"Yippee ki yay, motherfudger!

Send your movie-loving' self into Christmas overdrive with what is - hands down - one of the absolute biggest, baddest motherfudging edge-of-your-seat big screen thrill rides ever, DIE HARD. In (arguably) his signature performance, Bruce Willis shines as a streetsmart (and mostly barefoot!) cop tasked with outsmarting a group of terrorists who have taken over a building in downtown LA. Also starring the late, great Alan Rickman (Hans Gruber!) and Bonnie Bedelia.

"Its many imitators (and sequels) have never come close to matching the taut thrills of the definitive holiday action classic." (Rotten Tomatoes)

"DIE HARD is an action picture with a capital A. In fact, you might as well go ahead and capitalize the whole darn word." (Orlando Sentinel)

"For all its moments of almost overwhelming cheese, DIE HARD is still the definitive action thriller." (Total Film)

Friday, December 19
Doors 9:00 pm | Movie 9:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Late Night Date Night! Friday Late Night Movies are two-for-one entry, so bring a bestie, date or an estranged ex and be a hero!

DIE HARD (John McTiernan, 1988 / 131 mins / 18A) New York City Detective John McClane has just arrived in Los Angeles to spend Christmas with his wife. Unfortunately, it is not going to be a Merry Christmas for everyone. A group of terrorists, led by Hans Gruber, is holding everyone in the Nakatomi Plaza building hostage – including Mrs. McClane! With no way of anyone getting in or out, it’s up to the street-smart (and barefoot) McClane to stop them all and save the day.

Deck the halls with endless cereal...

The Saturday Morning All-You-Can-Eat Cereal Cartoon Party is returning to the Rio Theatre with a brand new collection of specially curated retro TV goodness covered in sugary cereal, and sprinkled with endless Holiday cheer. It's Volume XI - The Christmas Show! Even better? This program will be screening on Saturday, December 13 and again on Saturday, December 20, so you have TWO chances to make merry and eat cereal in a movie theatre.

Kids today may not realize the significance of the Saturday morning ritual, but once upon a time, we had to wait a whole week to get our cartoon fix, and when we got it, we tended to binge. Well – welcome to The Saturday Morning All-You-Can-Eat Cereal Cartoon Party - that special time when kids and kids-at-heart get to relive the exciting Saturday morning ritual of non-stop retro cartoons, and binge on the multi-colored sugary cereals that used to be a part of every “balanced” breakfast!

The cartoon lineup is always a mystery, but Volume VI will be covered in an extra coating designed to make merry and spread all kinds of Holiday cheer. Expect the unexpected, from faves and obscurities spanning the '30s through the '90s, all punctuated with vintage commercials, PSAs and station IDs for a 3-hour trip down memory lane! Get ready for a sugar rush and an explosion of nostalgia in one hair-raising morning.

Even better...? A Holidaze COSTUME CONTEST! Show us what you've got, or maybe just show off your best Holiday-inspired jammies. Costumes (and, as always, comfy pajamas in chic patterned flannel sporting elasticized waistbands) are welcome and encouraged.

Curated by David Bertrand

Please note: Dairy-free options are available. Compostable bowls and spoons will be provided, but we absolutely do encourage all of our guests to bring their own NON-BREAKABLE (ie, not ceramic) bowls and spoons.

Saturday, December 20
Doors 10:00 am | Event 10:30 am *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Adults $22
Kids Pricing (13 and under) $15

Group pricing in effect! Grab one of our Reindeer Squad passes - a sweet treat for a birthday party or Holiday celebration of your own.

Reindeer Squad Jr. (2 Adults, 4 kids $90 - online only)
Reindeer Squad Sr. (6 Adults $102 - online only)

A copious cavalcade of top notch talent and captivating cabaret await at The Rio Theatre Burlesque and Variety Show on Saturday, December 20.

A copious cavalcade of top notch talent and captivating cabaret await at The Rio Theatre Burlesque and Variety Show on Saturday December 20th! Local luminary April O’Peel has curated a show full of wonder sure to dazzle and delight our fun loving audience! Expect classic festive tunes, winter wonderland vibes, and performers who know how to warm up even the chilliest December night. Gorgeous, glamorous, and just the right amount of naughty. Gather your favorite people and let the holiday magic shimmy its way into your evening!

Saturday, December 20
Doors 8:00 pm | Show 9:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

General Admission $30 + s/c | $35 + s/c at the door
VIP tickets (Rows A-C, centre section) $40+ s/c
Squad Pass (Group of Four Tickets – online only) $100+ s/c

With Featured Performances By:

Gia Sangria | April O'Peel | Vita Devour | Lola Loops | Ruthe Ordare | Disco Squad
Heavy Duty Dance Collective| Fantastique | Mrs Claus and the Drunken Elves | Passion & Performance Sugar Plums

Hosted by Miss Kiss

The Muppets perform the classic Charles Dickens holiday tale, with Kermit the Frog playing Bob Cratchit, the put-upon clerk of stingy Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine). Other Muppets --Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear and Sam the Eagle -- weave in and out of the story, while Scrooge receives visits from spirits of three Christmases -- past, present and future. They show him the error of his self-serving ways, but the miserable old man seems to be past any hope of redemption and happiness.

"There may be some people who can watch Kermit the Frog's nephew Robin give his heart-wrenching performance as Tiny Tim in The Muppet Christmas Carol without choking up. I am not among them." (The Guardian)

"Michael Caine is perfect and there are many genuine belly laughs." (Empire Magazine)

Sunday, December 21
Doors 10:45 am | Movie 11:15 am *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
All tickets $12

THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (Brian Henson, 1992 / G / 85 mins) A retelling of the classic Dickens tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, miser extraordinaire. He is held accountable for his dastardly ways during night-time visitations by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and future.

Our marquee is going full-tilt merry-merry with beloved Christmas classics this season, including one of the most requested holiday favourites we get this time of year, WHITE CHRISTMAS.

In beloved musical WHITE CHRISTMAS, icons Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye star as veteran singers Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, who join up with the sister act of Betty (Rosemary Clooney) and Judy Haynes (Vera-Ellen) to perform a Christmas show in rural Vermont. There, they run into the boys' former WW2 commander who, they learn, is having financial difficulties - his quaint country inn is failing. So what's the foursome to do but plan a yuletide miracle: a fun-filled musical extravaganza that's sure to put Waverly and his business in the black!

Sunday, December 2
Doors 1:00 pm | Movie 1:30 pm
All tickets $12!

WHITE CHRISTMAS (Michael Curtiz, 1954 / 120 mins / G) A successful song-and-dance team become romantically involved with a sister act and team up to save the failing Vermont inn of their former commanding general.

TOKYO GODFATHERS, the acclaimed holiday classic from master director Satoshi Kon (PAPRIKA, PERFECT BLUE), returns to theaters in a brand-new, 4K restoration.

In modern-day Tokyo, three homeless people’s lives are changed forever when they discover a baby girl at a garbage dump on Christmas Eve. As the New Year fast approaches, these three forgotten members of society band together to solve the mystery of the abandoned child and the fate of her parents. Along the way, encounters with seemingly unrelated events and people force them to confront their own haunted pasts, as they learn to face their future, together.

Co-written by Keiko Nobumoto (COWBOY BEBOP) and featuring a whimsical score by Keiichi Suzuki, TOKYO GODFATHERS is a masterpiece by turns heartfelt, hilarious and highly original, a tale of hope and redemption in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

"Takes anime to a whole new level." (Variety)

“A beautiful, hilarious movie and one that cemented Kon Satoshi as a visionary and narrative master.” (Nerdist)

Sunday, December 21
Doors 3:45 pm | Movie 4:15 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

TOKYO GODFATHERS "Tôkyô goddofâzâzu" (Satoshi Kon, 2003 / 92 mins / 14A / Japanese w/EST) Middle-aged alcoholic Gin, teenage runaway Miyuki and former drag queen Hana are a trio of homeless people surviving as a makeshift family on the streets of Tokyo. While rummaging in the trash for food on Christmas Eve, they stumble upon an abandoned newborn baby in a trash bin. With only a handful of clues to the baby's identity, the three misfits search the streets of Tokyo for help in returning the baby to its parents.

"What is it you want, Mary? You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down.”

Hot Dog! At this time of year, we get inundated with audience requests for the "holiday classic to define all holiday classics,"Frank Capra's IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, and are continuing our tradition of giving it the big viewing it so richly deserves.

For movie-lovers around the world, this bittersweet yet optimistic sentimental comedy drama is as essential a holiday tradition as chestnuts roasting on an open fire. And we couldn't agree more! Beyond its own charming warmth, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE is one of the most influential fantasy films ever made and one of the most universally adored example of old-school Hollywood. Come on out to dance by the light of the moon and get put under the magic spell (again!) of this transcendent cinematic masterpiece - with the newly restored, big-screen viewing it so richly deserves.

Jimmy Stewart gives one of his all-time best performances as George Bailey, a good man with a big heart. Though George is the guiding force behind the modest local building and loan company he inherited from his own generous father, he is eternally in debt himself, and has spent his entire life giving of himself to the people of Bedford Falls. George has always longed to travel beyond his idyllic small town and see the world, but he never has, lest the local rich despot Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore, in a role that provided the DNA for The Simpsons' Mr. Burns) take over - all that prevents him from doing so is George and his company. But on Christmas Eve 1946, George's Uncle Billy loses the business' entire $8,000 while intending to deposit it in the bank. When Mr. Potter finds the misplaced money, he hides it. In a pivotal moment of sheer desperation, George wishes he was never born, at which point a bumbling angel named Clarence (he needs to get his wings!) is sent from beyond to show him what his life would look like - without him in it. Also starring Donna Reed and Henry Travers.

"IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE is about hunger. It's about greed. It's about the many ways a good man is stymied. Finally, it's about George Bailey, whose decency prevents him even from killing himself." (Salon)

"This is the all-time great, curl-up-on-the-sofa-with-a-cup-of-tea movie. Not only is it beautifully photographed, but it also contains enough emotional strength to hold your attention for all of its two-hour running time." (Total Film)

"IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE is a pretty wonderful movie." (TIME Magazine)

Sunday, December 21
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (Frank Capra, 1946 / 130 mins / G) After George Bailey wishes he had never been born, an angel is sent to earth to make George's wish come true. George starts to realize how many lives he has changed and impacted, and how they would be different if he was never there.

"I hate you, I hate this house, and I hate Christmas!"

In celebration of filmmaker and legendary raconteur John Waters' recent live performances at the Rio Theatre, we thought it was only fitting to filth up our seasonal programming with the second film in the "Pope of Trash's" so-called "Trash Trilogy," 1974's FEMALE TROUBLE, his singularly hilarious and campy counter-Christmas-culture cult-classic comedy.

Water's longtime muse Divine (Harris Glenn Milstead) stars as the unforgettable delinquent Dawn Davennport, an obese "holy terror" who goes ballistic and suffers a major meltdown that sets her off on a depraved, lifelong path of crime and chaos after her parents fail to supply her with the Christmas present highest on her list, a pair of coveted Cha-Cha heels (because they think they're "ugly" and for "bad girls"). A staple for any fan of the renowned auteur, FEMALE TROUBLE features Waters' singular wit as it celebrates rebellion and the grotesque over traditional (or as he might say, "nauseating") sentimentality while simultaneously satirizing notions of the "American family," consumerism, and beauty standards. Also starring Mink Stole, Edith Massey, David Lochary, and Mary Vivian Pearce.

"The resulting feast of sex, violence, cruelty, and frivolity mocks sentimental notions of family, work, and love, and turns the egomaniacal furies of pop culture inside out." (The New Yorker)

"One of John Waters' best and most notorious movies." (Dallas Morning News)

Sunday, December 21
Doors 9:00 pm | Movie 9:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

FEMALE TROUBLE (John Waters, 1974 / 98 mins / R) A spoiled schoolgirl runs away from home, gets pregnant while hitch-hiking, and ends up as a fashion model for a pair of beauticians who like to photograph women committing crimes.

"I just like to smile! Smiling's my favorite."

Make merry-merry with a special Buddy's Singlaong screening of the adorably hilarious and utterly charming modern Christmas classic, ELF. Will Ferrell stars as one of Santa's best helpers, a human named Buddy who heads home to New York City in search of his roots. Also starring the late, greats James Caan and Ed Asner, Mary Steenburgen, Bob Newhart and Zooey Deschanel.

"A disarmingly funny holiday comedy." (Entertainment Weekly)

"Families have discovered how funny and how well this little film tells its King-sized holiday message: the only size that counts is how big your heart is." (Good Morning America)

Monday, December 22
Doors 2:30 pm | Movie 3:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Holiday Pricing in Effect! All tickets $12

ELF (Jon Favreau, 2003 / 97 minutes) After inadvertently wreaking havoc on the elf community due to his ungainly size, a man raised as an elf at the North Pole is sent to the U.S. in search of his true identity.

FortNine attempts to break the circumnavigation world record with award-winning filmmaker Edwin El Bainou riding pillion. It's a dangerously silly race across thousands of kilometres per day, with the polished and authentic eye that only a ride-along cinematographer can capture. Part documentary and part dark comedy, this is motorcycling as FortNine has never experienced before. In less than 19 days, the trio must ride from Anchorage to Miami, Lisbon to Istanbul, Mumbai to Kolkata, Bangkok to Singapore and Perth to Sydney. Their time is inclusive of all flights, border delays and sleep (what few minutes of it there is). Ducati supplied Multistrada V4 Rally motorcycles in each continent for this expedition, and the rest is just gas, swass and the hourglass. Yalla Habibi!

Filmmakers in attendance for post-show Q&A.

Monday December 22
Doors 5:30 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

YALLA HABIBI! "Let's go brother!" (FortNine, 2025 / NR / 90 mins) FortNine attempts to break the circumnavigation record by motorcycling around the world in less than 19 days.

FortNine attempts to break the circumnavigation world record with award-winning filmmaker Edwin El Bainou riding pillion. It's a dangerously silly race across thousands of kilometres per day, with the polished and authentic eye that only a ride-along cinematographer can capture. Part documentary and part dark comedy, this is motorcycling as FortNine has never experienced before. In less than 19 days, the trio must ride from Anchorage to Miami, Lisbon to Istanbul, Mumbai to Kolkata, Bangkok to Singapore and Perth to Sydney. Their time is inclusive of all flights, border delays and sleep (what few minutes of it there is). Ducati supplied Multistrada V4 Rally motorcycles in each continent for this expedition, and the rest is just gas, swass and the hourglass. Yalla Habibi!

Filmmakers in attendance for post-show Q&A.

Monday December 22
Doors 9:00 pm | Movie 9:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

YALLA HABIBI! "Let's go brother!" (FortNine, 2025 / NR / 90 mins) FortNine attempts to break the circumnavigation record by motorcycling around the world in less than 19 days.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos (POOR THINGS, THE FAVOURITE, THE LOBSTER) brings his signature, bold and irreverent storytelling style to BUGONIA, an English-language remake of Jang Joon-hwan's 2003 South Korean film SAVE THE GREEN PLANET! This darkly satiric comedy thriller about a pair of conspiracy-obsessed young men who kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company because they are convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth, finds the director re-uniting with muse Emma Stone (who took home her second Oscar for her memorable turn as Bella in POOR THINGS) and Jesse Plemons (KINDS OF KINDESS). With Alicia Silverstone, Aidan Delbis.

BUGONIA is currently nominated for three Golden Globe Awards, including for Best Film (Musical or Comedy), as well as for performances from Emma Stone (Best Actress -Musical or Comedy Film) and Jesse Plemons (Best Actor -Musical or Comedy Film).

"Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons are at the top of their game in 'Bugonia', a bonkers black comedy that applies director Yorgos Lanthimos' whip-smart method to modern society's madness." (Rotten Tomatoes)

"Perhaps this nihilism will prove too trenchant and reactive for some viewers. That’s perfectly fine: Sometimes it feels good to scream for help, even if it will never come." (Salon.com)

Tuesday, December 23/b>
Doors 12:30 pm | Movie 1:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

BUGONIA (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2025 / 119 mins / 14A) Two conspiracy-obsessed men kidnap the CEO of a major company when they become convinced that she's an alien who wants to destroy Earth.

The Muppets perform the classic Charles Dickens holiday tale, with Kermit the Frog playing Bob Cratchit, the put-upon clerk of stingy Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine). Other Muppets --Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear and Sam the Eagle -- weave in and out of the story, while Scrooge receives visits from spirits of three Christmases -- past, present and future. They show him the error of his self-serving ways, but the miserable old man seems to be past any hope of redemption and happiness.

"There may be some people who can watch Kermit the Frog's nephew Robin give his heart-wrenching performance as Tiny Tim in The Muppet Christmas Carol without choking up. I am not among them." (The Guardian)

"Michael Caine is perfect and there are many genuine belly laughs." (Empire Magazine)

Tuesday, December 23
Doors 3:15 | Movie 3:45 *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
All tickets $12

THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (Brian Henson, 1992 / G / 85 mins) A retelling of the classic Dickens tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, miser extraordinaire. He is held accountable for his dastardly ways during night-time visitations by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and future.

In one of the most lauded films of 2025, renowned filmmaker PT Anderson (THE MASTER, THERE WILL BE BLOOD) casts Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob, a washed-up revolutionary who lives in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited and self-reliant daughter, Willa. When his evil nemesis resurfaces and Willa goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her as both father and daughter battle the consequences of their pasts. With Benicio Del Toro, Chase Infiniti, Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor, Regina Hall.

"'One Battle After Another' hurtles into the present without compromising Anderson’s sense of fractured, constantly rearranged, weirdly personal American history." (AV Club)

"The excellent performances of Leonardo D iCaprio and Benicio Del Toro bring a deep sense of humanism to two characters who, given the dramatic tone employed, always run the risk of coming across as caricatured stereotypes." (Los Angeles Times)

"PT Anderson elicits memorable inflections of dialogue, intent glances, brazen thrashes of energy and outbursts of fury from his charismatic cast, making “One Battle After Another” a feast of inspired and dedicated acting." (The New Yorker)

Tuesday, December 23
Doors 5:30 pm | Movie 6:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (PT Anderson, 161 mins / 14A / 161 mins) When their evil enemy resurfaces after 16 years, a group of ex-revolutionaries reunite to rescue the daughter of one of their own.

HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS is a one of a kind indie gem! A charming mix of live action and computer animation (think Buster Keaton meets Bugs Bunny and the Road Runner), this wildly unusual slapstick epic follows a frostbitten battle between Jean Kayak and diabolical beavers - hundreds of them - who stand between him and survival. Since its initial release in 2023, HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS played in over 50 festivals worldwide and has since emerged as a bona fide arthouse cult hit. A weirdly hilarious supernatural winter epic set in the 19th century about a drunken applejack salesman who must go from zero to hero to become North America's greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers...? Yes, please!

"An unexpected visionary work that will rip you a new perspective on classic cinematic art... Exciting in ways you can not imagine, and must be see to be believed." (Film Threat)

"This is dam good stuff." (Film School Rejects)

"If you have even the slightest love for slapstick comedy and goofball antics, then this will undoubtedly be the most gut-busting time you have at the movies this year. ... 'Hundreds of Beavers' is very good. See it with friends." (ScreenAnarchy)

Tuesday, December 23
Doors 9:00 pm | Movie 9:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS (Mark Cheslik, 2023 / 108 mins / 18A) A 19th century, winter action-comedy, a drunken applejack salesman must go from zero to hero and become North America's greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers.

TOKYO GODFATHERS, the acclaimed holiday classic from master director Satoshi Kon (PAPRIKA, PERFECT BLUE), returns to theaters in a brand-new, 4K restoration.

In modern-day Tokyo, three homeless people’s lives are changed forever when they discover a baby girl at a garbage dump on Christmas Eve. As the New Year fast approaches, these three forgotten members of society band together to solve the mystery of the abandoned child and the fate of her parents. Along the way, encounters with seemingly unrelated events and people force them to confront their own haunted pasts, as they learn to face their future, together.

Co-written by Keiko Nobumoto (COWBOY BEBOP) and featuring a whimsical score by Keiichi Suzuki, TOKYO GODFATHERS is a masterpiece by turns heartfelt, hilarious and highly original, a tale of hope and redemption in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

"Takes anime to a whole new level." (Variety)

“A beautiful, hilarious movie and one that cemented Kon Satoshi as a visionary and narrative master.” (Nerdist)

Wednesday, December 24
Doors 2:45 pm | Movie 3:15 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

TOKYO GODFATHERS "Tôkyô goddofâzâzu" (Satoshi Kon, 2003 / 92 mins / 14A / Japanese w/EST) Middle-aged alcoholic Gin, teenage runaway Miyuki and former drag queen Hana are a trio of homeless people surviving as a makeshift family on the streets of Tokyo. While rummaging in the trash for food on Christmas Eve, they stumble upon an abandoned newborn baby in a trash bin. With only a handful of clues to the baby's identity, the three misfits search the streets of Tokyo for help in returning the baby to its parents.

"What is it you want, Mary? You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down.”

Hot Dog! At this time of year, we get inundated with audience requests for the "holiday classic to define all holiday classics,"Frank Capra's IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, and are continuing our tradition of giving it the big viewing it so richly deserves.

For movie-lovers around the world, this bittersweet yet optimistic sentimental comedy drama is as essential a holiday tradition as chestnuts roasting on an open fire. And we couldn't agree more! Beyond its own charming warmth, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE is one of the most influential fantasy films ever made and one of the most universally adored example of old-school Hollywood. Come on out to dance by the light of the moon and get put under the magic spell (again!) of this transcendent cinematic masterpiece - with the newly restored, big-screen viewing it so richly deserves.

Jimmy Stewart gives one of his all-time best performances as George Bailey, a good man with a big heart. Though George is the guiding force behind the modest local building and loan company he inherited from his own generous father, he is eternally in debt himself, and has spent his entire life giving of himself to the people of Bedford Falls. George has always longed to travel beyond his idyllic small town and see the world, but he never has, lest the local rich despot Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore, in a role that provided the DNA for The Simpsons' Mr. Burns) take over - all that prevents him from doing so is George and his company. But on Christmas Eve 1946, George's Uncle Billy loses the business' entire $8,000 while intending to deposit it in the bank. When Mr. Potter finds the misplaced money, he hides it. In a pivotal moment of sheer desperation, George wishes he was never born, at which point a bumbling angel named Clarence (he needs to get his wings!) is sent from beyond to show him what his life would look like - without him in it. Also starring Donna Reed and Henry Travers.

"IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE is about hunger. It's about greed. It's about the many ways a good man is stymied. Finally, it's about George Bailey, whose decency prevents him even from killing himself." (Salon)

"This is the all-time great, curl-up-on-the-sofa-with-a-cup-of-tea movie. Not only is it beautifully photographed, but it also contains enough emotional strength to hold your attention for all of its two-hour running time." (Total Film)

"IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE is a pretty wonderful movie." (TIME Magazine)

Wednesday, December 24
Doors 5:00 pm | Movie 5:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (Frank Capra, 1946 / 130 mins / G) After George Bailey wishes he had never been born, an angel is sent to earth to make George's wish come true. George starts to realize how many lives he has changed and impacted, and how they would be different if he was never there.

"Yippee ki yay, motherfudger!

Send your movie-loving' self into Christmas overdrive with what is - hands down - one of the absolute biggest, baddest motherfudging edge-of-your-seat big screen thrill rides ever, DIE HARD. In (arguably) his signature performance, Bruce Willis shines as a streetsmart (and mostly barefoot!) cop tasked with outsmarting a group of terrorists who have taken over a building in downtown LA. Also starring the late, great Alan Rickman (Hans Gruber!) and Bonnie Bedelia.

"Its many imitators (and sequels) have never come close to matching the taut thrills of the definitive holiday action classic." (Rotten Tomatoes)

"DIE HARD is an action picture with a capital A. In fact, you might as well go ahead and capitalize the whole darn word." (Orlando Sentinel)

"For all its moments of almost overwhelming cheese, DIE HARD is still the definitive action thriller." (Total Film)

Wednesday, December 24
Doors 8:00 pm | Movie 8:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

DIE HARD (John McTiernan, 1988 / 131 mins / 18A) New York City Detective John McClane has just arrived in Los Angeles to spend Christmas with his wife. Unfortunately, it is not going to be a Merry Christmas for everyone. A group of terrorists, led by Hans Gruber, is holding everyone in the Nakatomi Plaza building hostage – including Mrs. McClane! With no way of anyone getting in or out, it’s up to the street-smart (and barefoot) McClane to stop them all and save the day.

In an underwater city, a young girl takes care of a large egg she holds carefully in her arms – a treasure that she believes is an angel’s egg. A boy with a gun arrives in search of a bird he saw in his dream. At first it seems as if feelings of sympathy are developing between the two. Then, one night, the boy crushes her precious egg.

First released directly to home video in 1985, the film is a creative collaboration between internationally acclaimed director Mamoru Oshii (GHOST IN THE SHELL), who wrote and directed the feature, and revered artist Yoshitaka Amano (FINAL FANTASY, VAMPIRE HUNTER D). The film beautifully intertwines Oshii’s thematic reflections on philosophy and theology, with Amano’s distinctive ink painting style, culminating in an arrestingly beautiful hand-drawn allegorical fantasy.

Forty years after the film’s original release, GKIDS is proud to present an all-new 4K restoration of the film, which is being supervised by director Oshii, in cinemas nationwide for the first time.

Friday, December 26
Doors 2:00 pm | Movie 2:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

ANGEL'S EGG "Tenshi no Tamago" (Mamoru Oshi, 1985 / 73 mins / 14A / Japanese w. EST) n a decaying city, a little girl takes care of a large egg which she believes was laid by an angel, and crosses paths with a gun-toting young man searching for a bird he saw in a dream.

In one of the most lauded films of 2025, renowned filmmaker PT Anderson (THE MASTER, THERE WILL BE BLOOD) casts Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob, a washed-up revolutionary who lives in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited and self-reliant daughter, Willa. When his evil nemesis resurfaces and Willa goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her as both father and daughter battle the consequences of their pasts. With Benicio Del Toro, Chase Infiniti, Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor, Regina Hall.

"'One Battle After Another' hurtles into the present without compromising Anderson’s sense of fractured, constantly rearranged, weirdly personal American history." (AV Club)

"The excellent performances of Leonardo D iCaprio and Benicio Del Toro bring a deep sense of humanism to two characters who, given the dramatic tone employed, always run the risk of coming across as caricatured stereotypes." (Los Angeles Times)

"PT Anderson elicits memorable inflections of dialogue, intent glances, brazen thrashes of energy and outbursts of fury from his charismatic cast, making “One Battle After Another” a feast of inspired and dedicated acting." (The New Yorker)

Friday, December 26
Doors 4:00 pm | Movie 4:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (PT Anderson, 161 mins / 14A / 161 mins) When their evil enemy resurfaces after 16 years, a group of ex-revolutionaries reunite to rescue the daughter of one of their own.

Following up the indie appeal of 2022's BARBARIAN, writer-director Zach Cregger's WEAPONS was one of the breakout titles that excited genre fans the most in 2025, thanks to its utterly compelling blend of inventive non-linear storytelling that mixed humor and genuine scares supported by a stellar cast that drove a narrative exploring ever-more mysterious and increasingly dark themes. When all but one child from the same classroom mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance. With Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, and Amy Madigan (who scored a Golden Globe nod for her memorable performance).

"'Weapons' is nearly an hour longer than the average creepy movie, but [Zach] Cregger’s mosaic approach justifies extra running time as he asks us to put pieces together for ourselves while delivering jolts with sudden crossed wires." (Sight & Sound)

"'Weapons' is the feel-bad, feel-good movie of the year -- a rare horror masterpiece that leaps beyond its genre without abandoning its sick, sad heart." (The Atlantic)

"Where to start with this utterly gorgeous, commanding, terrifying and masterful suspense thriller? Firstly don’t believe the hype — it’s not a horror. It’s bigger than that." (Observer UK)

Friday, December 26
Doors 7:30 pm | Movie 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

WEAPONS (Zach Cregger, 2025 / 129 mins / 18A) When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.

Join us at the Rio Theatre for the final Friday Late Night Movie selection of 2025, John Carpenter's seminal work of winter-y body horror, THE THING.

This 1982 remake of Howard Hawke's 1951 classic is a bleak, tense and frightening sci-fi thriller that delivers some truly memorable practical and makeup effects, in addition to Kurt Russell's pitch-perfect performance. THE THING is an ice-cold white-knuckle chiller about about scientists in the Antarctic who are confronted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of the people that it kills.

"THE THING is a peerless masterpiece of relentless suspense, retina-wrecking visual excess and outright, nihilistic terror." (Empire Magazine)

"THE THING is one of [Carpenter's] greatest moments, creating a terrifying atmosphere of claustrophobia, suspense and paranoia. And Kurt Russell is as good as he's ever been, wearing one of the best beards in movie history." (Total Film)

Friday, December 26
Doors 10:30 | Movie 11:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Late Night Date Night! Bring your favourite friend or bestive and get two-for-one entry!

THE THING (John Carpenter, 1982 / 109 mins / PG) It’s the first week of winter in 1982. An American research base is greeted by an alien force, that can assimilate anything it touches. It’s up to the members to stay alive, and be sure of who is human, and who has become one of the Things.

Кожна мрія має збутися!

Намагаючись з’ясувати, хто тепер опікується зимовими святами в Україні, три легендарні чарівники — Святий Миколай, Санта Клаус і прадавній Дух Зими — сперечаються і наввипередки здійснюють бажання маленької Віри. Але Віра хоче, щоб Різдва взагалі не існувало! Свято, з усіма його атрибутами, зникає з міста і з пам’яті людей. Замість колядок і різдвяного настрою місто поглинає сум. Чарівники перетворюються на звичайних людей і обʼєднуються, щоб урятувати світ від спричиненого зникненням Різдва Армагеддону і повернути дівчинці віру в чудеса й надію на світле майбутнє.

ФІЛЬМ УКРАЇНСЬКОЮ МОВОЮ З АНГЛІЙСЬКИМИ СУБТИТРАМИ.

Субота, 27 грудня
Двері відчиняються о 12:00  | Початок фільму о 13:00 *Час початку може змінюватися. Будь ласка, приходьте вчасно.

Ціна квитка $25 + сервісний збір

У вартість квитка також входить БЕЗКОШТОВНИЙ маленький попкорн!

Традиційно всі кошти, зібрані з показів наших різдвяних фільмів, Ukraine Harmony Foundation та Film Hive Entertainment спрямовуються на різдвяні подарунки для дітей, які втратили батьків через війну в Україні — традиція, яку ми з гордістю підтримуємо вже три роки.

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Every dream must come true!

Trying to figure out who is now in charge of winter holidays in Ukraine, three legendary magical figures-Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus, and the ancient Winter Spirit - argue and compete to fulfill little Vira's wish. But Vira wants Christmas to stop existing ever. The holiday, with all its traditions, disappears from the city and people's memories. Instead of carols and Christmas cheer, sadness takes over the city. The magic-makers transform into ordinary people and unite to save the world from the impending Armageddon caused by the disappearance of Christmas and to restore the girl's faith in miracles and hope for a bright future.

THE FILM IS IN UKRAINIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES.

Saturday, December 27
Doors 12:00 noon | Film 1:00 PM *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

General Admission $25 + s/c

Ticket price also includes a FREE small popcorn!

Traditionally, all funds collected from our Christmas film screenings by Ukraine Harmony Foundation and Film Hive Entertainment go toward Christmas gifts for children who have lost their parents due to the war in Ukraine — a tradition we have proudly upheld for three years.

"Having a luck dragon with you is the only way to go on a quest."

As we near ever-closer to the series finale of Netlfix's blockbuster series "Stranger Things," we thought the time was right to revisit Wolfgang Petersen's beloved 1984 classic, THE NEVERENDING STORY. A complete and total pop-culture touchstone for 80's kids (and anyone who grew up in Vancouver - you can still recognize a lot of downtown!) this fantastical coming-of-age tale about a young, bullied boy whose day off from school involves a flying luck dragon, a sinking horse, an ancient turtle, and a very vivid life lesson about how the spread of malaise and lethargy can ultimately lead to "a bunch of nothing."

Barett Oliver stars as a young boy named Bastian, who decides to duck into his local bookstore to avoid bullies one morning while on the way to school. He managers to sneak away with a strange-looking book called "The Neverending Story," which he begins reading in the school attic while avoiding class. The novel is about Fantasia, a fantasy land threatened by "The Nothing," a mysterious darkness that destroys everything it touches. As he reads further, he learns that the kingdom of Fantasia needs the help of a human child to survive, and when he reads a description of himself in the book, his day off school turns into something else entirely... Also starring Gerald McRaney, Noah Hathaway.

"A fairytale of the very best kind." (Time Out Magazine)

"This utterly enchanting, family treat of a film should leave you and yours wide-eyed with wonder." (Film4)

Saturday, December 27

Join us at the Rio Theatre on Saturday, December 27 for a live music event with #EastVan icons Petunia & The Vipers featuring special guest Spank Williams.

Louis Armstrong was once asked what his favorite kind of music was, and his response was simple; “Good music." Petunia & The Vipers’ sound may not sit comfortably in one certain genre, but “Good Music” describes it well.

Hank Williams on acid…
Tom Waits meets Elvis at Woody Guthrie’s Hobo junction…
Avant-Country night club scene music… One of the best bands in the world today, of any kind…
Hillbilly-flavoured-swing inflected-ragtime-goodtime-thunderously rolling-one-of-a-kind-you-don’t-want-to-miss-this-sort-of-a-show…
A new music that springboards off of music of the past and jumps into the present day, left with only echoes of the past…
Something in between 1920’s and steam punk.

These are just a few of the words uttered by folks around the globe trying to pin down a description of all that is Petunia & The Vipers.

Saturday, December 27
Doors 8:15 pm | Show 9:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Early Bird Tickets $20+ s/c Until December 7!
Tickets $25+ s/c | $30+ s/c at the door

In light of Paul Thomas Anderson's ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER being one of the defining titles of 2025 (it is currently nominated for a whopping 9 Golden Globes!), we thought the time was right to turn our collective lens back on another one of our favourite films of his, the seasonally appropriate romantic drama PHANTOM THREAD. Released in 2017, it was the second collaboration between the filmmaker and star Daniel Day Lewis, in an elegantly retrained yet luminous period piece that paints an illuminating portrait both of an artist on a creative journey, and the women who keep his world running.

Set in the glamour of 1950’s post-war London, renowned dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock (Day-Lewis, in an Oscar-nominated performance) and his sister Cyril are at the center of British fashion, dressing royalty, movie stars, heiresses, socialites, debutantes and dames with the distinct style of The House of Woodcock. Women come and go through Woodcock’s life, providing the confirmed bachelor with inspiration and companionship, until he comes across a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who soon becomes a fixture in his life as his muse and lover. Once controlled and planned, he finds his carefully tailored life disrupted by love. With Lesley Manville, Vicky Krieps.

"PHANTOM THREAD is seductive and absorbing, but it's also emotionally remote. The film is framed as a love story, but it never swoons." (Variety)

"PHANTOM THREAD's finely woven narrative is filled out nicely by humor, intoxicating romantic tension, and yet another impressively committed performance from Daniel Day-Lewis." (Rotten Tomatoes)

"Anderson's movies are never coherent enough to appeal to the mainstream, but this one is so ravishing and meticulous and exquisite that you have no difficulty ignoring its inherent lack of logic." (New York Observer)

Sunday, December 28
Doors 2:15 pm | Movie 2:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

PHANTOM THREAD (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2017 / PG / 130 mins) In the glamour of 1950s post-war London, renowned dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock and his sister Cyril are at the center of British fashion. Women come and go through Woodcock’s life, providing the confirmed bachelor with inspiration and companionship, until he comes across a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who soon becomes a fixture in his life as his muse and lover. Once controlled and planned, he finds his carefully tailored life disrupted by love.

Join us at the Rio Theatre for a high-speed ride through the making of the iconic THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS franchise with award-winning film critic Barry Hertz, followed by a screening of FAST AND FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT.

Buckle up for an adrenaline-fueled deep-dive into one of cinema’s most beloved and explosive franchises as acclaimed film critic Barry Hertz takes the wheel to share the untold story featured in his brand-new book Welcome to the Family: The Explosive Story Behind Fast & Furious. Barry will pull back the curtain on the high-octane saga’s wild origins, behind-the-scenes drama, and cultural impact. Following that, get ready to take in a screening of TOKYO DRIFT and Barry will stick around for a brief Q&A session following the film.

An unauthorized journey into the makings of a cinematic saga unlike any other, Welcome to the Family: The Explosive Story Behind Fast & Furious, the Blockbusters that Supercharged the World exposes the stranger-than-fan-fiction journey of the Fast franchise from the ground up. Through rigorous behind-the-scenes reporting and incisive cultural commentary, Hertz's ride-or-die epic details every single twist and turn of the FAST & FURIOUS drama, one quarter mile at a time. (By the end, you will believe a car can fly!)

About the Author
Barry Hertz is the award-winning Chief Film Critic for the Globe and Mail, Canada's leading national newspaper, based in Toronto. Over the past two decades, he has reviewed thousands of movies, interviewed hundreds of actors and filmmakers, and covered every angle of the industry from festivals, sets, and markets around the world.

Barry's book Welcome to the Family: The Explosive Story Behind Fast & Furious will be available for purchase at the Rio Theatre during the event.

Sean Boswell (Lucas Black) always feels like an outsider, but he defines himself through his victories as a street racer. His hobby makes him unpopular with the authorities, so he goes to live with his father in Japan. Once there and even more alienated, he learns about an exciting, but dangerous, new style of the sport. The stakes are high when Sean takes on the local champion and falls for the man's girlfriend. With Zachery Ty Bryan, Lil Bow Wow.

"... Supercharged with some of the best race action yet seen." (Empire Magazine)

"'The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift' is vile, moronic, sexist and possibly harmful to society. As vile, moronic, sexist and possibly harmful entertainments go, however, it is frequently a hoot." (Toronto Star)

Sunday, December 28
Doors 5:15 pm | Movie 5:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT (Justin Linn, 2006 / 104 mins / 14A) A teenager becomes a major competitor in the world of drift racing after moving in with his father in Tokyo to avoid a jail sentence in America.

“You keep dancing with the devil, one day he’s gonna follow you home.”

Following the massive success of both CREED and BLACK PANTHER franchises American director Ryan Coogler is again reuniting with one of the stars of those films, Michael B. Jordan, in an entirely new vision of fear: SINNERS. One of the most critically acclaimed and talked about movies of 2025, SINNERS was recently nominated for a whopping seven Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Director and Screnplay (Coogler), Best Actor in a Drama (Jordan), and Best Original Song and Best Original Score.

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers (Jordan, in a dual role) return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back. With Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, and Delroy Lindo.

"'Sinners' is a redemption movie, a revenge movie with elements of Blaxploitation, and certainly a red-blood-soaked horror movie; it’s also deeply romantic and has the rhythms and audaciousness of some of our boldest musicals." (Filmspotting)

"It’s both a wildly ambitious meditation on American history and a rip-roaring good time." (Slate)

"It is a phantasm of Black Southern delights." (New York Magazine / Vulture)

"An awe-inspiring ode to what music means to communities and cultures." (Chicago Reader)

Sunday, December 28
Doors 8:30 pm | Movie 9:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

SINNERS (Ryan Coogler, 2025 / 137 mins / 14A) Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

In 1943 lyricist Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke) confronts his shattered self-confidence, alcoholism and mental health as he tries to save face in a bar as his former collaborator, Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott), celebrates the opening night of his groundbreaking hit musical "Oklahoma!"

**Golden Globe nominated: Ethan Hawke, Best Actor and Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy**

"Ethan Hawke delivers a heartbreaking, career-best performance in Blue Moon, a beautifully worded, intimate chamber piece where Linklater turns one night of despair into a luminous portrait of artistic ruin and fleeting human connection." (Rotten Tomatoes)

"Blue Moon is nostalgic for old Broadway glamour, but also acutely attuned to the desolation behind the glitz. Not so much old-fashioned, then, as resembling an Old Fashioned: freshly mixed, generous with the bitters, a sophisticated, poignant." (Financial Times)

Monday, December 29
Doors: 5:00 PM | Film: 5:30 PM *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

BLUE MOON (Richard Linklater | 2025 | 100 mins) On the evening of March 31, 1943, legendary lyricist Lorenz Hart confronts his shattered self-confidence in Sardi’s bar as his former collaborator Richard Rodgers celebrates the opening night of his ground-breaking hit musical “Oklahoma!”.

In 1999, Tom Cruise and then real-life wife Nicole Kidman starred as a married couple exploring the possibilities of infidelity in master filmmaker Stanley Kubrick's erotically-charged, mysterious, psychological drama EYES WIDE SHUT. Adapted from Arthur Schnitzler’s 1926 psychosexual novella 'Dream Story,' the film was famously shrouded in secrecy and took 12 years to make; sadly, tragically, Kubrick would die of a heart attack six days after delivering the final cut of the film.

Set in the upscale world of the Manhattan elite, Cruise plays Manhattan Dr. Bill Hartford, whoe wife, Alice (Kidman), admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met. In response, Bill becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter of his own, discovering a clandestine, underground sexual group. When he attends one of their meetings, he quickly discovers that he is in over his head. Also starring Sydney Pollack, Leelee Sobieski, Thomas Gibson.

"A must-see for Kubrick acolytes." (Empire Magazine)

"Of all Stanley Kubrick’s films, his swansong remains the most divisive." (BFI.org)

Monday, December 29
Doors 8:30 pm | Movie 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

EYES WIDE SHUT (Stanley Kubrick, 1999 / 159 mins / 18A) After Dr. Bill Hartford's wife, Alice, admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter. He discovers an underground sexual group and attends one of their meetings -- and quickly discovers that he is in over his head.

"I'll have what she's having."

Join us at the Rio Theatre as we pay tribute to the late, great filmmaker and actor Rob Reiner by dimming the lights and firing up the projector for a screening of one of our all-time favourite movies of his, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY. In the pantheon of romantic comedies, is there any more universally beloved (not to mention hilarious, sweet, infinitely quotable, sincere, and completely relatable) than this landmark classic?

The characters of Harry and Sally were heavily influenced by the real-life dating and relationship experiences of both Reiner and the late, great writer Nora Ephron (who received an Oscar nod for this screenplay). The onscreen chemistry between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan is one for the ages in career-defining performances as a couple whose friendship morphs over the course of two decades before arriving at the inevitable romantic hurdle that forms the crux of the film: "Can two people sleep together and still be friends?" Rounding out the cast are Bruno Kirby and Carrie Fisher as Harry and Sally's respective best friends.

"Ephron's tart, grown-up script examines the inevitably of love finding a way despite the fight put up by this famous pair of snappy New Yorkers." (Empire Magazine)

"What knocks it out of the park is the combination of Ephron's insights and Reiner's matchless comic chops." (Total Film)

Tuesday, December 30
Doors 5:50 pm | Movie 6:20 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (Rob Reiner, 1989 / 96 mins / PG) In 1977, college graduates Harry Burns and Sally Albright share a contentious car ride from Chicago to New York, during which they argue about whether men and women can ever truly be strictly platonic friends. Ten years later, Harry and Sally meet again at a bookstore, and in the company of their respective best friends, Jess and Marie , attempt to stay friends without sex becoming an issue between them.

In the sci-fi, dystopian fantasy masterpiece BRAZIL, Jonathan Pryce plays a daydreaming every-man who finds himself caught in the soul-crushing gears of a nightmarish bureaucracy. This cautionary tale by Terry Gilliam, one of the great films of the 1980s, has come to be esteemed alongside antit-otalitarian works by the likes of George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, and Kurt Vonnegut Jr. And in terms of set design, cinematography, music, and effects, BRAZIL is a nonstop dazzler. With Robert DeNiro, Kim Greist, Katharine Helmond, Ian Holm, Bob Hoskins, Michael Palin, Jim Broadbent.

Low-level bureaucrat Sam Lowry (Pryce) escapes the monotony of his day-to-day life through a recurring daydream of himself as a virtuous hero saving a beautiful damsel. Investigating a case that led to the wrongful arrest and eventual death of an innocent man instead of wanted terrorist Harry Tuttle, he meets the woman from his daydream, and in trying to help her gets caught in a web of mistaken identities, mindless bureaucracy and lies.

"Gilliam's dystopian epic remains among his best, blending his trademark visual inventiveness with a vicious brand of social satire. Unique and essential." (Empire Magazine)

"Terry Gilliam's ferociously creative black comedy is filled with wild tonal contrasts, swarming details, and unfettered visual invention -- every shot carries a charge of surprise and delight." (Chicago Reader)

Tuesday, December 30
Doors 8:15 pm | Movie 8:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

BRAZIL (Terry Gilliam, 1985 / 132 min / 14A) A bureaucrat, in a retro-future world, tries to correct an administrative error and becomes an enemy of the state.

Indie arthouse darling Ari Aster (MIDSOMMAR, HEREDITARY, BEAU IS AFRAID) latest effort EDDINGTON is a sharp social commentary that is equal parts satire and neo-Western. Set in 2020, against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the story follows a standoff between a small-town sheriff and mayor that sparks a powder keg as neighbour is pitted against neighbour in the rural town Eddington, N.M. With Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, Joaquin Phoenix, and Austin Butler.

"Ari Aster’s “Eddington” is such a superb social satire about contemporary America that I want to bury it in the desert for 20 years. More distance will make it easier to laugh." (Los Angeles Times)

"[Joaquin] Phoenix is the perfect instrument for Ari Aster’s bleak and self-destructive view of humanity. Consider 'Eddington' a warning." (San Francsico Chronicle)

Wednesday, December 31
Doors 1:00 pm | Movie 1:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

EDDINGTON (Ari Aster, 2025 / 14A / 148 mins) In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff and mayor sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico.

Experience the final battle... At the Park Theatre!

The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.

Please note: As this is a once-in a-lifetime STRANGER THINGS fan event to say "good-bye!" to one of the most beloved franchises of recent memory, 1980's attire is very welcome and highly encouraged (it may even be enforced!).
That means you can let your freaky fan flag fly and channel your favourite (or generic) Reagan-era Hawkins, Indiana citizen, which may include a Hawkins Middle or High School student (or parent of a student), authority figure (this may any member of the Hawkins High faculty, Hawkins PD, CIA, FBI, US military, Russian prison guard or militia, Pennhurst Mental Asylum guard, lab tech, or Starcourt Mall cop), Hellfire Club member (by extension D&D attire also very acceptable), Benny's Burgers employee, Scoops Ahoy employee, Surfer Boy Pizza employee, Enzo's restaurant employee, Family Video employee, Hawkins Community Pool employee, Hawkins Post employee, or even a Rink-O-Mania employee. Iconic 1980's MTV stars, TV stars, movie characters (from Freddy Krueger to Marty McFly to Dr. Venkman!) or just dust off your fantasy Snow-Ball formal wear (or the Expo '86 shirt hanging in the back of your closet). Whatever it is - show us what you've got!

Wednesday, December 31
Doors 3:15 pm | Movie 5:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
This event is taking place at the Park Theatre.

*Rows AA-HH are a General Admission Section. Rows A-P are Assigned Seating. Maximum of 6 vouchers per transaction.

New Years Eve at The Rio! All Star Variety Show and Dance Party including live music, comedy, burlesque, circus and don’t forget the poetry all hosted by queer cabaret comedian and award winning host, Dandy! Featuring an All Star cast of East Van Talent! The dance floor is open to shake a tail feather with live music from: Shirley Gnome, Hank Pine, Jack Garton, Kitty & The Rooster and The ReViberators.  Laugh your @ss off to the comedic stylings of Graham Clark and Charlie Demers. Let legendary burlesque mavens April O'Peel, Melody Mangler and Clare Voyeur tease and tantalize you. Plus a special performance by circus sensation Yuki The Juggler and poets Duncan Shields and Fernando Raguero!

The party doesn't stop at midnight, the dance floor and bar are open till 1:00 am with LIVE music from our featured vocalists and musicians!

Dress to express! East Van Formal!

Wednesday, December 31
Doors: 8:00 pm | Party Starts 9:00 pm *Please arrive on time. Start time subject to change.

Save $10 with Early Bird tickets available till midnight December 5!

Seating is Assigned on the main floor and General Admission in the balcony.
Early Bird - $40 + s/c
Regular Admission - $50 + s/c

Experience the final battle... At the Park Theatre!

The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.

Please note: As this is a once-in a-lifetime STRANGER THINGS fan event to say "good-bye!" to one of the most beloved franchises of recent memory, 1980's attire is very welcome and highly encouraged (it may even be enforced!).
That means you can let your freaky fan flag fly and channel your favourite (or generic) Reagan-era Hawkins, Indiana citizen, which may include a Hawkins Middle or High School student (or parent of a student), authority figure (this may any member of the Hawkins High faculty, Hawkins PD, CIA, FBI, US military, Russian prison guard or militia, Pennhurst Mental Asylum guard, lab tech, or Starcourt Mall cop), Hellfire Club member (by extension D&D attire also very acceptable), Benny's Burgers employee, Scoops Ahoy employee, Surfer Boy Pizza employee, Enzo's restaurant employee, Family Video employee, Hawkins Community Pool employee, Hawkins Post employee, or even a Rink-O-Mania employee. Iconic 1980's MTV stars, TV stars, movie characters (from Freddy Krueger to Marty McFly to Dr. Venkman!) or just dust off your fantasy Snow-Ball formal wear (or the Expo '86 shirt hanging in the back of your closet). Whatever it is - show us what you've got!

Wednesday, December 31 New Year's Eve Fan Event
Doors 8:15 pm | Movie 9:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
This event is taking place at the Park Theatre.

*Rows AA-HH are a General Admission Section. Rows A-P are Assigned Seating. Maximum of 6 vouchers per transaction.

Experience the final battle... At the Park Theatre!

The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.

