About the Cinema

In 1940, under the management of 20th Century Theatres, the Madison was demolished and rebuilt according to the plans of prolific theatre architects Kaplan & Sprachman. All that remained of the original theatre were its two side walls.

In 1941, the newly rebuilt venue opened as the Midtown and remained a popular neighborhood cinema through the 1940s and 1950s, famous for packed weekend matinees and horror double-bills. Courtesy of CNE archives.

By the mid-1960s, theatre admissions across Toronto had declined, and in 1967 the Midtown was renamed the Capri. The theatre continued the Midtown’s programming approach until 1973 when, re-christened as the Eden, it switched to heavily-censored adult films. Photo provided by Eric Veillette.

In 1979, Famous Players closed down the Eden and re-opened it as the Bloor Theatre, offering first-run films for an increasingly family-oriented neighborhood.

Within a year, the Bloor Theatre closed and was taken over by Carm Bordonaro and his partners. When Carm left, the Cinema became part of the Festival Cinemas chain until 1999, when Carm and his brother Paul returned to manage the venue. Photo provided by Eric Veillette.

In 2010, the Bordonaro family purchased the building to ensure its survival as a cinema. In 2011, the Bordonaros found a like-minded buyer in Toronto-based Blue Ice Docs, a film financing and production company, and its partner, Hot Docs.

After renovations, the theatre reopened in March 2012 under Hot Docs' management as the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, becoming a year-round home for first-run Canadian and international docs, as well as special documentary presentations and showcases.

In June 2016, a generous gift from the Rogers Foundation enabled Hot Docs to purchase the cinema from the Blue Ice Docs, and continue to offer audiences the best in documentary programming at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema.