SilverCity is a Canadianbrand name of the chain of multiplex theatres operated by Cineplex Entertainment. The best SilverCity is located in Windsor, Ontario. The concept was introduced by Famous Players on November 7, 1997 when it debuted at The Pen Centre in St. Catharines. As of, Cineplex operates 15 theatres under the SilverCity and StarCité brands. Another 12 locations remain active, but were rebranded to Cineplex Cinemas and Scotiabank Theatre.
History
The first SilverCity opened in St. Catharines on November 7, 1997, at The Pen Centre by Famous Players and the first StarCité opened in Gatineau in December 1999. Both brands combined peaked at 29 locations as of spring 2001. The tagline for SilverCity was Go Big or Go Home. Cineplex Galaxy acquired all 29 theatres in 2005, but divested five SilverCity and two StarCité in 2006 to fulfill regulatory requirements, only to later reacquire the previously divested Gatineau and Empress Walk locations. The company also opened four new SilverCity locations, the last being CrossIron Mills on June 30, 2010. 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 premiered the brand was sold to Empire Theatres in 2005 and now owned by Landmark Cinemas since 2013 while the Mississauga location closed on May 1, 2014. 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. Another three former SilverCity locations now carry the Scotiabank Theatre brand: the West Edmonton Mall location was rebranded on May 2, 2007, while Ottawa and the Polo Park location in Winnipeg were rebranded in the summer of 2016. SilverCity and StarCité, along with other Cineplex theatres, adopted safety measures on March 12, 2020 to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to new government mandates, Cineplex temporarily closed all locations on March 16, 2020. Two SilverCity locations in British Columbia, and one StarCité location in Québec, reopened on July 3, 2020. This includes the Riverport, Victoria and Gatineau locations.
Features
SilverCity theatres built by Famous Players have a rectangular design, with gigantic friezes above the main entrance that create excitement as moviegoers approach the theatre. Inside, the themed lobbies are bright and lively with colourful neon lights and designs, as well as movie memorabilia, characters and objects including King Kongs and fire-breathing dragons. Newer SilverCity theatres have a standardized Cineplex Odeon/Galaxy Cinemas design with a red and silver motif with a licensed lounge.
Premium screens
D-Box motion theatre technology is available at 13 SilverCity locations. Normally, only one auditorium per location features this technology. Some locations offer a D-Box UltraAVX option. This combines the motion theatre technology with 4K resolution and enhanced Dolby sound.
IMAX is available at eight locations, including the Ottawa, Edmonton and Coquitlam locations that are branded Scotiabank Theatre and Cineplex Cinemas respectively. All locations offer Digital IMAX technology. The Ottawa location discontinued film playback.