Please note: As this is a once-in a-lifetime STRANGER THINGS fan event to say "good-bye!" to one of the most beloved franchises of recent memory, 1980's attire is very welcome and highly encouraged (it may even be enforced!).
That means you can let your freaky fan flag fly and channel your favourite (or generic) Reagan-era Hawkins, Indiana citizen, which may include a Hawkins Middle or High School student (or parent of a student), authority figure (this may any member of the Hawkins High faculty, Hawkins PD, CIA, FBI, US military, Russian prison guard or militia, Pennhurst Mental Asylum guard, lab tech, or Starcourt Mall cop), Hellfire Club member (by extension D&D attire also very acceptable), Benny's Burgers employee, Scoops Ahoy employee, Surfer Boy Pizza employee, Enzo's restaurant employee, Family Video employee, Hawkins Community Pool employee, Hawkins Post employee, or even a Rink-O-Mania employee. Iconic 1980's MTV stars, TV stars, movie characters (from Freddy Krueger to Marty McFly to Dr. Venkman!) or just dust off your fantasy Snow-Ball formal wear (or the Expo '86 shirt hanging in the back of your closet). Whatever it is - show us what you've got!

Thursday, January 1 New Year's Day Fan Event
Doors 12:30 pm | Movie 1:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
This event is taking place at the Park Theatre.

*Rows AA-HH are a General Admission Section. Rows A-P are Assigned Seating. Maximum of 6 vouchers per transaction.

"You see, before he came down here, it never snowed. And afterwards, it did. If he weren't up there now... I don't think it would be snowing. Sometimes, you can still catch me dancing in it."

Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder make all kinds of movie magic in Tim Burton’s holiday classic EDWARD SCISSORHANDS. This beloved fantasy-fable about an "uncommonly gentle man" marks the first collaboration between Depp and Burton, whose beautifully gothic (if not weirdly humorous) aesthetic is put to good use here. EDWARD SCISSORHANDS is a modern fairytale for movie-lovers of all ages, a sweet and charming story about a gentle young man sporting scissors for hands. It also marks the final film performance from iconic character actor Vincent Price. With Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall, Kathy Baker, and Alan Arkin.

"Burton's richly entertaining update of the Frankenstein story is the year's most comic, romantic and haunting film fantasy." (Rolling Stone)

"Burton's modern fairytale has an almost palpably personal feel: it is told gently, subtly and with infinite sympathy for an outsider who charms the locals but then inadvertently arouses their baser instincts." (Daily Telegraph)

Thursday, January 1
Doors 1:15 pm | Movie 1:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (Tim Burton, 1990 / 105 mins / PG) | A scientist builds an animated human being -- the gentle Edward. The scientist dies before he can finish assembling Edward, though, leaving the young man with a freakish appearance accentuated by the scissor blades he has instead of hands. Loving suburban saleswoman Peg discovers Edward and takes him home, where he falls for Peg's teen daughter. However, despite his kindness and artistic talent, Edward's hands make him an outcast.

Experience the final battle... At the Park Theatre!

The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.

Please note: As this is a once-in a-lifetime STRANGER THINGS fan event to say "good-bye!" to one of the most beloved franchises of recent memory, 1980's attire is very welcome and highly encouraged (it may even be enforced!).
That means you can let your freaky fan flag fly and channel your favourite (or generic) Reagan-era Hawkins, Indiana citizen, which may include a Hawkins Middle or High School student (or parent of a student), authority figure (this may any member of the Hawkins High faculty, Hawkins PD, CIA, FBI, US military, Russian prison guard or militia, Pennhurst Mental Asylum guard, lab tech, or Starcourt Mall cop), Hellfire Club member (by extension D&D attire also very acceptable), Benny's Burgers employee, Scoops Ahoy employee, Surfer Boy Pizza employee, Enzo's restaurant employee, Family Video employee, Hawkins Community Pool employee, Hawkins Post employee, or even a Rink-O-Mania employee. Iconic 1980's MTV stars, TV stars, movie characters (from Freddy Krueger to Marty McFly to Dr. Venkman!) or just dust off your fantasy Snow-Ball formal wear (or the Expo '86 shirt hanging in the back of your closet). Whatever it is - show us what you've got!

Wednesday, December 31 Premiere Screening
Doors 3:45 pm | Movie 5:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
This event is taking place at the Park Theatre.

Reserve Your Entry On Sale December 10 @ 8:00 am

*Rows AA-HH are a General Admission Section. Rows A-P are Assigned Seating. Maximum of 6 vouchers per transaction.

Quentin Tarantino's KILL BILL: THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR unites Volume 1 and Volume 2 into a single, unrated epic--presented exactly as he intended, complete with a new, never-before-seen anime sequence. Uma Thurman stars as The Bride, left for dead after her former boss and lover Bill ambushes her wedding rehearsal, shooting her in the head and stealing her unborn child. To exact her vengeance, she must first hunt down the four remaining members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad before confronting Bill himself. With its operatic scope, relentless action, and iconic style, KILL BILL: THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR stands as one of cinema's definitive revenge sagas--rarely shown in its complete form and now presented with a classic intermission. With Vivica A. Fox, Daryl Hannah, Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen, David Carradine, Shin'ichi Chiba, Chia-Hui Liu, and Julie Dreyfus.

"If it’s an extravagant demand of time it’s an even more extravagant pleasure, the rare film worth a trip out to the cinema for full immersion." (Wall Street Journal)

"This is a tremendous visceral experience, with radiant colors, slate-somber black-and-white, and geysers of crimson blood." (RogerEbert.com)

"With 'Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair', [Tarantino] finally gets to complete his own work of cinematic archeology, and what he exhumes springs to life like the first time it was projected. Viva Kill Bill!" (Austin Chronicle)

"In so many ways, The Whole Bloody Affair is the movie-est movie to ever be movie’d, with Tarantino generously trepanning his skull wide open in order to provide everyone a direct portal inside his cinema-addled brain." (Globe and Mail)

Thursday, January 1
Doors 3:45 pm | Movie 4:20 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Tickets on sale soon

KILL BILL: THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR (Quentin Tarantino, 2006 / 275 mins / 18A) The Bride must kill her ex-boss and lover Bill who betrayed her at her wedding rehearsal, shot her in the head and took away her unborn daughter. But first, she must make the other four members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad suffer.

Experience the final battle... At the Park Theatre!

The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.

Please note: As this is a once-in a-lifetime STRANGER THINGS fan event to say "good-bye!" to one of the most beloved franchises of recent memory, 1980's attire is very welcome and highly encouraged (it may even be enforced!).
That means you can let your freaky fan flag fly and channel your favourite (or generic) Reagan-era Hawkins, Indiana citizen, which may include a Hawkins Middle or High School student (or parent of a student), authority figure (this may any member of the Hawkins High faculty, Hawkins PD, CIA, FBI, US military, Russian prison guard or militia, Pennhurst Mental Asylum guard, lab tech, or Starcourt Mall cop), Hellfire Club member (by extension D&D attire also very acceptable), Benny's Burgers employee, Scoops Ahoy employee, Surfer Boy Pizza employee, Enzo's restaurant employee, Family Video employee, Hawkins Community Pool employee, Hawkins Post employee, or even a Rink-O-Mania employee. Iconic 1980's MTV stars, TV stars, movie characters (from Freddy Krueger to Marty McFly to Dr. Venkman!) or just dust off your fantasy Snow-Ball formal wear (or the Expo '86 shirt hanging in the back of your closet). Whatever it is - show us what you've got!

Thursday, January 1 New Year's Day Fan Event
Doors 8:15 pm | Movie 9:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
This event is taking place at the Park Theatre.

*Rows AA-HH are a General Admission Section. Rows A-P are Assigned Seating. Maximum of 6 vouchers per transaction.

“That’s just, like, your opinion, man.”

In 1998, the Coen brothers delivered THE BIG LEBOWSKI into the movie universe, and we've all been collectively quoting it ever since.

THE BIG LEBOWSKI has really grown into its status as a true "cult classic." A quirky, quasi-neo-noir story, truly glorious visual sequences, some hilarious dialogue and standout performances from an A-list cast really tie the whole thing together, man. Jeff Bridges abides as unemployed stoner Jeff Lebowski (aka, "The Dude"), a laid-back, easygoing burnout who just happens to have the same name as a millionaire whose wife Bunny owes a lot of dangerous people (nihilists?) a whole bunch of money. When some bad guys break into The Dude's house and pee on his rug, he seeks out the other Lebowski, which sends him spiraling into a weird trip through Los Angeles' even weirder underworld. Also starring John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, Philip Seymour Hoffman, David Huddleston, John Turturro, Tara Reid, and Flea.

