you are an aspiring film snob or just can't stand the much ado at the maxi-theatres then The Royal is worth a shot. -
Review from Catherine M.
ON
12/15/2008
I always wonder if the axe is ever going to truly fall on the Royal and shut down, like the Paradise theatre finally did in my neighborhood. I hope that it won't happen to the Royal but it wouldn't be a huge surprise either - unlike the Bloor I can't say I've ever seen a film there that was sold out. Maybe I'm just not hitting the right movies.
The Royal does have excellent films on offer, and one great thing is the true diversity in their programming. Unlike some other rep theatres I feel like the Royal really does aim to show films people are passionate about, rather than what is indie/quirky enough to fill the house every night. One example that always brings a smile to my face is seeing a big crowd of surly punks lined up to get tickets to the Patti Smith documentary they showed last year, talking animatedly about it even though they were just picking up tickets (showtime was like three hours away).
The only thing I don't like the Royal for is their seats, which I find ungodly uncomfortable. Part of this might be the fact that I spent the entirety of David Lynch's very long, emotionally uncomfortable Inland Empire sitting with my ass wedged in a seat that felt like plywood. I understand that space/money factors means they can't have La-z-boy chairs like your monster corporate cinemas but seriously, invest in a cushion you can bring with you! -
Review from cat k.
Scarborough, ON
4/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
We saw AC/DC Live at River Plate it was nice going to an old school theatre. Wish there were more of them
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Review from Ramanan S.
Toronto, ON
7/15/2009
The only time I head out to the Royal is when they happen to be playing some indie or foreign film the bigger chains are ignoring. It's a very old cinema, with a balcony and annoyingly flat seating. It's really not an ideal venue to watch movies in, but when there is no where else to go, what can you do? You generally don't have to worry about people talking through the film or otherwise acting like idiots. The cinema is normally (barely) filled with movie enthusiasts. You would be wise to pay attention to what's showing at the Royal, in case something obscure is screening. I wouldn't go to the cinema to see a film you could see elsewhere. (Well, unless you really like supporting indie theatres.)
