Long before Montreal rediscovered its love for “cinémas de quartier,” Cinéma Beaubien was already carrying the weight of its neighbourhood on its shoulders. Opened in 1937 as Le Beaubien, the place survived name changes, corporate hand-offs, and even the near-extinction of local movie houses. Its real turning point came in 2000, when Rosemont residents refused to let the building go dark and rallied to bring it back under community ownership. That fight left a mark: Beaubien’s programming still feels shaped by the people who saved it—Québécois cinema up front, francophone favourites, and the kind of auteur work that rewards regulars rather than tourists. Renovations in the early 2000s added more screens and modern projection, but the soul stayed put.
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