Visited cause of Jiaoying Summers was in Toronto The staff was friendly. It was pretty spacious than what I am expected. I got their pricey small popcorn (price was expected). If you happened to bring a water bottle, they will be able to fill it up with water. read more

The Royal Cinema - Cinema Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I grew up watching Stephen Yan from the cooking show, Wok with Yan, with my mom. My mom religiously wrote down his recipes with a blue pen in her Sunlife coiled notebook that the company used to give out yearly. She'd then make these recipes. It occurred to me recently that maybe my punny nature and love for good food happened because of this man. I'm glad. Stephen Yan kept a low profile for roughly thirty years. He was lured out of British Columbia by RetroKid. They did a collaboration on Wok with Yan clothing and merchandise. They also held a meet-and-greet event a few Saturdays ago at The Royal Cinema. Here's what I don't recommend doing. The night before, I attended a Billy Idol concert. I did a lot of walking and dancing. I had to get up early to get to Little Italy by 10 am for this event I felt it all, but it was worth all of it. I parked in a small Green P parking lot off Clinton Street, which was steps away from this venue. I then had to line up to get into the theatre. Organizers did a great job finding our names on the list, getting wristbands based on the type of ticket and perk package that you had ordered, and getting the proper t-shirt size and branded chopsticks that you desired. It was great. Staff were helpful. I needed to use the washroom. Washrooms were upstairs. It's an older theatre, so it's a flight of stairs up. The washrooms were clean and surprisingly spacious. We could sit wherever, except the VIP area, unless you were one. I was content in my comfy chair. Pay Chen, a local foodie, welcomed us. She provided a summary of Yan's accomplishments and introduced Steve, co-founder of RetroKid. I love the merchandise that this company creates, from Sesame Street, to Stephen Yan. This event allowed us to buy Wok with Yan merchandise before it went public to the world after the event. Yan was introduced and got quite the standing ovation. It was great seeing him. He can still talk up a storm. He was his usual punny self. It was nice to hear what he has been up to. I was thrilled to be there. Afterwards, we could meet him and get a photo taken with him. He didn't do autographs. The lineup was long. I didn't mind the wait. My legs were jelly from the concert. I spoke to a staffer just before we hit the stage. There were steps, but no handrails. My legs were so tired that I asked if he could be my support as I went up the stairs. Yep, they were that heavy. He didn't mind. He was thrilled that I saw Billy Idol and had a great time. I met Stephen Yan -- the legend. A staffer took my phone and I got to spend a brief moment with him. He greeted me in Cantonese, asking how I was. I responded in Cantonese in the same language. The moment was magical. He was everything you hoped that he'd be. He was warm and welcoming. He was funny. He was kind and compassionate. The woman took photos of us in a hug and in conversation, and in a few poses. I shared my story of my mom and I watching his shows, and my mom jotting down all his recipes. He seemed genuinely touched and asked how my mom was. Very Chinese. Incredibly cool. I did buy some merchandise. I got a t-shirt and some buttons with his punny sayings on aprons. It was highly organized. You basically checked what you wanted on an order from. I didn't have a pen, so I asked to use a nice woman's pen who was sitting in front of me. She asked me if I was Yan's daughter. It was such a weird question at first. It was quite flattering in hindsight. You basically wrote your name on the order form and paid. I used a credit card. I then waited patiently for my name to be called. I got my order and was happy. The place had overstock on Wok with Yan chopsticks. I ended up getting another pair. Yay! I have a set. I like that you can get hot food, cold beer, and snacks at the concession stands. I saw someone with a hot dog and popcorn while I was waiting to meet Yan. The selection of wine, pasta, sardines, St. Viateur bagels, and more was impressive. You can actually dine on the patio here. It's a charming theatre. It now has a special place in my heart. I met Stephen Yan here. (350) read more

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Neat old theatre that has very comfy reclining chairs that are spacious with ample width and legroom. At the entrance their is also a higher-end grocery store selling imported foods and wine. It seems like an eclectic mix to me. And because of this entrance, I've always found trying to get into a performance a complete gong-show with security not knowing where to get people to line up, or how to get patrons exiting from an earlier performance to leave and access the merchandise booth without getting in each others way. read more

