Vintage BC movie theatre is the longest-running cinema in Canada

Daniel Chai/Daily Hive

Movie lovers looking to watch the next Hollywood blockbuster in a historic setting should make plans to visit the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia.

Powell River, the largest community in the region, is also home to the Patricia Theatre, renowned as the longest-running movie theatre in Canada.

Just days before the Patricia was set to close for a month to facilitate restorations, we attended a screening of If to get the full vintage movie-going experience.

Daniel Chai/Daily Hive

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The “first” Patricia Theatre was opened in 1913 for both motion pictures and live entertainment, with its current building opening on Ash Avenue in Powell River’s Townsite in 1928.

Patricia Theatre was designed by acclaimed architect Henry Holdsby Simmonds, who also designed Vancouver’s Stanley Theatre and a dance pavilion for the Pacific National Exhibition among many other buildings.

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The qathet Film Society, which took ownership of the theatre in 2021, described the building as “an example of the Spanish Revival expression of the Arts and Crafts movement.”

“In addition, it is one of only a handful of surviving atmospheric theatres in all of Canada, where the architectural elements and ornamentation evoke a sense of being outdoors,” the society said on its website.

qathet International Film Festival, 3 Ears Indigenous Film Festival, a youth film camp, and many other live events also call the theatre home.

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Patricia Theatre currently houses 260 red velvet movie chairs salvaged from the Orpheum in Vancouver. The chairs from the 1940s are being removed for new seating with better support and cupholders.

Also being touched up are the giant murals all around the auditorium showcasing nature scenes and glamorous peacocks.

The original John Girvan murals were painted over in the ’50s, though Powell River artist Whitney La Fortune led volunteers in recreating them for a new generation of film lovers. La Fortune will return this month to freshen up the artwork.

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No visit to a movie house is complete without your favourite candy bar, soda, and buttery popcorn. The lineup of families eagerly awaiting their snacks spilled out into the lobby.

And how was If, written and directed by John Krasinski and starring Ryan Reynolds and Cailey Fleming? Judging by the laughs of the children in the audience, it’s a big hit.

Daniel Chai/Daily Hive

A grand reopening celebration is being planned for the Patricia Theatre on July 1.

With files from Kenneth Chan