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The Revue Cinema got its Hollywood ending.
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The Revue Film Society, the non-profit organization that operates the cinema, said Tuesday that they have reached a new five-year lease agreement with building owners Danny and Letty Mullin, dropping the curtain on a legal dispute that began earlier this summer.
The Revue Film Society said in a statement that the new lease marks a “significant milestone in their longstanding partnership” with the Mullins.
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“When Danny and Letty Mullin rescued the Revue Cinema from closure in 2007, they embarked on a visionary journey with the Revue Film Society to preserve Canada’s oldest operating cinema,” a statement from the film society said.
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“This collaboration, which included significant rent concessions over many years, has since blossomed into one of Canada’s most successful independent movie houses, fostering a vibrant community of over 21,000 film enthusiasts.”
The announcement of the new lease came less than three months after the Revue Film Society was granted an injunction against a proposed eviction by the Mullins that allowed the cinema to operate throughout the summer.
Before the injunction, the 112-year-old cinema on Roncesvalles Ave. was poised to close for good during the Canada Day weekend, sparking a Change.org petition that has received more than 25,000 signatures and support from Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro.
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Despite the legal dispute, the film society said the Mullins have “always wanted the Revue Cinema to operate as an independent movie theatre and community landmark.
“The society has not and does not endorse any statements suggesting otherwise,” the statement said. “Negotiations, even between longstanding partners, can often lead to misunderstandings, but the length and strength of our partnership with the Mullins and good faith on all sides allowed us to end up in a good place.”
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As part of the new agreement, the film society will donate advertising space valued at more than $62,000 to the St. Joseph’s Health Centre Foundation and host an annual fundraiser in support of the hospital, a “place dear to the hearts of the Mullins and the members of our community,” the film society said.
In terms of the cinema itself, Revue Film Society chair Grant Oyston said patrons can expect “exciting new programming” and changes to the facility including restoration of the heritage facade, which will begin this year.
“We are thankful to Danny and Letty for their continued partnership and support and to former Toronto mayor John Tory for his mediation efforts, which were of huge help in arriving at this successful result,” Oyston said. “We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported the Revue and we look forward to many more years of cinematic magic.”
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