{"id":2336,"date":"2025-03-07T14:57:15","date_gmt":"2025-03-07T20:57:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edmonton-trend.com\/?p=2336"},"modified":"2025-03-12T08:45:29","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T14:45:29","slug":"the-history-of-edmontons-first-movie-theaters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edmonton-trend.com\/en\/eternal-2336-the-history-of-edmontons-first-movie-theaters","title":{"rendered":"The History of Edmonton\u2019s First Movie Theaters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>At the beginning of the 20th century, <strong>movie theaters became a true sensation<\/strong>. Before cinema, <strong>theater was the dominant cultural form of entertainment<\/strong>. Like any new innovation, cinema was met with <strong>both excitement and skepticism<\/strong>. The first movie theaters were <strong>small spaces with simple chairs<\/strong>. Films were <strong>black and white, silent, and often short<\/strong>, yet audiences were captivated by the <strong>moving images<\/strong> that brought adventure and comedy to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The arrival of the first movie theater was a <strong>significant event for Edmonton<\/strong>. In this article, we explore the <strong>city\u2019s first theaters<\/strong> and what they were like. More on <a href=\"https:\/\/edmonton-trend.com\/\"><strong>edmonton-trend<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a496d5eafa75\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a496d5eafa75\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/edmonton-trend.com\/en\/eternal-2336-the-history-of-edmontons-first-movie-theaters\/#Bijou_Theatre_Edmontons_First_Cinema\" >Bijou Theatre: Edmonton\u2019s First Cinema<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/edmonton-trend.com\/en\/eternal-2336-the-history-of-edmontons-first-movie-theaters\/#Expansion_and_the_Rise_of_Movie_Theaters_in_Edmonton\" >Expansion and the Rise of Movie Theaters in Edmonton<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/edmonton-trend.com\/en\/eternal-2336-the-history-of-edmontons-first-movie-theaters\/#Princess_Theatre_A_Cinematic_Landmark\" >Princess Theatre: A Cinematic Landmark<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/edmonton-trend.com\/en\/eternal-2336-the-history-of-edmontons-first-movie-theaters\/#A_Symbol_of_Elegance\" >A Symbol of Elegance<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bijou_Theatre_Edmontons_First_Cinema\"><\/span><strong>Bijou Theatre: Edmonton\u2019s First Cinema<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.edmonton-trend.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/03\/ad_4nxdpqbsvrvwzmb7ilgucuiyg9rpltopzt2r-uink1rj0jxdr6hp_qhompx029uv7etasq_a0io61wjjmwlnnb7udbovrc-msl2ggs9gqoxuwsoqpdelq_anhfucseengzipckkb8yqkey-upbpalq2fiom0l8kcouqvh.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>first movie theater in Edmonton<\/strong> was the <strong>Bijou Theatre<\/strong>, which opened in <strong>1908<\/strong>. It was <strong>housed in a repurposed store<\/strong> in the city center. The theater featured <strong>hard wooden seats and a manually operated projector<\/strong>, yet Edmonton\u2019s public embraced it with <strong>enthusiasm<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the time, <strong>Edmonton had a strong theatrical tradition<\/strong>, so cinema was welcomed as an exciting new <strong>cultural experience<\/strong>. For <strong>10 cents<\/strong>, moviegoers could enjoy a <strong>three-film program<\/strong>, which typically included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An <strong>educational film<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A <strong>short comedy<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A <strong>feature-length film<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>During intermissions, <strong>a live orchestra played music<\/strong>, while the projectionist prepared the next film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More than just entertainment, <strong>Bijou Theatre became an educational center<\/strong>. Audiences could watch <strong>newsreels and educational films<\/strong>, offering <strong>insights into global events<\/strong> that were <strong>not always covered in newspapers or books<\/strong>. For example, after the <strong>death of King Edward VII in 1910<\/strong>, the theater screened a film <strong>documenting his state funeral<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Expansion_and_the_Rise_of_Movie_Theaters_in_Edmonton\"><\/span><strong>Expansion and the Rise of Movie Theaters in Edmonton<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In <strong>1912<\/strong>, Bijou Theatre <strong>expanded<\/strong> by opening a second location, <strong>South Side Bijou<\/strong>. Other companies <strong>followed suit<\/strong>, leading to a <strong>competitive movie theater market<\/strong> in Edmonton. By <strong>1915<\/strong>, the city had <strong>several large theaters<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of <strong>Canada\u2019s first movie theater chains<\/strong> was established in Edmonton. <strong>Allen Theatres<\/strong> operated locations with <strong>490 and 600 seats<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among these, the <strong>Princess Theatre<\/strong> was one of the few <strong>historic theaters to survive the era<\/strong>. Opened in <strong>1914<\/strong>, it was known for <strong>screening high-class motion pictures, often accompanied by live musical performances<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Princess_Theatre_A_Cinematic_Landmark\"><\/span><strong>Princess Theatre: A Cinematic Landmark<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.edmonton-trend.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/03\/ad_4nxf_xhdtojxzf7idbvjylnqyzbez8hilx8nvlb79d6nwiqiqghh1ndq9nowjmfoqsja4uhdhrjmqf4q40nr8yc4fue6ybegowo0aqvqreawnevfqkjwci8qroruv6khfmcwgf6flrqkey-upbpalq2fiom0l8kcouqvh.