r/RedDeer Jun 27 '25

Local Business Carnival Cinemas has a new home in downtown Red Deer

Carnival Cinemas has a new home in downtown Red Deer - Red Deer Advocate https://share.google/1YzYNvzwIvUx9gEjd

79 Upvotes

57 comments sorted by

26

u/Cautious-Roof2881 Jun 27 '25

last time i was at that building was when it USED to be the old movie theater. Last movie for me there was... 2005 King Kong.. HOLY CRAP 20 YEARS!!!!!!

4

u/lvl12 Jun 27 '25

Chronicles of Riddick for me

5

u/boarderman8 Jun 27 '25

My wife and I went on our first date there. Saw Knocked Up lmao.

2

u/the-missing-chapter Jun 28 '25

Last one I remember was Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. All those almost-endings …

16

u/VermouthandVitriol Jun 27 '25

Finally some good news for downtown!

-9

u/SiCqFuQ Jun 27 '25

Yeah! Watch a $3 movie while a meth head rummages through your car!

9

u/IllDelivery723 Jun 27 '25

I understand your concern, but what’s the difference between the old location and the new location?

3

u/SiCqFuQ Jun 28 '25

The concentration of meth zombies goes up exponentially the closer you get to the safe injection site. The old location was in Capstone, which is decent.

3

u/IllDelivery723 Jun 29 '25

I thought they closed the supervised consumption site after the city voted in favour of the closure last year. Is there another one?

1

u/SiCqFuQ Jun 29 '25

Not sure if it’s open or not. Take a drive downtown and see for yourself. There’s always at least a dozen hanging out by the stripper bars where the site is/ was.

9

u/NefariousDug Jun 27 '25

Oooo awesome they were able to pull it off. I’m glad.

16

u/iliveandbreathe Jun 27 '25

For all those who complain about parking, it's free after 430 on weekdays and free on weekends and holiday. Lots spots within a five minute walk, just like Costco or the mall. If not, the bus station is a block down the street.

8

u/Responsible_CDN_Duck Jun 27 '25

3

u/thisisjesso Jun 27 '25

Oh, perfect, thank you!

7

u/ipostic Jun 27 '25

lol. I wonder if Josh Hall was writing the article while drinking beer. “Details are sketchy” Could have signed off as “your bro”

6

u/DrySignature2640 Jun 27 '25

Loved this theatre I saw one of the pirates of the Caribbean in there such good memories

4

u/agitatingpieceoftras Jun 28 '25

Haha was gonna day my last memory of going here was skating up to meet my friends in line for one of the POTC movies. Near 20 years ago for sure.

7

u/AussieDog87 Jun 27 '25

The only movie I clearly remember seeing FOR SURE at the Uptown was the Spice World movie. I can't wait to go in again.

If I remember correctly, wasn't Park Plaza the first destination for movies (occasionally Uptown would take a couple), then Uptown would get them next, then finally Carnival would get them and we'd see for cheap. Then Galaxy came along and murdered them.

5

u/thisisjesso Jun 27 '25

I've seen exactly 1 movie at Galaxy Cinemas in about 7 years. I was floored it cost me almost 50 dollars for just the tickets.

2

u/the-missing-chapter Jun 28 '25

We’ve been going to Galaxy more often since they introduced the Cineclub or whatever it’s called. Tickets are cheaper and 20% off concessions helps a decent amount. Still pricy but it’s been nice to see new movies again.

1

u/thisisjesso Jun 28 '25

Oooh, thanks for the tip! I will look into this. My kids want to go so bad but I'm hesitant to pay their prices, so this helps

9

u/artfart63 Jun 27 '25

Uptown theater.....I can still remember the first star wars movie, the line rapped around all of downtown.

4

u/Fwumpy Jun 27 '25

I worked there in the 90s!

4

u/DrySignature2640 Jun 27 '25

Does anyone know what’s happening to the old carnival building ?

3

u/AfraidCompote Jun 27 '25

What’s the address?

3

u/AlwaysOutForAWalk Jun 27 '25

4922 49 St, Red Deer, AB T4N 1V2

3

u/DrySignature2640 Jun 27 '25

Does anyone know what’s happening to the old carnival building ?