Visited the Royal for a comedy show. Pretty good service from the front, getting snacks, to being seated. Clean location. Only suggestion would be is to expand the snack/drink options to enjoy during a show. Other than lack of selection, worthwhile experience read more

The Royal Cinema - Cinema Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Came to attend the fourth annual Toronto Food and Film Festival! It was a great space for the intimate event. Clean and prepared. However, it is not accessible because it's an old building. Washrooms are on the second floor which is accessible by stairs only. Street parking only. I had a really good experience overall and would visit again. read more

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Cool retro cinema, bar, snacks and good times! All seats are good due to the flor plan

i met up with my friend and his girlfriend at the time here with someone by my side. i remember we were all supposed to see the dead don't die that day, but since there were two last minute additions to the attendees, bear and i couldn't get in. my friend also got scammed that day by some person on facebook trying to buy us tickets. i was late and i sent my friend a voice memo saying, "i'm in toronto and i'm in love and i'm running!" also, i watched the movie afterwards and honestly not a good movie read more

The Royal Cinema is a great movie theatre. They continually have special showings. I've enjoyed many great nights of seeing classic horror films brought back to the big screen. The staff are very nice and friendly. The popcorn and drinks are always very good. The movie theatre is nice and has that vintage feel, well, because it's very old. I recommend the Royal for cinemaphiles. It's actually one of my favourite movie theatres in Toronto. Also you can see from my pictures that the Royal is also used for other events like Just for Laughs too. It was also a good venue for some comedy too. read more

The Royal Cinema - Cinema Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I came to the AYAOTD reunion this past month at the royal cinema. I've heard great things about this vintage cute theatre and was excited to check it out. This theatre is OLD, but has ALOT of charm. The seats are cushy and there is some leg room however if you get a long legged person behind you your chair will shake with every kick! The screen is big and the sound quality is very good. Doesn't matter where you sit, you'll get a great view. Washrooms are upstairs and the concessions are small, but inexpensive. Not sure if it was just our event but they also gave out free water :) They play tons of cool movies each month for less than you'd pay at a cineplex. This theatre is vintage and I definitely like it! 4/5 read more

Gord and I saw "St. Vincent" this afternoon (it was good ... go see it!) at the Royal Cinema this afternoon. I've never been to this theatre but have been wanting to checking it out for many years. Originally built in 1939, the Royal Cinema is an historic Art Moderne movie house located in the heart of Little Italy. The 390-seat theatre was known as the Pylon when it first opened in 1939. Over time, it's become one of Toronto's most cherished landmarks. With the threat of closure looming in 2007, Theatre D Digital moved in during the fall, seeing an opportunity to bring their unique business model to a second facility. The Royal continues to operate in the evenings as a second-run indie/art house cinema. However with extensive upgrades and renovations, it is now also a digitally-equipped screening and live event venue, adhering to the highest standards for picture and sound presentation. It is suited for live concerts, screenings, film festivals, corporate events, multimedia exhibition, and more. During the daytime, Theatre D operates out of the Royal as a film and television post-production studio. The main theatre becomes a Dolby-approved 5.1 mix room and four picture editing suites are located upstairs. It's been years since I've been at an old-school (non-multiplex cinema) and it was nice. The screen quality was top notch as was the sound. I look forward to seeing other movies at this theatre. read more

I've come to the Royal for both movies/documentaries and once as well during Just For Laughs 42 to see stand-up. Overall it's a good sized theater and the seats are decently comfortable including a bit of recline factor. While you've gotta appreciate the old school cool factors of the place, but if there was one thing I would improve upon it's the sound system. I saw a music documentary and admittedly I felt like it was too quiet. read more

quite possibly my favorite theatre in Toronto. came here to see the world wide theatrical debut of the Rammstein: paris concert. admission was 13 dollars online, which was a killer deal given the almost 1.5 hours of rammstein awesomeness, the theatre itself has a timeless feel to it, almost like walking through the doors gives you a time warp, very fascinated with all of the old details that were actually inside the theatre itself. the seats were probabely my favorite part of the experience, they were wide and tilted back for maximum comfort and viewing pleasure. the theatre is very clean, and the staff are great as well. parking is street side with a couple of pay for parking lots in a short walking distance. transit is the 506 college streetcar and the 511 Bathurst streetcar with a short walk along college. if you have a chance to come and check out a film, or documentary here, you will not be disappointed! great neighbourhood as well for a dinner and movie night! read more

