Yukon Theatre opens its doors to public Friday for 1st screening in nearly 2 years

It's been nearly two years since Yukoners could go to a movie theatre in the territory but that will change Friday.

The Yukon Theatre in downtown Whitehorse is reopening its doors.

Andrew Connors of the Yukon Film Society said the theatre is ready to screen films, though audiences may notice a few differences for now.

"We've just cleared the counters, gotten rid of all the detritus and the theatre's been cleaned. We've fixed all the sound, fixed all the lighting," Connors said.

"It's fairly bare bones at this point, but we think it'll be a good place to experience films."

The theatre won't be making freshly popped popcorn at this point, said Connors who added prepackaged food and beverages will be available.

And, people will have to wear a mask, and show proof of vaccination.

Showtime

Showtimes will begin Friday with a screen of entries from the films made during the Yukon 48 Hour Film Challenge.

"It's a really wild ride. So much diversity of creative talents in this territory. It really never ceases to amaze me," said Connors.

The theatre will also show some Hollywood films including Dune, Spencer and The Humans.

The facility had been shuttered since the start of the pandemic. Several months ago, former owner Landmark Cinemas said the theatre had been sold.

Last month, it was announced that the Yukon Film Society, a non-profit organization, signed a lease to take over the aging and long-disused facility, with the goal of getting a projector fired up within weeks.

Connors said the society has big plans for the theatre, but for now the society will screen films for two weeks per month until April.

It's also looking at putting together public support for a possible renovation. That would include looking for funding from both federal and territorial governments along with other partners.

"We've had a ton of help," Connors said.

"We'd like to tip our hat to everybody who's volunteered and to come out and help fix things and clean things. It's taken a village to get to this point where we can welcome the public back into the Yukon Theater."