Film.Ca Cinemas, a well-known, independent cinema here in Oakville, has recently expanded to a second location in an unusual operation: the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) base in Petawawa, Ontario.
After being closed for three years, the Oakville-based cinema and entertainment company assumed operations at the CAF base and re-opened their single screen movie theatre, now called Film.Ca Troyes Cinema.
Now, with Remembrance Day coming next week, Film.Ca has announced an expansion to their Movie Angel program, where guests at either the Oakville or Petawawa cinema can sponsor or donate a movie ticket to a member of Canada's active military.
Jeff Knoll, CEO of Film.Ca Cinemas (and Oakville's Ward 5 Town & Regional Councillor) sat down with Oakville News both to talk about the unique acquisition and the fluctuating state of the movie business in late 2024.
"Opening in Oakville and on base was actually very similar," says Knoll. "Both times, we acquired existing buildings. We negotiated the base operations of Film.Ca Toryes with the department of national defence after they put out a request for an expression of interest."
Knoll first learned of the theatre when helping one of his sons (posted in the forces) move to the base in Petawawa. When the base theatre closed in 2021, the surrounding community took it hard, and they were upset because the cinema served not just the base but also the surrounding towns.
"We were there to provide a cinema for the community, and since the Algonquin Cinemas in Pembroke closed in October 2023, there was no longer a theatre within a two hour drive," Knoll explains. "So re-opening was a big deal to everyone in the community."
The previous owner of the Troyes Cinema, Larry and Joanne, ran the theatre for over 20 years. Larry was a local celebrity: he would start films with an in-person introduction, including doing a handstand for the audience. (Knoll declined to confirm whether he had yet attempted a handstand at the new location.)
Film.Ca first inquired about taking over the theatre in 2021, but didn't hear anything back at first - until February this year, when the base started looking for new operators.
Knoll says the staff "were enthusiastic to see people with our experience in the business, and that we were a family operation.”
In less than a month, Knoll and his leadership team from Film.Ca here in Oakville went from presenting their first proposal to a formal approval from the base commander.
Then there was a rush to get open for Victoria Day, and at last Film.Ca Troyes Cinema officially opened May 17 with the family movie IF.
Read more here: IF is fun and not much else
Knoll says their renovations have enhanced the snack bar, installed a new Dolby Digital sound system, new ticketing software, and a reajusted projector and screen to get a bigger image size.
"We’re trying to create an environment where it doesn’t feel like you’re walking into a military building," Knoll says. "We want people to approach the theatre and know it’s a place of entertainment. If you’ve worked all day on base, you want to go and enjoy a night with your family or neighbours, you want to know you’ll enjoy that quality time."
Changing reels in the modern movie business
When asked about their first five months in Petawawa, Knoll says that cash flow has been positive at Troyes since day one. That's welcome news for the Film.Ca business, which has publicly been reaching out to the community for support since August this year.
"What we’re facing in our business and industry is massive," Knoll continues. "There's a slowness in people returning to their old viewing habits and coming to the movies as a regular event every week."
The Oakville location has seen slow business this past fall, though many of 2024's biggest blockbusters are set for the final two months of the year. Many big-budget titles were delayed to late 2024 due to the Hollywood union strikes with actors and writers in summer 2023.
Knoll says he was "excited to see the numbers in Petawawa were strong, because that helps with cash flow in Oakville." He goes to explain that having both theatres operational means they can now help keep each other going. Even though the new theatre has new expenses, it’s very inexpensive to operate.
From a business point of view, the Armed Forces are covering most overhead costs at Troyes, and it's a partnership more than true ownership - CAF owns the building, while Film.Ca covers operations and collects a profit.
Bryn Perras, Film.Ca's managing director, says one of the main motivators for expanding to Petawawa: “We re-opened the cinema in a partnership with the Department of National Defence (DoND) in an effort to support the military base community. The partnership with the DoND is to support the base, and the department covers most of the costs."
But the big difference is how the volume of business with one screen in Petawawa is still just a mere fraction of what Oakville can do on a busy weekend.
Knoll adds that he, "...suspects part of the success with Troyes is not just because we’re good operators, but also because there’s no longer competition nearby. That’s bolstering our success.”
Booking flexibility can also be a challenge with only one screen: "Even though Oakville and Petawawa are very different communities, the nature of their business is similar. We book a lot of family films and that works for us very well."
Without disclosing specific numbers, Knoll claims that Troyes did "extremely well over the summer", with Inside Out 2 and Despicable Me 4 playing "particularly great." Knoll also says that Troyes' business so far is on par with their 2019 sales, which Oakville has struggled to do post-pandemic.
Read more here: Laughs and lessons abound in Inside Out 2
Perras mentions, "We still need Oakville audiences to come to the movies in Oakville to keep the Oakville cinema healthy and thriving."
"There’s been some disappointment for a lot of movies since Covid," Knoll add. "We’re still waiting for when the movie business can evolve beyond streaming again."
In the meantime, Film.Ca is continuing their support for active military by re-energizing the Troyes Cinema, and hopefully adding free screenings next week at both theatres of Canadian war documentary film Fallen Heroes: The Journey Begins.
One of the newest additions is that patrons of both cinemas can now sponsor tickets for active duty military at the CAF base through the Movie Angel program.
It began several years ago to donate movie tickets to members of the community, and expanded first in 2020 for front line health care workers in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, with the upcoming commemoration of Remembrance Day, Film.Ca is including active duty CAF residents and military to the eligibility list for recipients of the program. Anyone can purchase a ticket in-person or online for $7.50, which is then distributed through local base organizations in Petawawa.
You can sponsor a movie ticket to the foundation online at this link here.