The facilities are run down and once their heat was busted on a night when the temp was -9, but the S.O. and I decided to stay (and shiver) because it was the one and only screening of an obscure film that we would likely never get to see again on the big screen.[1] And that's why this theater deserves four stars; they show the stuff nobody else does even though they won't make money from it. Also, they have the best popcorn I've had at a movie theater. It's popped fresh in clean oil and they offer real butter as a topping. The employees are the quirky adorable types you'd see in a Jim Jarmusch film. The patrons have enough reverence for the cinematic experience that they would rightly lynch anyone who dared talk during the flick or smack on their smuggled-in stanky food. (I'm looking at you, Karl R.) We had a great conversation about the film with the staff and an audience member after our viewing. This is something you can't get at AMC Dundas or Scotiabank Theatre. Tickets are usually $10. This venue is not good for kids. ================================== [1] With the Girl of Black Soil by Jeon Soo-il read more

I like the Royal Cinema for it's fabulously alternative schedule, and it's dynamic location in the heart of Little Italy and close enough for me to walk home (in warm weather). Some of the shows I've seen here are unavailable anywhere else in the city: The Bicycle Film Festival, The National Parks Project. This uniqueness makes the Royal a gem for me. I don't go to normal movies, I go to the Royal. It's an old school theatre, so no AMC stadium seating, and probably no surround sound, but I don't care. It's sort of time-warpish, and the popcorn is better than at those mega-cinemas. read more

My review is not so much of the theatre itself as much as the documentaries featured. That said, this old theatre is beautiful old. Complete with an outdoor box office and creaky old seats. The outdoor box office has updated technology and I loved the paradox of it all. There is a traditional concession stand where you can get your snacks to bring into the show. Caribbean Tales International Film festival is what brought me out to this theatre. There was a series of documentaries with the main event being a film called "Blind Stigma" whose focus was on mental illness specially in the black community. It was a very well done documentary, as were the preceding documentaries. Am looking forward to seeing more films played here. The old feeling of this theatre was really enjoyable. read more

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It's so refreshing to see, at the height of our cookie-cutter multiplex overload, a cinema taking the moviegoing experience back to its most basic form. The place is easy to find, smack dab in the middle of Little Italy, and I really dig not only the fact that the theater has 1 screen, but also that they seem to cater to us diehard fans of indy and art house cinema. At the very least, that strategy should keep out a lot of riff-raff. Once you buy your ticket, you go into their lovely lobby area to wait until just before the screening starts. We were also warned that the film will begin very quickly after being allowed in to sit, so if we needed to relieve ourselves, it's ideal to do it before getting seated. The pre-screening tinkle room is pretty standard. I was pleased to see the John Wayne 'Standing Tall' urinals in use at this place, and utilized that thing like a boss. The popcorn is another department in which the Royal can hold its head up high. Perfect! The theater itself takes you back to the glory days when your biggest concern in choosing a seat wasn't to avoid cell-phone talkers or annoying douche-canoe teenagers, but rather the height of the gentlemen seated in front of you. Granted, this theater is sloped enough to probably not be an issue, but it reminded me just the same. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that the seats weren't run-down relics of many movie moons ago, but seemed pretty fresh and comfortable. The screen and acoustics are also perfectly acceptable. Great theater, great employees, great location. There's really nothing to complain about. Great work Royal, keeping it old school, and probably risking financial loss, for the sake of screening hidden gems for us grateful film junkies. Bravo! read more

