After months of uncertainty, Centretown movie goers are breathing easier now that the future of theatre at the World Exchange Plaza has become a little clearer.
Landmark Cinemas struck a deal with Bentall Kennedy, the company that runs the plaza, to take on the management of the theatre on an interim basis as of Nov. 1 until its lease expires at the end of the year.
The Calgary-based company also announced that it intends to negotiate a new long-term lease for the theatre.
The theatre had been in limbo since its previous owner, Empire Theatres, announced in June that it was leaving the theatre business.
Landmark already had deals in place to take over former Empire-owned theatres in Orleans and Kanata.
The deal for the seven-screen World Exchange theatre took longer because it was reluctant to buy a theatre without a long-term lease, says Neil Campbell, Landmark’s chief operating officer.
Instead, the company opted to oversee the theatre’s operation during the negotiations to extend the lease.
“When asked if we would be interested in taking a management contract, we said ‘yes,’ ” says Campbell.
“It’s a very good location and it’s done very well in the past, so we’re looking forward to the next few months and what we can do.”
The announcement was welcomed by Mary Beth Wolicky, a Centretown resident who helped organize a Facebook group to gather community support for the theatre.
“I thought it was worth expressing in a positive way that people supported having a theatre there,” she says.
“Obviously, I love movies, but it’s also about having culture and life downtown.”
The group spent months reaching out to potential managers for the theatre.
Campbell says that he has never encountered a more organized group of community members.
“We were getting e-mails and phone calls from the group. They were a pleasure because they were so articulate and knowledgeable and they made a really strong case to support the theatre,” says Campbell.
“We don’t usually get letters that come in with that tone and that structure, and we were very impressed.”
Wolicky says that it was enouraging to see Landmark acknowledge the efforts of everyone who rallied around the issue, but adds that she would like to see the theatre’s lease renewed as soon as possible.
The theatre, which has been renamed the Landmark 7, remains the only multi-screen movie theatre in downtown Ottawa since the Rideau Centre theatre closed in March.
Nearby single-screen theatres like the Bytowne, in Sandy Hill/Lowertown, and the Mayfair, in Old Ottawa South, are great, says Wolicky, but they are not as readily accessible to Centretown residents.
As the downtown community continues to grow with the increasing development of condos, the World Exchange theatre provides a much-needed option for moviegoers, according to Ottawa Film Society president Nick Ouzas.
“Venues have slowly been disappearing in the downtown core,” says Ouzas.
“There are very limited theatre options down there, and frankly, it would have been an embarrassment not to have a theatre in the downtown.”
While the deal brings with it a welcome stability, says Ouzas, it is not a permanent solution.
“The fact that Landmark has taken it over for at least the next couple of months is terrific news, as long as they can turn that into a deal that will allow it to continue operating,” he says.
Negotiations between Landmark Cinemas and Bentall Kennedy are continuing, says Campbell.
The World Exchange Plaza’s appeal to modify its development agreement with the city in order to drop the requirement for an “entertainment use” inside the building is still pending before the city’s finance and economic development committee.
According to an audio recording of the committee’s meeting in September, Daniel Gray, the World Exchange Plaza’s leasing manager, said the appeal is simply a precautionary measure in case the lease expires without a new owner lined up.
He added that finding a new owner for the theatre is preferable to converting the location into office space.
Campbell, however, is not dwelling on the appeal. His focus is on renewing on the lease after it expires.
“We are aware of it, but it’s still purely speculative at this point,” he says. “We understand what the landlord’s doing, and we’ll see where it’ll go.”