The Capitol Theatre in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, has announced it will close on March 31, 2026. When it does, only three cinemas will remain to serve all of Canada’s territories—covering 40% of the country’s land mass.
Cineplex and Landmark have no locations in Yukon, the Northwest Territories or Nunavut. That leaves cinema access entirely reliant on independent operators, and increasingly, these operators cannot hold on.
After Capitol closes, the remaining cinemas will be the Yukon Theatre in Whitehorse, the Astro Theatre in Iqaluit, and the Riverview Cineplex in Hay River (an independent cinema unaffiliated with the Cineplex chain).
“Three cinemas for 40% of Canada’s land mass is not a market failure. It’s a policy failure,” says Sonya Yokota William, director of the Network of Independent Canadian Exhibitors (NICE). “These are the places where a kid in a fly-in community sees their first movie on a big screen, where Filipino families in Yellowknife can watch a Tagalog film together, where local filmmakers can show their Northern projects to their Northern community. These are essential spaces, and should be valued as such.”
What Capitol Theatre means to the Northwest Territories
The response to the Capitol’s closure from its community has been immediate. Their Facebook announcement has drawn a slew of comments. People have been sharing stories of first movies, first jobs, first dates. One commenter described having part of their wedding there. Another recalled watching Jaws as a kid and the walk home afterward. Others mentioned Saturday opera simulcasts, $7 Tuesdays and the phone number they’ve known since the 1980s.
For many, the Capitol was part of Northern life. “For those of us raised in fly-in communities in the NWT, this service was very much appreciated during medical travel,” one commenter wrote. “Capitol Theatre was our first (and/or only) chance at a movie theatre experience.”
Cinemas in the North
In Whitehorse, Landmark previously operated two cinemas: the Qwanlin Cinema Centre and the Yukon Cinema Centre. When both closed during COVID-19, the company chose not to reopen them.
The Yukon Film Society stepped in and took over one of the venues, now operating as the Yukon Theatre. It is now the only cinema serving a region the size of the UK.
“A vibrant operating cinema in Whitehorse, a small remote city – and a capital city that sees a lot of tourism – is critical infrastructure. No amount of at-home streaming can replace the human connection that happens in a community and culture hub like the Yukon Theatre, especially in the cold winter months,” says Andrew Connors of Yukon Theatre.
“The entire population (42,000) of the Territory passes through the doors of the Yukon every year. It’s a safe public place for youth to gather with their friends for a few hours and the first job for many teenagers. It’s taken years of hard and creative work, but most Yukoners now know the iconic Yukon Cinema is being run with love and care for the community and we hear from them everyday how much that means to them.”
What cinemas mean to the North
Going to the movies is among the few affordable, accessible and indoor activities available in many communities. Cinemas provide a first job for teenagers, a memorable family outing, a venue for school field trips, and a non-alcohol-centred social option.
Cinemas face increasing demands from distributors and rising costs, without the support programs available to other cultural institutions. Unlike other forms of arts and culture, most cinemas receive almost no public support.
Many closures involve cinemas where the operator does not own the building. Renting means less control over the audience experience, and these venues are often less well maintained as a result. It also means the cinema’s future is never secure. We see greater longevity with operators who own their buildings, and we encourage municipalities and governments to facilitate these acquisitions.
Cinema closures across Canada
The news of the Capitol’s closure comes alongside two other major cinema closures: Cineplex Cinemas Beaches in Toronto’s east end and Cineplex Cinemas Miramichi in Miramichi, New Brunswick. Both venues serve major populations, and neither will continue as cinemas.
In Canada, Cineplex controls roughly 75% of the national box office. Unlike the US, where several major circuits compete for locations and audiences, Canada has no meaningful competition between large chains. When Cineplex decides a market is no longer viable—whether that’s Miramichi, the Beaches, or anywhere else—there is no AMC or Regal waiting to move in.
This concentration means that cinema access depends almost entirely on independent operators, and increasingly, on whether those operators can hold on without the scale, buying power or public support that would make their work sustainable.
If we want cinemas to survive in communities where the market alone won’t sustain them, we need to start treating them the way we treat other cultural institutions: as essential. That means public investment, lease protections and support for the independent operators who are doing the work that the major chains have walked away from. The people of Yellowknife will have to figure out what comes next. They shouldn’t have to do it alone.