604 465 4322General Store Site 12294 Harris Road Pitt Meadows, B.C.
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History of Cinemas in Pitt Meadows
Harris Road Cinema
In 1990, the Harris Road Triplex Cinema or Harris Road Cinemas opened. This theater had 130 seats. It opened the same year as other developments in the Meadowvale Shopping Centre. It was independently owned by the Bondar family which was made up of Paul, his wife Joanne and their children William (Bill) and Carin. Paul Bondar started the business. He was a teacher-librarian and worked as a projectionist at the old Haney Twin Cinemas which closed in the mid 1980s. Before this theatre opened the nearest theater was in Coquitlam. His dream was to open a local theatre. The first film showed at this theatre was Pretty Woman. Chris Campbell wrote in an article with the Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows News of his memory of Paul who “always had that enormous smile, radiating enough energy to light up two city blocks. He’d shake my hand hard and start giving me the sales pitch about the movie I was about to see. He possessed more charisma than any movie star on a Harris Road Cinema screen.” Chris reported another memory of walking into Harris Road Cinemas and seeing Paul supervise “workers painstakingly fit the theatres with special materials to get the sound just right.” Paul also opened theatres in Mission and Chilliwack. He purchased a drive-in theatre in the Prairies. Later his son Bill, daughter Carin and wife Joanne took over. This theatre uniquely served the community by hosting 2 festivals a year. One of those festivals showed films in French for the Canadian Parents for French at $3.50 per French immersion student. The theatre would donate movie passes for organizations in the community that held silent auctions such as the Rotary club, Chamber of Commerce and the Ridge Meadows Hospital Foundation. The VIP pass donated at auctions came with a double pass for a movie, popcorn and a drink once a week for a year.
Harris Road Cinemas closed on October 29th, 2004. Thursday, October 28th, 2004, was the last day showing films at Harris Road Cinemas. Their lease expired on Halloween. Harris-Road cinema was told by all major film companies that that they would no longer be receiving first-run films. The theatre was charging $9.00 for adults and $6.00 for kids for first-run movies. The cinema closed because it was not viable to show older films at discounted prices. Manager Bill Bondar (son of Paul) worked there until it closed. Bondar wanted to show the film Pretty Woman on the last day the theatre was open, but it was not available. Instead, the film Ladder 49 was shown. It is no coincidence that the opening of Cineplex Odeon Meadowtown Centre Cinema in November 2004 made it difficult for a smaller theatre to compete. The Bondar family submitted a letter to the community in the Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows Newspaper.
Harris Road Cinemas closed on October 29th, 2004. Thursday, October 28th, 2004, was the last day showing films at Harris Road Cinemas. Their lease expired on Halloween. Harris-Road cinema was told by all major film companies that that they would no longer be receiving first-run films. The theatre was charging $9.00 for adults and $6.00 for kids for first-run movies. The cinema closed because it was not viable to show older films at discounted prices. Manager Bill Bondar (son of Paul) worked there until it closed. Bondar wanted to show the film Pretty Woman on the last day the theatre was open, but it was not available. Instead, the film Ladder 49 was shown. It is no coincidence that the opening of Cineplex Odeon Meadowtown Centre Cinema in November 2004 made it difficult for a smaller theatre to compete. The Bondar family submitted a letter to the community in the Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows Newspaper.
The following is the letter:
“It is with sadness that we announce the closing of Harris Road Cinemas. Recently, we were informed by all major film companies that we will no longer have guarantees of first-run film releases. This will of course, make it impossible for us to compete with the new Cineplex-Galaxy theatre currently under construction. We therefore announce the closing of Harris Road Cinemas, effective Oct. 29, 2004. It has been our privilege to provide the community with film releases for the past 14 years.
When Harris Road Cinemas opened, it was among the most technologically advanced movie theatres in Canada. Our friends and customers will now be able to continue to enjoy the latest in motion picture entertainment with the opening of the new theatre in November. We wish them every success.
Although this has been difficult, we know that the dream of our husband and father, the late Paul Bondar, to bring the movies back to Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows has been realized. Our community has grown tremendously during these years and is now in need of a larger venue. It is time to pass the torch.
We would like to thank Piaf Cameron, the manager of Meadowvale Mall, for her strong support of our theatre and of all the tenants at Meadowvale. We would also like to thank Jan Gilchrest, Anne-Marie Pond and the wonderful ladies at Johnston Meier Insurance for facilitating daytime deliveries for over a decade.
To our staff, past and present, we thank you for your loyalty and hard work. You have been like an extended family to us, and we will miss you greatly.
During our years in this business, we have tried to support many local businesses and charities with their fundraising and community events. We have received a great deal of support, expressed often with phone calls, kind correspondence and continued patronage.
To you our customers, we express sincere gratitude for making Harris Road Cinemas a part of your lives since 1990.
Our last day of business will be Thursday, October 28. Thanks again for 14 years of fun at the movies. Joanne and Bill Bondar, Carin and Ian Affleck, the Bondar family.”
After the Harris Road Cinemas was closed, the Bondar family still had their Cottonwood Four Cinemas in Chilliwack. Sadly, William (Bill) Paul Bondar passed away a year later on June 17th, 2005. He was born in 1972. His father, Paul passed away a few years before his son.
