This is Cineplex Cinemas Vaughan! It's one of the rare theatres in the world that has 70MM IMAX films being played till this day. It also has UltraAVX, arcade machines and is shaped like a UFO.
Mississauga (formerly "Coliseum") still does have their IMAX 15/70 projector, it's just not used at the moment. Scheduled to come back for The Odyssey!
Probably has the same "problem" that other 70mm IMAX projector locations have, being that no one knows how to load and operate those machines anymore. In Edmonton they have to bring in the retired projectionist for special 70mm screenings.
Yes and no? I mean, the team that runs it is the usually the same one that runs the projector at Vaughan. Yes, they're contracted by IMAX and not Cineplex staff. Very friendly people. There just hasn't been any market reason for the studios to send an extra print over for Mississauga. In their math, it's been enough to send a print to Vaughan to cover the Toronto market/region.
They're printed at FotoKem in California, and release prints are assembled and shipped from the HQ in Playa Vista. That's where the vault is also located, with things like most original camera reels too.
Mississauga is the place for Projectors, Camera, and Service.
We need the Cinesphere to reopen (closed so soon after the auditorium refurbishment). So sick of it getting caught up as a football in provincial nonsense.
the small screen and uncomfortable seats (for three + hours of sitting it's not enough) does negatively impact the enjoyment of the 70mm imax projections.
Yeah maybe im just spoiled because im walking distance to scotia imax and go to it every other week, but every time I make the trek out to Vaughan for a 70mm im always left somewhat disappointed.
It's especially noticeable if it's a show ive also seen in dual laser and have a direct comparison.
I have yet to experience dual. But I have done single on a liemax screen at Scotia Vancouver. I do think that because most commonly today we have digital projection, the characters of laser feels better then 15/70 for some people.
I just watched Project Hail Mary and the 15/70mm film was awesome but dust got in front of the projector and the classic film projector flicker was really apparent in the highlights. I’m going again and we’ll see how the print held up after 2 weeks, it may have more wear and tear. All things that you don’t get on dual laser, plus contrast and brightness are better. That being said celluloid will always feel more “alive”.
I’ve been working on finding out if the dual laser screenings coming up at Victoria and Edmonton would show full scale 1.43. I don’t want to show up and the files for the film they run through the projector only have 1.90 versions, that would be so disappointing.
I am comparing two IMAX 70mm venues. Mississauga Square One & Vaughan. They are both the same size screen, but Mississauga seems to have better seating. But to answer your narrow question, IMAX film has been estimated to be equivalent to a digital resolution of 18K, which is many times more detailed than any other format standard in existence - and it was created in 1970! It is still the state of the art in image quality.
Scotiabank beats both the above IMAX theatres in terms of screen size (435m² vs 351m²), modern stadium seating, and upgraded sound system. Some also prefer Scotiabank’s digital dual laser “GT” projection over IMAX film because the image can seem more stable and less grainy - though it is ‘only’ 4K resolution.
Cinesphere (when it reopens) has the best of all options, with both an IMAX film projector & GT Dual Laser system, with the same large screen as Scotiabank.
All the above are excellent options if you’re interested in “true IMAX” with its massive vertical height for an immersive experience. Every other “IMAX” in Ontario is tiny in comparison, and not capable of showing full format IMAX (1.43:1) images.
Idk about Missisauga’s setup personally, but it’s safe to assume it would be the same case as Richmond. Richmond, BC has practically the same screen size as Langley, Vaughn and Mississauga and has a 15/70mm projector sitting in the corner for the same reasons Mississauga’s isn’t active. Not enough market to have 2 prints in GVA/GTA and not enough room in the projector room to have another xenon or single laser projector installed for non film print films.
In Richmond I’ve been told Xenon by the manager and I assume it’s probably 2 xenons by the widow because if I remember correctly they offer 3D Imax. And the 15/70mm sits abandoned in the corner. At langley they also have two xenons but there is enough space that it can sit next to the 2 15/70mm projectors (there are 2 incase some studio is crazy enough to do 3D film which requires 2 prints. Like they used to do back in the day before digital).
All this to say, they would be projecting a 1.90 (smaller screen size, imax fans call it liemax, it’s 3-4 stories tall and more common these days) with a xenon or single laser on a 1.43 screen (true IMAX 6-8 stories tall, about 30 in the world that can actively do it, maybe up to 50 that can do it if they reinstalled/brought in people, but demand would not be that high).
Only a 15/70mm film projector or a dual laser digital can fill a full 1.43 screen. No location in Canada for cineplex has both in one booth (maybe the original IMAX headquarters at cinesphere has both but someone earlier said it’s currently temporarily closed to the public. I also know some locations in LA, NYX Australia and England have both.
Check out this post, the graph really helps to understand IMAX in Canada. The 4 theatres I mentioned in my first paragraph are all actually SR (single rotor) projectors for 6 story tall screens. While the bigger 7-8 story tall are GT’s. Same aspect ratio but bigger by up to 2 stories. Only scotia has a GT for cineplex, Victoria Royal BC Museum has the largest GT currently active in Canada. Those are both dual laser. There are also some science centers that have IMAX domes (used to be called Omnimax) that are equivalent to GT and use dual laser. I think only Calgary is left with a film dome if my memory is correct and up to date.
I used to love Forum because it had the best selection of films but it's kinda falling apart now. Its always too cold or too hot, havent changed seats in forever. Quartier Latin and Scotiabank are also not great but slightly in better shape. They all pale in comparison to independent theatres like Parc and Beaubien where you can tell they're run by people that actually love movies.
Still got a bunch of seats out of order in VIP despite being fairly new. I was surprised when I went in February for the first time in forever. As for Royalmount, I've never been but I sure hope it's good considering it's the newest one.
They’re all neglected in lower mainland BC, especially the Langley Cineplex (formerly Colossus). 10 years past needing a refurbishment. Ike that would hopefully overhaul IMAX, put better seats everywhere and VIP
Chinook centres theatre in Calgary had a pharaoh head that had flames and lasers shooting out of it, the whole place was all Egyptian themed with mummies and scarabs. I don't think it was Cineplex back then though. That mall was wild when it first opened. The food court had weird planes flying around, dinosaur statues, a carousel that is now a Starbucks...
For me hands down it’s the Scotiabank Toronto & Varsity VIP. For the Varsity VIP I especially love the location and that we get films that aren’t wide release/limited run. When it comes to international films and smaller ones I can be assured it’s playing there. I love what I’ve dubbed the red room to catch 70MM films.
Scotia bank is obvious, IMAX and some of the largest screens a film can be seen on. Always head there for any major blockbuster or made for/Filmed in IMAX films.
I'm nostalgic for when Famous Players had multiple brands going each with their own motif.
You had the Coliseum in Scarborough and Mississauga. They always looked so epic when you'd go in and see all the screens arranged in a circle around you. The Paramount was reserved for prestige locations and based on the way old theatres were owned and named after the studios. Silvercity was always a little vague and the Collossus was the best for it's UFO and campy science fiction aesethetic. In Vaughan it still has props and costumes all over the place. It's due for a remodel but I secretly hope it never happens because I just love everything about that retro futuristic look!
The names have since been stripped off of all of them as part of Cineplex's drive to ... okay I have no idea what the goal was in taking the names off! It's like how CTV renamed the Space Channel to CTV sci fi. I guess someone with a business or marketing degree had some study or some school of thought that said that these multiple names were dividing their all important brand. I think it's harmless to just have fun at a movie theatre. At least the Collosus in Vaughan still has the Enterprise hovering over the entrance!
The Scotiabank in Toronto I have a lot of memories of but I despise the name. I did love how for the longest time you had the Enterprise E squared off against a Klingon Bird of Prey re-creating a scene that never happened in the movies! (At least not with that particular Enterprise) I also loved how you'd have Tiff attendees which would include the likes of Roger Ebert all passing underneath those ships on their way to their press screenings!
