Movieland Theatres of Canada

Background: Movieland Theatres of Canada was founded in 1974. The chain began when they bought the Mayfield Place Cinema in Port St. Andrews, Nova Scotia, from East Coast Amusements (Famous Players) and renovated it to the first multi-screen theatre in the island of Novaterra. The chain expanded throughout the Atlantic Canadian island of Novaterra through the late 1970s. By the end of 1983, there were Movieland Theatres locations in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador. They opened their first United States location in Houghton, Maine in 1984 and expanded to several more US locations (6 in Maine, 4 in New Hampshire, 6 in Conneticut, 6 in Massachusetts, 2 in Vermont, and 1 in New York) in the 1980s. Movieland also had theatres in the province of Ontario.

Ever since this chain began, Movieland Theatres was proud to serve Pepsi products instead of Coca-Cola.

In 1984, the original 6-screen theatre at Mayfield Place expanded to 10 screens, making it the largest theatre complex in eastern Canada until Empire Theatres opened the Regent Mall 10 in Fredericton, New Brunswick in 1996.

In the 1990s, Movieland was a pioneer of multiplex theatres with stadium seating. They were the first theatre chain in Canada to introduce that concept as "terraced seating" when they renovated the T.C.H. Centre 8 Cinemas in Port St. Andrews, Nova Scotia, in 1994. That theatre is still open today as a theatre showing first-run, second-run, independent, and international films at discount prices.

In April 1998, Movieland opened the largest all-stadium theater in Atlantic Canada, the Marketplace 18 Cinemas in Port St. Andrews, built to replace the Mayfield Place 10 theater at the same mall. Movieland opened their first IMAX theater in the same complex in December 1998.

In 2006, Movieland sold all of their United States, New Brunswick, and Ontario to other theatre chains, focusing only on their locations in the island of Novaterra, which is a part of the province of Nova Scotia. As of 2012, their current headquarters is located in Novaterra's largest city, Port St. Andrews.

Note: The chain didn't use branded policy trailers until the late 1970s.

1st Opening

(1977-1982)

TBA