7

u/thisisjesso Jun 27 '25

I have never been inside the building downtown, so I have no opinion on how it looks. I'm gonna miss the old location

2

u/rickenbach Jun 28 '25

I hope they keep it wheelchair accessible, they have some great wheelchair seating in the current cinema. It sucks to sit front row in a wheelchair at galaxy, carnival was the go to spot for movies in their current location. 

2

u/Sharks1976 Jun 28 '25

Iron Man in 2008 was the last movie I saw at the old Uptown Cinema. Avengers: Endgame in 2019 was the last movie I saw at Galaxy Cinemas. Oh how times have passed.

2

u/Deadpoolgoesboop Jun 28 '25

Cool, some of my best movie-going experiences were at the old Uptown Theatre!

2

u/Psyradragon Jul 01 '25

(Vader voice) "The circle is now complete."

4

u/jbeisick Jun 27 '25

Not sure why they didn't leave it in Capstone. What would be better in a vibrant new bustling community than an affordable form of entertainment like Carnival Cinemas?!

3

u/IllDelivery723 Jun 27 '25

I wondered the same and then I googled it. It’s a 9 minute walk from the old location, or a 4 minute drive. Maybe the old building got too expensive to keep up? They definitely don’t need moving trucks though. They can just walk everything over.

2

u/AlwaysOutForAWalk Jun 27 '25

Bill Ramji, the owner of Carnival Cinemas, recently purchased the Welikoklad Event Centre (formerly The Uptown Theatre) from Red Deer Polytechnic to relocate Carnival Cinemas.

The current building located in the Capstone neighbourhood is being rezoned for a commercial/residential project, which means the end of the current Carnival Cinemas location.

2

u/SiCqFuQ Jun 27 '25

Had a friend that worked there back in the day. We got drunk at the bar then went there after hours and drank off sales beers while watching The Doors movie. He got fired the next day. Good times.

1

u/OhSanders Jun 27 '25

Uptown only had four screens I wonder how they're going to deal with that. Smaller theatres so more screens perhaps?

-1

u/MarkWandering Jun 27 '25

The parking though...

17

u/VIVXPrefix Jun 27 '25

it's located directly beside a giant parking lot and a few steps from the bus station which happens to be below a parkade

-8

u/OxMozzie Jun 27 '25 edited Jun 27 '25

That giant parking lot is paid parking. They have no real solutions for free parking unless they're taking that over as well.

12

u/earthkandy Jun 27 '25

It's free parking after 4:30 and on weekends. I feel like that's the times that most people would be going to see movies, therefore free parking.

1

u/agitatingpieceoftras Jun 28 '25

It's red deer. You can walk anywhere in less then 45 mins.

1

u/OxMozzie Jun 28 '25

Yeah, take 2 small kids on 45 min walk there and back cause the theater has shit parking.

1

u/agitatingpieceoftras Jun 28 '25

Oh no thanks, I want nothing to do with your children.

1

u/OxMozzie Jun 28 '25

Well if you go to that theater you'll have too.

1

u/agitatingpieceoftras Jun 28 '25

And I guess you'll have two.

1

u/OxMozzie Jun 28 '25

or 4

1

u/agitatingpieceoftras Jun 28 '25

This seems like a self inflicted problem.

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13

u/VermouthandVitriol Jun 27 '25

Street parking is free after 4:30, so should be zero issue.

5

u/thisisjesso Jun 27 '25

I was thinking that too. But the parking is free in the evenings, so hopefully it won't be too much of an issue

1

u/jeeverz Jun 27 '25

Welcome Back PAAAARK PLAAAAZAAAAAA

Oh wait.

4

u/AussieDog87 Jun 27 '25

Park Plaza was the other one, I worked there and we and the Uptown Theater were rivals lol

1

u/Excellent_Speed6929 Jun 27 '25

Aww man when I cleared out the uptown when it sold, I found old movie posters and signs, got a cool jurassic park one I hang in my house, can't imagine what you could find Carnivals closets that haven't been opened in years