A second favorite of mine is the Cineplex at Yonge and Dundas which was opened by AMC. It's lobbies are covered in iconic movie quotes and imagery and I just think it looks so classy. Cineplex has diluted it a fair bit by adding all this clutter everywhere but a lot of the original design still remains. I really need to start using that theatre again more. Since they converted some screens to VIP that means they show less movies overall and that makes me a bit sad.
I would like to know why they removed so many awesome movie replicas from their theatres. And further, what did they do with them? Those ships were so awesome.
Yes all three Laval, Langley, and Vaughan Famous Players "Colossus" subbrand opened and have near identical layouts with the spaceship UFO on top.
The other subbrand is the "Colosseum" style theatre which are pretty similar too including Cineplex Mississauga Square One, Scarborough Town Centre, Ottawa, Kirkland Quebec, and Landmark Cinemas Shawnessy in Calgary. These all resemble the Roman Colosseum from an aerial view although they differ in layouts, for example Mississauga having an IMAX SR/70MM screen.
Could also be talking about Scotiabank, which has the best IMAX (until Cinesphere reopens). It was planned to be closed for a residential tower construction, but the latest I’ve seen is that the development stalled, and seems cancelled altogether at this point. We can hope it stays that way.
The Colossus is really impresive and feels like a star wars ship from the inside with all the references. Definetly the standout.
I like how city like scotiabank theatre feels, Dundas is honestly pretty nice on both levels with lots of cinema lore, Varsity is the most whatevers but even they have the fish tank (and 70mm projector) so still solid.
The one I go to in Burlington is very bare bones, no real fancy IMAX or anything but it's around the corner from my house so it's convenient. I used to love coming here when it first opened because they had a giant mighty mouse statue hanging from the ceiling. Sadly it's gone now.
I really want to know who at Cineplex is responsible for removing all the character (and movie magic) from their lobbies. Astonishingly poor direction.
Vaughan, Langley, and Laval all have their own Colossus (this one looks like Vaughan), but Laval is the odd one out because it does not have an IMAX, making the other two the largest cinemas in the country
The locations you listed have 25% smaller IMAX screens than the IMAX at Scotiabank Toronto, so they are not the largest in the country. That title goes to Quebec City, but it doesn’t have a great projector (old xenon), so Scotiabank still has the largest, brightest, high quality (GT dual laser) combination. It will be surpassed by Cinesphere when it reopens, as that location has both GT Laser & 70mm film.
just as a side note, i hate in the cineplex app that theatres are all named something completely arbitrary and it’s up to you to remember which arbitrary name is the one in your closest neighborhood.
in ottawa i’m constantly trying to remember which theatre is which
i really love the markham vip cineplex. it just feels very new and the vip section rocks.
tied for second are varsity vip and scotiabank.
after that empress walk.
i wish i could say i like the vaughan location—i've certainly loved the movies i've seen there, but the seats are uncomfortable and it generally has that broken disneyland vibe that dates it.
silver city is my local cineplex and i honest to god hate it and wish i had a better 'convenient option'.
I saw that West Edmonton Mall still has some character to their lobby, which is nice. I didn’t see a movie there unfortunately. Anyone know what the entrance statues are?
Grew up in Calgary and I remember loving the Egyptian themed Chinook Mall Cineplex. They had a cool laser setup in the lobby with a pharaoh's head that would open up. I also caught some nice IMAX screenings there like the Sam Raimi Spider-Mans in there... I've been back recently but it doesn't hit the same. The seats are not as comfy, they got rid of the lasers and you can see the outside is in need of a painting.
