Local cinema a cultural gem that’s too precious to lose
Lisha Van Nieuwenhove
‘Roxy Theatres finally sold – developer to put five-storey building on corner of Brock and Toronto Streets’
How upset would the Township of Uxbridge be, and movie-goers in particular, if the above was an actual headline? Roxy owners Cathy and Mark Christoff know how they’d feel: “We’d be gutted. Absolutely devastated. That’s not what we want to have happen.”
The landmark building has been on the market for almost a year, and the Christoffs have yet to find the right buyer. They don’t want to sell the building on its own; the listing description says it all: “The purchase includes both real estate and the ongoing business operation.”
The Roxy Theatres, or just ‘the Roxy,’ as it’s known in Uxbridge, holds a prominent, important piece of real estate in the town, not just land-wise, but culturally as well. Its current owners worry that, if the decades-old quonset hut at Brock and Toronto Streets is torn down, a valuable piece of historical Uxbridge and the joy of en masse film viewing will be lost as well. Cosmos file photo
“Sure, we could just sell to the next developer that comes along,” says Cathy, “but that’s not we want to do. This is a piece of Uxbridge’s history; we don’t want to see it turned into an apartment building. We want to find someone who wants it for what it is.”
The Christoffs have owned and operated The Roxy Theatres since 1996, when they bought the building. At that time, it was a Guardian Drugs Pharmacy and The Cat’s Whiskers gift shop. The pair undertook a full restoration project, taking the building back to its origins as a movie house. After 30 years in the movie business, the Christoffs, who are busy not only with the Roxy but with other full-time jobs and family that includes grandchildren, are eager to retire and head into a more relaxed stage of life.
Movie theatres, however, are a tough sell in today’s economic and entertainment climate. In March 2024, the Network of Independent Cinema Exhibitors, or NICE, released a study that said Canada’s independent cinema industry was “in crisis as (it) faces mounting challenges from streaming services and restrictive Hollywood studio rules.” Large cinema chains like Cineplex and Landmark have a stranglehold on independent movie houses like the Roxy when it comes to movie distribution because they are considered “top-tier” cinemas and decide what they are going to show and when, which dictates when other, smaller cinemas can show the same films. The Roxy is a first-run theatre, meaning it too can screen the latest releases shortly after they’ve come out – but only if they fit all criteria as set out by the larger cinema corporations.
“Every Monday all the cinemas in North America contact the film distributors to book their films for the following Friday opening and hope, with fingers and toes crossed, they get what they want for their patrons. Sometimes it doesn’t work out and we advise our patrons that we are trying to get the best of the best but they might have to wait a week or two. We are fortunate the Roxy has very loyal patrons that are willing to wait to see their movies at the Roxy. We pay a premium to be a first run cinema and over the years I think that is the only way we have survived!”
Online streaming services such as Netflix, Crave and Amazon Prime have also hurt the movie industry as a whole, with people often preferring to stay home and watch a relatively new film on their own, as opposed to heading to the movie theatre to catch it on the big screen.
“We want to appeal to the live interaction between the guests at the theatre,” says Cathy. “The unpredictability that can still be experienced by people watching a film all together.”
She’s referring to the audible gasps that might elicit from a crowd after a jumpscare while watching a thrilling horror movie, or the roar of laughter that comes when a theatre full of people watches a comedy together.
In January, NICE participated in the Future of Rural Culture Summit, an online summit aimed to examine the role of culture in shaping rural futures, and how it contributes to community vitality, belonging and resilience. At the summit, NICE offered that “showing new movies is about participating in the zeitgeist — the larger cultural conversation. Just because you live in a small town shouldn't mean you're excluded from the movie everyone is making memes about online. Cinema connects small towns to the wider world. Cultural participation, not cultural isolation. Independent cinemas want to show BOTH: The blockbuster everyone's talking about AND the Canadian documentary that speaks to local experience.”
The Roxy as it looked in May 1949. Originally called the RIO, it changed names in 1951 when it was purchased by the Theatre Amusement Company. The building was closed in the 70s, and completely renovated by the Christoffs in 1996.
Photo from Uxbridge, The Good Old Days: Life in the 1950s & 1960s, by J. Peter Hvidsten
NICE, a non-profit alliance of Canadian independent cinemas, screening series and professional programmers who work together to strengthen film exhibition across the Canada, also said at the summit that movie theatres are still necessary for sharing more than the latest flick.
“(There’s a) loneliness epidemic (social isolation); youth mental health (need for in-person gathering places); political polarization (fewer shared experiences that create common ground); truth and reconciliation (importance of physical spaces), and urbanization (keeping rural areas vibrant).”
NICE also recognizes the importance of the buildings in which films are shown.
“Many indies occupy heritage buildings that are considered the physical embodiment of community When we lose these buildings to other uses, we lose something irreplaceable about the character of the town.”
Based on a search of tourism listings, repertory‑cinema directories, and regional film‑culture guides from across the province, Ontario appears to have approximately 25–35 independent movie theatres operating today, one of which is the Roxy.
“We need to think differently about what these buildings are for, says Mark Christoff. “They’re not for commercial real estate — they’re part of the cultural infrastructure. That’s why we want to sell the whole parcel. The Roxy plays a huge role in this community.”
The Roxy is known not just for showing first-run films and having terrific popcorn (selling popcorn out the door during the COVID-19 pandemic helped bring a small income to the shuttered theatre), it also hosts special events. Along with hosting birthday parties and featuring wedding proposals, it’s rolled out the red carpet for Oscar Night viewing parties. Its ladies-only Movies & Manicures nights have been popular fundraisers, and its short film festival is usually sold out.
Cathy shares that, during the World Series last year, people were asking them why didn’t they open the theatres so that people could watch their beloved Toronto Blue Jays play on the big screens.
“We didn’t want to do that because it would hurt the local restaurants and bars,” she explains. “Right here in town, Wixan’s (Bridge) across the road, Col. McGrady’s right next door – we couldn’t do that to them. That’s big money for them, and this is a small town. We have to work together.”
The Christoffs are still looking for their cinephile/heritage building dream buyers. Until the right fit comes along, however, they’re still fighting to ensure that the show does go on.
“The future is positive but precarious,” says Cathy. “We’ve got to get them (the audience) in the door.”
She says that the Roxy primarily caters to kids, their caregivers and seniors, teenagers and art film fans, describing how it’s a great place for a mini-van to pull up and unload a bunch of excited young movie-goers. But she and Mark would love to see other demographics in the audience as well, like moms and dads who might like just a couple of hours out of the house. The 16 – 22-year-old crowd is who they would love to see return to the cinema, but they realize they’re competing with cell phones and social media and overall busy lives!
To learn show times and buy tickets, visit roxytheatres.com