# Cinémas Guzzo

Cinémas Guzzo is a regional chain of movie theaters that was operating in Canadian province of Quebec, primarily in the Montreal area. As of February 6, 2025, all its locations temporarily closed and operations suspended, following a court order to liquidate assets in order to repay debt owed to creditors. It is uncertain if the theater chain will reopen.

## History

Cinémas Guzzo was started by Angelo Guzzo shortly after immigrating to Canada. He was born in Italy in 1946. In 1969, Vincenzo Guzzo was born and remains the Guzzo's only child. Vincenzo has had 5 children. After serving as the company's executive vice-president since 1990, as of 2018, Vincenzo took on the position of president.
In 2000, Cinémas Guzzo was identified as one of the 50 best managed private companies in Canada.
In 2001, revenues for the company were approximately $45 million, up roughly $5 million from the previous year. 2001 also saw an increase of nearly 500,000 tickets sold.
In 2007, they created the Guzzo Environment-Cancer Research Chair of the Cancer Research Society in partnership with the Université de Montréal. The following year, the first ever Notte in Bianco fundraising event took place, which raised roughly $400,000 in support of the fight against cancer.
In July 2012, Cinémas Guzzo completed their conversion of all their projectors to digital projectors. That same year, saw the opening of five IMAX screens at selected existing locations.
In late-2018, it was reported that Guzzo had been considering expanding his chain outside of Quebec, and had been investigating potential sites in Alberta and British Columbia, such as Calgary and Vancouver.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec, cinemas were forced to shut down from March 25 to July 2. Guzzo had hoped to remain open during the closure period, but that did not come to pass. After cinemas reopened, theatre capacity was reduced to prevent spread of SARS-CoV-2 infections leading to COVID-19, with enhanced sanitary and cleaning protocols. The 2020 season was threatened by the situation in the U.S. as American chains could not operate in many places, and American studios did not release films into the market due to the COVID and screen room situation. Theatres were again closed on October 1 in Montreal, where Guzzo operated.
In 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic continued, the Guzzo chain declined to reopen, as it believed that reopening restrictions were too strict and it refused to accept further government subsidies. The government imposed a provincial lockdown from December 26, 2020 to February 7, 2021, and later announced that cinemas across Quebec could reopen on February 26, 2021, with several restrictions. In red zones, where the Guzzo chain was located, this included a 7:30 PM closing time and a ban on food and drinks during movies. Guzzo noted that no outbreaks had occurred in all of Canada through cinemas during 2020.
In November 2024, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce applied to a court to place Cinémas Guzzo in bankruptcy under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act because of the company's financial difficulties, including unpaid loans and property taxes. As part of the restructuring, the Cinema Des Sources location permanently closed.
In January 2025, continuing to struggle with financial woes and debt, two more locations were permanently closed, the Mega-Plex Marche Central and Mega-Plex Saint-Jean.
In February 2025, despite still producing income, all remaining theater locations were temporarily closed by the court, in order to better facilitate the liquidation of assets to repay the $39 million in debt owned to creditors. 350 workers were temporarily laid off following the closures. It was later reported the company has amassed over $100 million in debt overall. Land, buildings and equipment are being put up for sale. It is uncertain if the company will re-emerge following the liquidation process, and if the chain itself will survive.

## Theatres

| Theatre name | Digital Screens | IMAX Screens | Location | Date Opened | Date Closed | Language of films |
| Méga-Plex Marché Central IMAX | 18 | 2 | Montreal, QC | June 2005 | January 2025 | English, French |
| Méga-Plex Taschereau IMAX | 18 | 2 | Greenfield Park, QC | October 1998 | February 2025 | English, French |
| Méga-Plex Lacordaire | 16 | 0 | Montreal, QC | November 1996 | February 2025 | English, French |
| Méga-Plex Pont-Viau IMAX | 16 | 1 | Laval, QC | December 1998 | February 2025 | English, French |
| Méga-Plex Deux-Montagnes IMAX | 14 | 1 | Deux-Montagnes, Quebec | May 2005 | February 2025 | English, French |
| Méga-Plex Jacques-Cartier | 14 | 0 | Longueuil, QC | October 1999 | February 2025 | French |
| Méga-Plex Sphèretech | 14 | 0 | Saint-Laurent, QC | May 1999 | February 2025 | English |
| Méga-Plex Terrebonne IMAX | 14 | 2 | Terrebonne, QC | April 1991 | February 2025 | French |
| Méga-Plex Saint-Jean | 12 | 1 | Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC | December 2021 | January 2025 | English, French |
| Cinéma Des Sources IMAX | 9 | 1 | Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC | June 1998 | December 2024 | English |