The Royal is a gorgeous little single-level rep cinema out in Little Italy, and although I don't get over there too often, I feel it deserves my time for a review! Most of what i've been out to the Royal for are one-off screenings, special cult movie screenings, performances, or festival films. I guess this is what they are known for, and while it does mean that i've gotten to see some cool stuff there, it has limited my reasons for visits. (I also can't comment on a regular ticket price because of this!) The screen and sound are just fine, and there's a gentle slope to the cinema floor which means you won't be too obstructed by other audience members. The seats are reasonably comfortable, although the backs are strangely sproingy. Other things worth mentioning - decent lobby space for loitering/lineups at the small concession stand, washrooms are upstairs and have a decent amount of stalls, even if they are crammed in Tetris-like. A fourth star would be tagged on if there were more/regular screenings because i'd be more likely to head over to see stuff. (I guess you could consider this a 3.5). read more

Back in the day, the Royal was one of the great festival cinema's in Toronto. You could catch second run movies here on a regular basis, and enjoy the sense of community. Then the festival cinemas hit some hard times, and most of them (including this one) shut down. The masses wallowed in sorrow. In time, some of these cinemas, now independently or community run, began to find new ways to operate. The Royal installed a digital projector and began to rent its space out for business groups and private functions during the day. It was a way of during the space into a smart business and at the time I thought it was a great idea. Since then, however, I have come to this theatre once, maybe twice, and that is because only rarely will I see regular movies being played. The theatre's plan to rent out the space became such a popular idea that more often than not there seems to be some sort of function to which I am not invited happening here. This results in me not bothering to check the schedule anymore, but if you do, you'll be able to pick out the rare occasion when you can go to the movies and... actually, watch a movie. read more

I've been here a couple times now for one-off films: a showing of The Room, and more recently for the Reel Asian Film Fest. No issues with it. Despite its outer façade which looks rather dated, the cinema is clean and well-maintained on the inside. The seating is on a fair incline: though not to the degree of a modern megaplex, it's not too bad. The seats are, as Nichole H. so aptly puts it, "sproingy"; though clean and cushy, I found they hurt my back after a bit. Popcorn was tasty. 10/30 read more

Hard to describe. It is bit of an old sofa slouchy feeling with some charm. I found myself here recently to catch Fatherless, a free austrian film hosted by the EU Film Festival and I loved it. read more

On College Street in Little Italy, there is a tiny, independently owned movie theatre called the Royal. One of the few remaining in the city, the Royal is not a big box theatre. No $20 popcorn and drink combo here! Threatened, for years by increasing rent prices in one of Toronto's trendiest neighbourhoods, the Royal has been shut down a few times during some tough times. Today, the Royal is still an indie owned and operated theatre that usually has about 3 or 4 popular films playing and is house for events such as the Toronto Film Festival every year. This is the kind of theatre that makes you feel like you're watching a movie in the 1930s. The seats are close knit, and the room is small. The movie projector makes that rattling noise and you truly feel a sense of community and kinship with the other movie goers. It's almost as if you've all been let in on a little secret and are smug that the people outside don't know about it. I love seeing films at the Royal! Best of all, the prices are reasonable-about $10 will get you a movie AND a snack during a matinee! I also think the Royal is a great place to bring a date if you're out for a movie. Skip Cineplex Odeon or the 400 escalators you have to take to get up to screening room 52 at Dundas Square. The Royal has a bit of culture and history and you won't lose your wallet to go see a film either. read more

Having seen every summer toilet flick possible, I avowed to my rapidly rotting brain that it was high time to get some culture, so I decided to go to Toronto's Independent Movie theatre, The Royal. I know that movie watching is more about the film in front of your eyes than it is about its surroundings, but there is something off-putting about seeing a movie in a theatre that needs to drown its lobby in noise, video games, Burger Kings, and gumballs in order to get society through its doors. At least the Royal, an independently owned theatre with one screen and one candy counter, does not blast your brain with over stimulation so that it is too numb to absorb the offensively inane film that is about to play in front of it. The Royal usually plays independent films but it also screens films that have been critically touted and have disappeared from multiplexes (probably because they were too smart for the masses). So if you are an aspiring film snob or just can't stand the much ado at the maxi-theatres then The Royal is worth a shot. read more