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>Princess Theatre<\/strong> operated until <strong>2020<\/strong>, surviving <strong>multiple cinematic eras<\/strong>. At its peak in the <strong>early 20th century<\/strong>, it was <strong>Edmonton\u2019s most luxurious movie theater<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The theater was designed by <strong>renowned Edmonton <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/edmonton-future.com\/uk\/eternal-7864-shho-osoblyvogo-v-arhitekturi-edmontona\"><strong>architects<\/strong><\/a><strong> Wilson and Herrald<\/strong>. The building was created to <strong>combine residential and commercial spaces<\/strong>, with the <strong>cinema itself located on the third floor<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>Princess Theatre opened on March 8, 1915<\/strong>, with <strong>660 seats and a large stage for live performances<\/strong>. It remained the <strong>only movie theater on Edmonton\u2019s south side<\/strong> until the opening of <strong>Garneau Theatre in 1940<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the <strong>grand opening<\/strong>, the theater hosted a <strong>charity event<\/strong> for the <strong>Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire<\/strong>, featuring a <strong>newsreel of real wartime footage<\/strong>. The following evening, it screened the film <strong>&#8220;The Eagle\u2019s Mate&#8221;<\/strong> starring <strong>Mary Pickford<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Symbol_of_Elegance\"><\/span><strong>A Symbol of Elegance<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>At the time, <strong>Princess Theatre was considered a model of elegance<\/strong>. It was the <strong>first building in Edmonton to feature a marble exterior<\/strong>. The <strong>interior was decorated with gold leaf detailing<\/strong>, and the <strong>theater even had an elevator<\/strong>, an uncommon feature for such buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other <strong>innovative features<\/strong> included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Electric ticket vending machines<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>A projection clock displaying the time on the screen<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>A drinking fountain<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>A ventilation system<\/strong> that filtered, heated, and cooled the air, providing a <strong>comfortable movie-going experience<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Due to the <strong>rise of television<\/strong>, the <strong>Princess Theatre closed in 1958<\/strong>. From <strong>1958 to 1970<\/strong>, the building was converted into a <strong>shopping center<\/strong>. Later, it screened <strong>mainstream adult films<\/strong> until <strong>1976<\/strong>. Between <strong>1978 and 1996<\/strong>, it operated as a <strong>repertory cinema<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the <strong>21st century<\/strong>, it became an <strong>art-house, two-screen theater<\/strong>, but unfortunately, <strong>Princess Theatre closed permanently in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic<\/strong>. In <strong>2022, the building was listed for sale<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The growing popularity of <strong>movie theaters caught the attention of local authorities<\/strong>. Initially, theaters <strong>screened films without any restrictions<\/strong>. However, <strong>as crime, violence, and sexual content became more prevalent<\/strong>, concerns arose. Authorities also <strong>worried that films promoted American propaganda<\/strong> while <strong>ignoring Canada and Britain<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a result, in <strong>1913<\/strong>, the Alberta government introduced the <strong>Theatres Act<\/strong>, which <strong>regulated the operation of cinemas<\/strong>. Under this law, all films <strong>had to receive government approval before being shown<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite these new restrictions, <strong>movie theaters remained immensely popular<\/strong>, and <strong>Edmonton\u2019s cinema industry continued to grow and evolve technologically<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sources:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/edmonton.taproot.news\/briefs\/2023\/09\/20\/a-moment-in-history-sept-20-1912#:~:text=On%20this%20day%20in%201912,and%20a%20full%2Dlength%20feature.\">taproot.news<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/hermis.alberta.ca\/ARHP\/Details.aspx?DeptID=1&amp;ObjectID=4665-0679\">hermis.alberta.ca<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.edmontonhistoricalboard.com\/structures\/garneau-theatre\/\">edmontonhistoricalboard.com<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At the beginning of the 20th century, movie theaters became a true sensation. Before cinema, theater was the dominant cultural form of entertainment. Like any new innovation, cinema was met with both excitement and skepticism. The first movie theaters were small spaces with simple chairs. Films were black and white, silent, and often short, yet [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":417,"featured_media":2276,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[154],"tags":[1472,1476,1462,1477,1470,1475,1466,1463,1465,1464],"moimportance":[31,32,35],"motype":[160],"moformat":[30],"class_list":{"0":"post-2336","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-kino","8":"tag-culture-edmonton","9":"tag-discovery","10":"tag-edmonton-cinema-act","11":"tag-expansion","12":"tag-first-cinema-censorship-in-edmonton","13":"tag-first-cinema-edmonton","14":"tag-first-cinemas","15":"tag-history-of-edmonton","16":"tag-leisure-edmonton","17":"tag-princess-theatre-3","18":"moimportance-aktualna-bilshe-roku","19":"moimportance-golovna-novyna","20":"moimportance-retranslyacziya-v-agregatory","21":"motype-eternal","22":"moformat-spysok-korotka"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmonton-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmonton-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmonton-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmonton-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/417"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmonton-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2336"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/edmonton-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2336\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2343,"href":"https:\/\/edmonton-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2336\/revisions\/2343"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmonton-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmonton-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmonton-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmonton-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2336"},{"taxonomy":"moimportance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmonton-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moimportance?post=2336"},{"taxonomy":"motype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmonton-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/motype?post=2336"},{"taxonomy":"moformat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmonton-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moformat?post=2336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}