By Sandra Lewrey
The local film community is feeling both excited and apprehensive about the news that a multi-screen art-house will arrive downtown by next summer.
The new theatre is slated to open in June 2000, and will be run by Alliance Atlantis Cinemas. It will follow the recent trend towards multi-screen, warehouse-style cinemas, with one exception – this theatre will only show art films.
Construction on the project won’t begin for months, but the new theatre has a future home at 135 Rideau St., directly across from the Rideau Centre.
The new theatre will also be located just down the road from the small, independently owned Bytowne Cinema. The Bytowne, which has been operating since 1983, relies heavily on the support of its members, as well as the general public, to stay in business.
As one of the few cinemas in Ottawa to cater to art film enthusiasts, the Bytowne is not used to competition, much less competition from a major corporation such as Alliance Atlantis Cinemas.
Dennis Sabourin, Bytowne Cinema’s office administrator, says he isn’t overly concerned about the new theatre, but admits its close proximity to the Bytowne could be a problem.
“We are well-aware of the threat that this new theatre poses to our business,” says Sabourin. “(But) we’re not worrying about it right now.”
He says a “more mainstream” corporately owned theatre will attract a broader audience and make art films more accessible to the public.
“More product, more audience, better business for everyone,” says Sabourin.
But not everyone is optimistic.
Gale O’Brien, a self-described “loyal Bytowne member,” does not think the concept will catch on in Ottawa.
“Art films appeal to a very specific segment of society,” says O’Brien. “I just don’t see how the idea would fly.”
O’Brien cannot understand why Alliance Atlantis Cinemas would put such an alternative art form in a mainstream, multiplex theatre.
Leonard Schein, president of Alliance Atlantis Cinemas, says O’Brien’s concern is one that has come up often.
“Some concern has been expressed over the big budget aspect of the theatre,” says Schein. “But we promise it will be nothing like the mega-theatres that are popping up around the city.”
Schein says that the new theatre will be adult-oriented, featuring a bookstore, a coffee bar and soothing classical music.