Famous Players theatres
At its peak, Famous Players operated 101 theatres in 2003 with 882 screens. These consisted of various brand names, though Famous Players was the most prominent brand. As of July 2025, two locations with the Famous Players brand remain in operation:
The final two Famous Players in Ontario were located in Pickering and Toronto. Famous Players Pickering Town Centre first opened in 1989 and was renovated in 1998, featuring traditional movie screens and a small arcade, before it was closed by Cineplex in 2018. It was replaced with Cineplex Cinemas Pickering and VIP at the same shopping centre, occupying some of the space of the former Target. Some of the new amenities include an UltraAVX theatre, an Xscape Entertainment Centre with party rooms, and a VIP Cinemas licensed lounge. Famous Players Canada Square Cinemas opened in 1985 as a Cineplex Odeon at the Yonge–Eglinton intersection in Toronto. It was a local favourite for its retro feel and independent film showings. Famous Players acquired this location in 2001, due to expansion limitations at the company's nearby SilverCity Yonge and Eglinton. In 2005, Cineplex acquired both theatres, with the SilverCity location being its main focus.[14] The SilverCity is now known as Cineplex Cinemas Yonge-Eglinton and VIP, and the Famous Players closed on October 24, 2021.
In Manitoba, Famous Players Kildonan Place Cinemas opened in 1989. It featured six traditional movie screens and a small Cinescape arcade. It was Manitoba's last Famous Players until its closure on December 5, 2022. Cineplex Junxion Kildonan Place opened on December 8, 2022, which is the first Cineplex Junxion location to open in Canada.
In British Columbia, the Prince Rupert location was the third last Famous Players location, and the second last in the province. It opened on April 8, 1982 and closed on June 15, 2025.[15]
- Cinéma Famous Players Carrefour Angrignon (LaSalle, QC)
- Famous Players 6 Cinemas (Prince George, BC)
SilverCity and StarCité
Cineplex currently runs 12 SilverCity cinemas outside of Quebec, plus two StarCité locations in the Gatineau and Montreal cities of Quebec. The first SilverCity was opened by Famous Players on November 7, 1997 in St. Catharines, and the first StarCité opened in December 1999 in Gatineau. Both brands combined peaked at 29 locations as of spring 2001. Cineplex acquired these in 2005, but divested five SilverCity and two StarCité in 2006 to fulfill regulatory requirements, only to later reacquire two previously divested locations: Empress Walk and Gatineau. Cineplex also opened three new SilverCity locations, the last being CrossIron Mills on June 30, 2010.
Each of the remaining locations features 7 to 19 screens, typically 12, of which one to three (except for Mission and Burlington) consist of premium large format screens such as IMAX or UltraAVX. Three current SilverCity locations, plus StarCité Montréal and many former SilverCity locations, feature an Xscape arcade. SilverCity theatres built by Famous Players have a rectangular design and characters hanging above, while newer SilverCity theatres have a standardized Cineplex Odeon/Galaxy Cinemas design with a red and silver motif.
A total of 32 SilverCity and StarCité locations have been built to date. Of these, more than half were either closed or rebranded. Notably, the St. Catharines location that introduced the brand was sold to Empire Theatres in 2005, while the Mississauga location closed on May 1, 2014.[16] The StarCité at Sainte-Foy, Quebec City opened on April 12, 2000, and closed on February 27, 2007, because the Cineplex Odeon Ste-Foy next door outperformed it.
Coliseum
Five larger suburban theatres were originally built by Famous Players under the Coliseum banner, and are notable for their round façade. They were the first round theatres in the world with their wedge-shaped auditoriums, located on two levels, fan out from their entrances, located off the main lobby area. In the lobby, hangs several figures with costumes, objects, and characters from popular movies on display, and bright neon lights (since removed). The first location was opened in Mississauga on May 16, 1997.[20] The second location opened in Calgary on November 27, 1998. The Ottawa, Scarborough, and Kirkland locations were opened in parts of 1999. Four of the five Coliseums that were a part of the 2005 acquisition from Cineplex have since been rebranded and renamed to Cineplex Cinemas.
The Ottawa, Scarborough, and Kirkland locations feature 12 screens, of which one is UltraAVX; Scarborough also has a D-Box screen and a second UltraAVX screen among its 12 screens. The Mississauga location has 13 screens with both 70 mm film and digital IMAX technology as well as an AVX screen. The Calgary location only has 10 screens, of which one is The Extra Experience, a competing technology by Landmark comparable to UltraAVX.[21] Each location also has an Xscape Entertainment Centre, replacing the older TechTown arcades.
The former Coliseum Shawnessy in Calgary was acquired by Empire Theatres on September 30, 2005.
Colossus
Larger than Coliseum were Famous Players' three Colossus Cinemas theatres, re-branded to Cineplex Cinemas in 2015. In its design, the top of the buildings has a giant UFO landing site with the flying saucer sitting on top of the foyer and flanked by lights that appear to be afterburners. Passing through the massive main entrance were automatic ticketing machines with an alien figure appearance. These are now replaced by generic Cineplex ticketing machines.
This brand focused on city suburbs and was built to challenge then-competitor AMC Theatres entry into the Canadian market. Each Colossus features 19 screens, or 18 in Laval, using the following technologies: Real D 3D (seven to eight screens), UltraAVX (one or two screens), D-Box (one screen), and IMAX (one screen, excluding Laval). The two theatres excluding Laval have a licensed lounge named "The Pod".
All locations feature an Xscape Entertainment Centre to replace their older TechTown arcades. Colossus debuted on February 12, 1999, in Vaughan, north of Toronto, Ontario. One of its screens was the first IMAX 3D theatre in Ontario.[22] The second location opened in the Langley suburb of Vancouver on May 19, 1999.[23] As of July 20, 2017, both of these locations offer IMAX 70 mm film playback.[21]
Other theatres
Prior to merging with Cineplex, Famous Players operated five theatre brands: Famous Players, SilverCity, Coliseum , Colossus Cinemas and Paramount Theatre. Of these, Cineplex only preserved the first two brands, which amount to 20 locations as of 2019. The Coliseum and Colossus theatres sold to Cineplex were renamed to Cineplex Cinemas, though the unique features of the original brands were preserved. Similarly, Paramount theatres now use the Scotiabank Theatre brand since 2007.
In addition, Landmark Cinemas also acquired many of the Famous Players theatres that were formerly operated by Empire Theatres.
Many theatres had served Pepsi products in addition to popcorn with restaurants such as Burger King, New York Fries, Wetzel's Pretzels, Taco Bell, TCBY, Baskin Robbins and Starbucks
Television stations
- CKCO-TV – Kitchener, Ontario
- CFCM-TV – Quebec City, Quebec
- CKMI-TV - Quebec City, Quebec/Montreal, Quebec
