Cinémas Guzzo is a regional chain of movie theaters located in the Canadian province of Quebec. There are currently 9 Méga-Plex locations and 1 Cinema location, all within the greater Montreal area.
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment (movie theatres) |
| Founded | 1974 |
| Headquarters | 1055, chemin du Coteau Terrebonne, Quebec J6W 5H2 |
Key people | Angelo Guzzo (Founder & Chairperson of the Board) Vincenzo Guzzo (President) Angelo Guzzo II (Chief Financial Officer) Mario Quattrociocche (Vice-President - Construction) Ilario Maiolo (Vice-President - Legal) Maria Farella (Vice-President - Community Affairs) |
| Products | Movie Theaters |
| Owner | Privately Owned by the Guzzo Family |
Number of employees | 600 |
| Website | www |
| Footnotes / references Related: Groupe Guzzo Construction, Groupe Guzzo Pont-Viau, Groupe Guzzo Terrebonne, Groupe Guzzo Lacordaire, Mega-Centre Guzzo Pont-Viau, Mega-Centre Guzzo Ste-Dorothee | |
History
editCinémas Guzzo was started by Angelo Guzzo shortly after immigrating to Canada. He was born in Italy in 1946. In 1969, Vincenzo Guzzo was born and remains the Guzzo's only child. Vincenzo has had 5 children. After serving as the company's executive vice-president since 1990, as of 2018, Vincenzo took on the position of president.
In 2000, Cinémas Guzzo was identified as one of the 50 best managed private companies in Canada.
In 2001, revenues for the company were approximately $45 million, up roughly $5 million from the previous year. 2001 also saw an increase of nearly 500,000 tickets sold.
In 2007, they created the Guzzo Environment-Cancer Research Chair of the Cancer Research Society in partnership with the Université de Montréal. The following year, the first ever Notte in Bianco fundraising event took place, which raised roughly $400,000 in support of the fight against cancer.
In July 2012, Cinémas Guzzo completed their conversion of all their projectors to digital projectors. That same year, saw the opening of five IMAX screens at selected existing locations.
In late-2018, it was reported that Guzzo had been considering expanding his chain outside of Quebec, and had been investigating potential sites in Alberta and British Columbia, such as Calgary and Vancouver.[1]
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec in 2020, cinemas were forced to shut down from March 25 to July 2 in Quebec. Guzzo had hoped to remain open during the closure period, but that did not come to pass. After cinemas reopened, theatre capacity was reduced to prevent spread of SARS-CoV-2 infections leading to COVID-19, with enhanced sanitary and cleaning protocols. The 2020 season was threatened by the situation in the U.S. as American chains could not operate in many places, and American studios did not release films into the market due to the COVID and screen room situation. Theatres were again closed on October 1 in Montreal, where Guzzo operates.[2][3][4][5][6]
In 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic continued, the Guzzo chain declined to reopen, as it believed that reopening restrictions were too strict and it refused to accept further government subsidies. The government imposed a provincial lockdown from December 26, 2020 to February 7, 2021, and later announced that cinemas across Quebec could reopen on February 26, 2021, with several restrictions. In red zones, where the Guzzo chain is located, this includes a 7:30 PM closing time and a ban on food and drinks during movies. Guzzo noted that no outbreaks have occurred in all of Canada through cinemas during 2020.[7][6]
Cinéma Mega-Plex Saint-Jean 12 is scheduled to open December 17, 2021, Cinémas Guzzo's 10th location.[needs update]
In November 2024, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce applied to a court to place Cinémas Guzzo in bankruptcy under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act because of the company's financial difficulties, including unpaid loans and property taxes.[8][9]
Theatres
edit| Theatre name | Digital Screens | IMAX Screens | Location | Date Opened | Language of films |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Méga-Plex Marché Central IMAX | 18 | 2 | Montreal, QC | June 2005 | English, French |
| Méga-Plex Taschereau IMAX | 18 | 2 | Greenfield Park, QC | October 1998 | English, French |
| Méga-Plex Lacordaire | 16 | 0 | Montreal, QC | November 1996 | English, French |
| Méga-Plex Pont-Viau IMAX | 16 | 1 | Laval, QC | December 1998 | English, French |
| Méga-Plex Deux-Montagnes IMAX | 14 | 1 | Deux-Montagnes, QC | May 2005 | English, French |
| Méga-Plex Jacques-Cartier | 14 | 0 | Longueuil, QC | October 1999 | French |
| Méga-Plex Sphèretech | 14 | 0 | Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC | May 1999 | English |
| Méga-Plex Terrebonne IMAX | 14 | 2 | Terrebonne, QC | April 1991 | French |
| Méga-Plex Saint-Jean | 12 | 1 | Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC | December 2021 | English, French |
| Cinéma Des Sources IMAX | 9 | 1 | Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC | June 1998 | English |
References
edit- ^ "Quebec movie chain Guzzo readies Western Canada expansion". The Globe and Mail. December 26, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
- ^ John Meagher (July 7, 2020). "Montreal cinemas reopen under strict new health protocols". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ Philippe Ofali (March 15, 2020). "Guzzo aurait préféré rester ouvert". Journal de Québec (in French).
- ^ Sara Harvey (July 3, 2020). "Vince Guzzo: U.S. COVID crisis bigger threat to cinemas than box office slate". BNN Bloomberg.
- ^ "Fermeture des cinémas: une mesure "arbitraire et injustifiée", déplore Vincent Guzzo". Courier du Sud (in French). September 30, 2020.
- ^ a b "Some Quebec movie theatres reopen Friday, but owners worry plan not sustainable". CTV News. The Canadian Press. February 26, 2021.
- ^ Bruno Lapointe (March 3, 2021). "Guzzo réitère sa position". Journal de Montreal (in French).
- ^ Joncas, Hugo (2024-11-14). "Insolvabilité: La Banque CIBC veut faire liquider les Cinémas Guzzo". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2024-11-16.
- ^ "Cinémas Guzzo: bientôt la fin?". www.noovomoi.ca (in French). Retrieved 2024-11-16.