“It is with sadness that we announce the closing of Harris Road Cinemas. Recently, we were informed by all major film companies that we will no longer have guarantees of first-run film releases. This will of course, make it impossible for us to compete with the new Cineplex-Galaxy theatre currently under construction. We therefore announce the closing of Harris Road Cinemas, effective Oct. 29, 2004. It has been our privilege to provide the community with film releases for the past 14 years.
When Harris Road Cinemas opened, it was among the most technologically advanced movie theatres in Canada. Our friends and customers will now be able to continue to enjoy the latest in motion picture entertainment with the opening of the new theatre in November. We wish them every success.
Although this has been difficult, we know that the dream of our husband and father, the late Paul Bondar, to bring the movies back to Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows has been realized. Our community has grown tremendously during these years and is now in need of a larger venue. It is time to pass the torch.
We would like to thank Piaf Cameron, the manager of Meadowvale Mall, for her strong support of our theatre and of all the tenants at Meadowvale. We would also like to thank Jan Gilchrest, Anne-Marie Pond and the wonderful ladies at Johnston Meier Insurance for facilitating daytime deliveries for over a decade.
To our staff, past and present, we thank you for your loyalty and hard work. You have been like an extended family to us, and we will miss you greatly.
During our years in this business, we have tried to support many local businesses and charities with their fundraising and community events. We have received a great deal of support, expressed often with phone calls, kind correspondence and continued patronage.
To you our customers, we express sincere gratitude for making Harris Road Cinemas a part of your lives since 1990.
Our last day of business will be Thursday, October 28. Thanks again for 14 years of fun at the movies. Joanne and Bill Bondar, Carin and Ian Affleck, the Bondar family.”
After the Harris Road Cinemas was closed, the Bondar family still had their Cottonwood Four Cinemas in Chilliwack. Sadly, William (Bill) Paul Bondar passed away a year later on June 17th, 2005. He was born in 1972. His father, Paul passed away a few years before his son.
Hollywood Cinema 3
Hollywood Cinema 3 opened in the same location as Harris Road Cinemas in 2010. Owner Moby Amarsi operated this second-run theatre for 15 years. He also owned four other lower mainland cinemas. This theatre offered screenings for producers with small movies or documentaries at a more affordable price than bigger theatres. Such as the documentary film Normal Isn’t Real: Succeeding with Learning Disabilities and ADHD premiered on February 27th, 2020, at Hollywood cinema 3. This cinema also hosted a variety of fundraisers such as a sensory-friendly viewing of “Hotel Transylvania” to benefit the Down Syndrome Resource Foundation on Oct. 19th, 2024. This film experience was more accessible for people who suffer from stimulus sensitivity because it came with lower sound, brighter lights, and the freedom to exit and enter the theatre at any time. The ticket price for this experience was $15.00 including popcorn and a soft drink. This local theatre uniquely serviced Pitt Meadows residents by making accommodations not offered at larger theatres. For example, in a Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows News article a movie goer and her family confused the time for showing of a film at 10 am with 10pm. Staff stayed past closing to let them see the film “The Polar Express” and they got the entire cinema all for themselves.
During the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic the Hollywood 3 Cinema in Pitt Meadows was closed for almost 3 months. But when the theatre re-opened, it along with 4 other locations of the Hollywood 3 Cinemas were the first theatres to open in B.C. To reduce the spread of the virus Amarsi made changes to ensure the safety and satisfaction of customers. For example, marks on the sidewalk and inside the theatre were put out front of the theatre to establish distance between movie goers. Plexiglass barriers were put up at concession stands and ticket booths. Movie times were scheduled to end at a time to give movie goers a chance to exit without unnecessary contact with customers entering. Pre-assigned seats were offered and arranged so customers did not have anyone sitting in front or behind them. Employees wore face masks and gloves. Ushers wore a full face shield. Seats, armrests and the theatre’s bathroom were cleaned between shows. Every second stall in the bathroom, urinal and sink was blocked off. Soap, taps and paper towels were automated. More staff were hired to accommodate the new protocols. Ticket prices reduced to $2.50. Groups or organizations could rent out the entire theatre for a few hours. By 2021, the theatre struggled to stay in business but was helped by its sale of butter popcorn. Pitt Meadows residents could order popcorn or a snack from the cinema through Skip the Dishes. In 2022, Hollywood 3 Cinema won the Pitt Meadows Business of the Year Award for contributing to the overall quality of life in Pitt Meadows through community service.
Moby Amarsi closed one of his cinemas in Surrey in 2023. In 2024, he closed another cinema in Duncan. The lease for the building in the Meadowvale Shopping Centre will run out and Amarsi decided to not renew the lease. Factors that contributed to choosing to not renew the lease was the lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic which encouraged people to stay home and use streaming services that also show movies available at second-run theatres. In the last year of the Hollywood 3 Cinema in Pitt Meadows 5 people were employed. The last day for this theatre to be open is June 29th, 2025.
This information was taken from various newspaper articles found in The Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows News.
There is a petition currently running to save the theatre, which you can find here.
Rebekah Abebe, Museum Assistant.