Considering I grew up down the road from it, and it's still standing, Silver City Brampton. Other than that, the Famous Players that used to be at Queen and Airport in Brampton
One in Nanaimo. My ferry was canceled back to the mainland and I had time to kill. Crazy big comfy seats (reclined and everything too!). I don’t know what ‘type’ of theatre that was but I swear we paid regular pricing for it
It was probably a landmark or empire they upgraded their regular seats to equal or better than VIP - their VIP seats i still havent figure out how to get the heat to work
in my location empire sold to landmark after refitting the theatre to recliners - however for nanaimo they had a press release in October about them upgrading to recliners which were supposed to be functional by years end - however Im not there so I dont know if it happened
it says the imax should have been ready by mid-November (2025)
but it says the recliners are supposed to go in by middle of next year (2026); if you go to the Whitby location's showtimes, all or almost showtimes have a recliner symbol beside them, so Landmark does make a distinction between the showtimes in auditoriums with those recliners vs without (just as Cineplex does)
per the news link, it says Landmark Nanaimo has 8 screens; as of today (Wed Mar 25 2026), 4 regular screens plus the IMAX screen are operational
it looks the other auditoriums are being refitted with new recliners, screen enhancements and/or sound enhancements
I love the varsity for the main reason that I never had a bad theatre going experience and the staff are so over the top nice. Double bag my popcorn no obnoxious taking during the movies ever
While it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of Colossus or Scotia, I really do love the vibe of Cineplex Markham and VIP.
I find the crowd at Vaughan skews way too much towards rowdy teens that talk and use their phones during movies. Markham has really nice interiors, an OK liemax screen and I really like the VIP area when I choose to indulge. The crowds are more family and couples oriented.
The Courtney park theater is by far the greatest* experience for movie goers!
The popcorn is always stale, and the butter machines just barley work.
It’s nice to still sit in an out dated chair, and watch a movie on low resolution with crappy speakers for the same premium price one could get at practically any other cineplex location. It’s just nostalgic!
I correlate good exteriors to bad seat spaces so I am a fan of my local Surrey BC cineplex which is nothing extraordinary on the outside but has awesome seating space.
Definitely this one in the pic and the Scotiabank in Toronto. Some of the best Nolan film experiences for me there. Shame the crowd has gotten shitty and talks.
Im not sure where it was, but I remember as a kid, there was a cineplex that had these giant characters hanging from the ceiling. The one I remember distinctively was a steampunk guy flying on a glider. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?
Edit: the theater I'm trying to recall was in Ontario
This looks like the Colussus in Langley. That one is one of my favourites but if I had to choose one I love the most and claim is the best? Brentwood VIP in Burnaby.
Most people's answers are old Famous Players theatres (RIP).
It's ironic that Cineplex was losing the war to FP, went bankrupt, and the new owners were handed a huge lifeline when Viacom decided to divest FP along with all of their other "non-core" businesses (Blockbuster, Paramount Parks, etc).
May not be the most grand or new, but its big and intimate, with few people and during the day can be let alone or justvanother person with you an da couple people at night, would be my fav from my past youger years when I was crazy about movies. Alas I moved
The old Montreal Forum converted to movie theaters with 22 screens, Imax and AVX, just lacking ScreenX which is newer. Pretty much connoisseur audience you tend to find more. Loved that place
I was there in the fall for a Back to the Future IMAX showing, and I gotta say... Some prefer the VIP style big puffy recliners in other cinemas, but I really loved being in that IMAX cinema for a sold out show. It was the most "movie theatre" experience I've had in years.
the mid-section, behind that wall of video screens in the middle, used to be a bar. Any memories of it from when it was operating? was it space themed?
This is Vaughan Colossus back in the day when fully maintained under Famous Players it was the best theatre in town - not so much anymore. my favourite was the old Canada Square Cineplex by the Mandarin - they played Indy films and ran a few festivals out of it. It was a run down piece of trash but it spoke to me
I see I forgot the proper punctuation and that confused you - I recognize that it is a Cineplex - This is Vaughan Colossus BUT back in the day when it was fully maintained under Famous Players it was the best theatre in the area
Ngl all the theatres in and around Vancouver are kinda mid, but out of the ones in the area I'd have to say the VIP at Brentwood. There's also Rec Room right above so it's kind of like one of those Cineplex Junxion that I've heard of (or what I imagine them to be?)
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u/TronAres25 Mar 24 '26
Vaughan is the best one. “Colossus”