What to know
- Cineplex’s Beaches location at 1651 Queen St. E., open since 2019, will close on Feb. 17, with many residents calling it a “loss for the neighbourhood.”
- Gym chain Altea Active will take over the large space between HISTORY and Champions Greenwood, with plans to open a major facility in 2028.
- While some community members say the east end already lacks cinemas, others argue the theatre was rarely busy and see the gym as a practical replacement for the sizable lot.
Torontonians are reacting after a popular gym chain announces a large facility in place of a beloved Cineplex location that’s closing in the Beaches next week.
Cineplex recently announced its location at 1651 Queen St. E. in the Beaches area will be closing on Feb. 17. Some residents in the area took to social media to express their disappointment with the closure, as the location was a staple in the area since its opening in 2019.
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But the closure doesn’t mean the well-known lot between HISTORY and Champions Greenwood will be empty for long.
Gym chain Altea Active is set to fill the 59,000-square-foot space with a large fitness and wellness facility in the space, which is set to open in 2028, according to Retail Insider.
The announcement is already sparking mixed reactions online, as some residents still seem to be disappointed in having to wave goodbye to the local cinema.
“This is terrible, the east end already lacks cinemas, and it doesn’t seem likely that anything will open any time soon,” one Reddit user said.
“This sucks. What a loss for the neighbourhood,” a different user added.
“It adds nothing to the community and is replacing something that people liked,” another person said.
Meanwhile, other residents say the gym might be a good alternative for the space.
“Seems like a pretty good alternative if I do say so. Nice that something like Altea isn’t just for those in the [downtown] core,” a Redditor said.
“It seems like gyms replacing theaters are a trend nowadays. I guess there aren’t that many other businesses who can use up that much space,” another person said.
“It sucks because I enjoyed the theatre, but I really don’t think it’ll be a big loss to the overall neighbourhood. It was NEVER busy,” a different user added.
