Gibsons Cinema

One would think a theater is a theater, but not so. Perhaps I’m spoiled by the much nicer theater in Sechelt but I can say with certainty that it will be a long while before I return to Gibsons Cinema.
Firstly, the popcorn was burnt. My movie partner threw his away. I asked for another bag because I wasn’t going to eat it and the staff gratefully gave me fresher popcorn that didn’t taste as bad.
It seems the staff only pops enough for those waiting for some popcorn, so there was a long lineup of people waiting. This delayed the movie by about 15 minutes.
The seat I initially chose was broken, so badly that I was sliding forward off my seat. I asked my partner if his seat was comfortable, to which he replied that it was. I then sat in a different seat and realized my first choice was simply broken.
The screen has a large defect, or is filthy, right in the middle. This was quite obvious during the show and it was a regrettable distraction.
Lastly, the sound quality was poor. Are the speakers blown? There was a constant hum and hissing sounds when the movie went to silent, or near silent. On the other hand, when there was action on the screen the sound was so loud that it would have been more appropriate had I been wearing ear plugs.
Gibsons Cinema was the only theater showing Mad Max Fury Road on the coast during its opening week so I drove from Sechelt to Gibsons for the viewing. The movie was superb but the overall experience was poor. I’d rather take the ferry to Vancouver than visit Gibsons Cinema again.

When I was a youngin’ I spent a lot of time going to this theatre. A small, one-​screen theatre in Gibsons, it required a whole-​night event to get there. Before me and my friends turned 16, it would take us almost an hour to get there by bus, usually resulting in us waiting at least 40 minutes until the movie started. That didn’t deter us, however, as even when we got access to cars, we would still go about an hour ahead of the start time to wait in the line to get the best seats (the back row). For movies rated 18A we would latch onto some older people in line and pretend to be their children; such rebels!
Now, though, the theatre has really lost its nostalgia. It’s almost always near-​empty when you go, the popcorn is usually burnt and cold, and the sound system makes a weird hissing sound every 5 seconds or so. For whatever reason, whoever designed the theatre did so with a ‘dip’ in the seating so that the seats rise to the front of the stage. Not particularly useful for short people. But the lack of customers makes up for that. I have not had to worry about people blocking my view for a few years now.
I feel bad being so negative about the cinema, as the owners and staff are all very lovely and accommodating, but c’est la vie. Unfortunately, I recommend making the trek to the Ravens Cry Theatre in Sechelt instead.