I always wonder if the axe is ever going to truly fall on the Royal and shut down, like the Paradise theatre finally did in my neighborhood. I hope that it won't happen to the Royal but it wouldn't be a huge surprise either - unlike the Bloor I can't say I've ever seen a film there that was sold out. Maybe I'm just not hitting the right movies. The Royal does have excellent films on offer, and one great thing is the true diversity in their programming. Unlike some other rep theatres I feel like the Royal really does aim to show films people are passionate about, rather than what is indie/quirky enough to fill the house every night. One example that always brings a smile to my face is seeing a big crowd of surly punks lined up to get tickets to the Patti Smith documentary they showed last year, talking animatedly about it even though they were just picking up tickets (showtime was like three hours away). The only thing I don't like the Royal for is their seats, which I find ungodly uncomfortable. Part of this might be the fact that I spent the entirety of David Lynch's very long, emotionally uncomfortable Inland Empire sitting with my ass wedged in a seat that felt like plywood. I understand that space/money factors means they can't have La-z-boy chairs like your monster corporate cinemas but seriously, invest in a cushion you can bring with you! read more

The Royal is still theeeee royal in my eyes.. independent from the main-stream tastes it keeps its connoisseurs coming back for more. It shows also European movies, rarely shown elsewhere in-between film festival times. Maybe obsolete, but intimate and affordable... and lovers you can still use the small seats as a pretext for embracing :-))) Long live The Royal read more

My favorite theater in the city! The royal has one screen and one screen only. Awesome cushy old school seats and an amazing old timey feel (because it is old timey). They play the best movies in the city and for 10$ a pop you can't go wrong. Check out their schedule online, they play a lot of independent/ foreign/ completely amazing movies. The staff are amazing and you don't have to put up with a bunch of D-bags like at scotiabank or yonge and dundas. This is a gem of a place !!! read more

Went to the Royal tonight with a couple of friends to see "Roar". There were three men in front of us, being very loud and obnoxious and getting drunk, making everyone uncomfortable and forcing people to change seats. We tried to "Shh" them, my friend told them to shut up, then I went and told the staff that they were drinking and getting loud. The manager came in to the theatre to check on them. He saw them drinking and then told me it was okay because they were regulars... It's important to note that the theatre is a great thing to have in Toronto. It was a very unfortunate thing to experience. read more

3 stars for the independence the cinema stands for. 1 extra star for serving beer.

We saw AC/DC Live at River Plate it was nice going to an old school theatre. Wish there were more of them

The only time I head out to the Royal is when they happen to be playing some indie or foreign film the bigger chains are ignoring. It's a very old cinema, with a balcony and annoyingly flat seating. It's really not an ideal venue to watch movies in, but when there is no where else to go, what can you do? You generally don't have to worry about people talking through the film or otherwise acting like idiots. The cinema is normally (barely) filled with movie enthusiasts. You would be wise to pay attention to what's showing at the Royal, in case something obscure is screening. I wouldn't go to the cinema to see a film you could see elsewhere. (Well, unless you really like supporting indie theatres.) read more

The Royal is something different in Toronto, a small independently owned theatre that has only one screen and a small concession stand,refreshing to see compared to the GIANT Cineplex theatres. Everything's reasonably priced a medium popcorn and a medium Pepsi was $8. The interior is very nice with comfortable seating, went here for a special screening of the Room with Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero in person the AVGN movie screening and the Roast of Ron Jeremy. I would definitely come back if I wanted to see another event or there's an interesting indie playing here. read more

The Royal is perfect for what it offers . . . indie and/or foreign films not being showed at the big theaters. There may be two different movies and are only shown once a day, but for the price it is perfect! Can't beat $8 for a ticket. Love the atmosphere, character of an old movie theater. It is simple with friendly employees. It looks like renovations and updates are slowly being made. The seats were comfy and the bathroom is getting a face-lift. I will definitely be going back. read more