This fan favourite is best enjoyed chillin' with friends (maybe in your pajamas, an old bathrobe, or a comfy Cowichan sweater - your call, we can abide with however you roll) and maybe an adult beverage (perhaps a delicious White Russian or two - you deserve it! And yes, they will be on special at the bar!)

"A typical Coen brothers film is like no film you've ever seen." (The Globe & Mail)

Thursday, January 1
Doors 9:00 pm | Movie 9:30 pm *Please arrive on time. Start time subject to change.

THE BIG LEBOWSKI (Joel and Ethan Coen, 1998 / 117 minutes / 14A) | Jeff `The Dude' Leboswki is mistaken for Jeffrey Lebowski, who is The Big Lebowski. Which explains why he's roughed up and has his precious rug peed on. In search of recompense, The Dude tracks down his namesake, who offers him a job. His wife has been kidnapped and he needs a reliable bagman. Aided and hindered by his pals Walter Sobchak, a Vietnam vet, and Donny, master of stupidity.

Quentin Tarantino's KILL BILL: THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR unites Volume 1 and Volume 2 into a single, unrated epic--presented exactly as he intended, complete with a new, never-before-seen anime sequence. Uma Thurman stars as The Bride, left for dead after her former boss and lover Bill ambushes her wedding rehearsal, shooting her in the head and stealing her unborn child. To exact her vengeance, she must first hunt down the four remaining members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad before confronting Bill himself. With its operatic scope, relentless action, and iconic style, KILL BILL: THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR stands as one of cinema's definitive revenge sagas--rarely shown in its complete form and now presented with a classic intermission. With Vivica A. Fox, Daryl Hannah, Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen, David Carradine, Shin'ichi Chiba, Chia-Hui Liu, and Julie Dreyfus.

"If it’s an extravagant demand of time it’s an even more extravagant pleasure, the rare film worth a trip out to the cinema for full immersion." (Wall Street Journal)

"This is a tremendous visceral experience, with radiant colors, slate-somber black-and-white, and geysers of crimson blood." (RogerEbert.com)

"With 'Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair', [Tarantino] finally gets to complete his own work of cinematic archeology, and what he exhumes springs to life like the first time it was projected. Viva Kill Bill!" (Austin Chronicle)

"In so many ways, The Whole Bloody Affair is the movie-est movie to ever be movie’d, with Tarantino generously trepanning his skull wide open in order to provide everyone a direct portal inside his cinema-addled brain." (Globe and Mail)

Friday, January 2
Doors 5:30 pm | Movie 6:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
This film includes a brief intermission.

KILL BILL: THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR (Quentin Tarantino, 2006 / 275 mins / 18A) The Bride must kill her ex-boss and lover Bill who betrayed her at her wedding rehearsal, shot her in the head and took away her unborn daughter. But first, she must make the other four members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad suffer.

After losing his mother to murder as a boy, Marcus (Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson) has little support in his life. He starts working for drug dealer Levar and his assistant. Although Marcus makes good money selling, his dream is to become a rapper. When he reunites with an old love and is later shot numerous times during a robbery, Marcus decides it's time to change his life. However, his old associates won't let him go so easily. With Joy Bryant, Terence Howard, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Bill Duke.

"This is an unapologetically glossy pop product, powered by a strong, old-fashioned sense of B-movie melodrama." (Salon.com)

"A film with a rich and convincing texture, a drama with power and anger." (Roger Ebert)

Friday, January 2
Doors 11:00 pm | Movie 11:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

It's #FridayLateNight date night and tickets are 2-for-1! Bring your best pal, your ride-or-die or former gang boss and save 50% off tickets!

GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN' (Jim Sheridan, 2005 / 117 mins / 18A) A tale of an inner city drug dealer who turns away from a life of crime to pursue his passion of rap music.

"In 9 hours and 23 minutes... You'll be mine."

The late, great David Bowie makes all kinds of music, magic and mischief as a Goblin King who kidnaps a baby while tormenting a young Jennifer Connelly in director Jim Henson's wildly imaginative and highly entertaining puppet-filled 80s classic LABYRINTH. We're tipping our hat to the beloved icon with a prime time, tribute screening on his birthday, Wednesday, January 8 (with an encore on January 10).

Fifteen-year-old Sarah (Connelly) resents her baby brother Toby and secretly wishes that he will just disappear. Whilst babysitting Toby, Sarah's wish comes true when goblins kidnap the baby. Feeling responsible and guilty about his abduction, she sets forth to retrieve him - and finds herself on the adventure of a lifetime. To rescue her brother, she must sneak into the castle of the Goblin King (Bowie), which is in the center of a fantastical labyrinth. The task is easier said than done, as the maze is filled with strange creatures, mind-bending puzzles, and nothing is really as it seems...

"A remarkable achievement." (The New York Times)

"One of the undeniable triumphs of pure fantasy in live-action cinema." (Antagony & Ecstasy)

Thursday, January 8
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Saturday, January 10
Doors 11:30 am | Movie 12:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

LABYRINTH (Jim Henson, 1986 / 101 mins / PG) | Frustrated with babysitting on yet another weekend night, Sarah - a teenager with an active imagination - summons the Goblins from her favourite book, "Labyrinth", to take the baby stepbrother away. When little Toby actually disappears, Sarah must follow him into the world of the fairytale to rescue him from the Goblin King...

"In 9 hours and 23 minutes... You'll be mine."

The late, great David Bowie makes all kinds of music, magic and mischief as a Goblin King who kidnaps a baby while tormenting a young Jennifer Connelly in director Jim Henson's wildly imaginative and highly entertaining puppet-filled 80s classic LABYRINTH. We're tipping our hat to the beloved icon with a prime time, tribute screening on his birthday, Wednesday, January 8 (with an encore on January 10).

Fifteen-year-old Sarah (Connelly) resents her baby brother Toby and secretly wishes that he will just disappear. Whilst babysitting Toby, Sarah's wish comes true when goblins kidnap the baby. Feeling responsible and guilty about his abduction, she sets forth to retrieve him - and finds herself on the adventure of a lifetime. To rescue her brother, she must sneak into the castle of the Goblin King (Bowie), which is in the center of a fantastical labyrinth. The task is easier said than done, as the maze is filled with strange creatures, mind-bending puzzles, and nothing is really as it seems...

"A remarkable achievement." (The New York Times)

"One of the undeniable triumphs of pure fantasy in live-action cinema." (Antagony & Ecstasy)

Thursday, January 8
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Saturday, January 10
Doors 11:30 am | Movie 12:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

LABYRINTH (Jim Henson, 1986 / 101 mins / PG) | Frustrated with babysitting on yet another weekend night, Sarah - a teenager with an active imagination - summons the Goblins from her favourite book, "Labyrinth", to take the baby stepbrother away. When little Toby actually disappears, Sarah must follow him into the world of the fairytale to rescue him from the Goblin King...

Because botox looks better on the big screen!

Join us at the Rio Theatre on Sunday, January 4 for our annual Golden Globe Awards Watch Party. This year's event is being hosted by the very funny Nikki Glaser, which pretty much guarantees a night of hilarity.

The Golden Globe Awards recognizes the best and brightest in film and television (double the entertainment value!), as selected by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Our Golden Globes screening and party is a fun warm-up for the Oscars, which will also be shown live and on our big screen on Sunday, March 15. As always, we will roll out the red carpet and encourage everyone to dress up like the star that they are.

Sunday, January 11
Doors & Red Carpet 4:00 pm | Ceremony 5:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

A copious cavalcade of top notch talent and captivating cabaret await at The Rio Theatre Burlesque and Variety Show on Saturday, January 24.

A copious cavalcade of top notch talent and captivating cabaret await at The Rio Theatre Burlesque and Variety Show on Saturday January 24! Local luminary April O’Peel has curated a show full of wonder sure to dazzle and delight our fun loving audience! Expect classic festive tunes, winter wonderland vibes, and performers who know how to warm up even the chilliest December night. Gorgeous, glamorous, and just the right amount of naughty. Gather your favorite people and let the holiday magic shimmy its way into your evening!

Saturday, January 24
Doors 8:00 pm | Show 9:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

EARLY BIRD tickets just $20, till midnight, January 5!

General Admission $30 + s/c | $35 + s/c at the door
VIP tickets (Rows A-C, centre section) $40+ s/c
Squad Pass (Group of Four Tickets – online only) $100+ s/c

With Featured Performances By:

April O'Peel | Dame Derriere | Forrest Rump | Heathen | Jalebia Majora | Little Brit Naughty | Poly Pocket & Glitter Stache
Ruby Revel & Iggy Tart | Teresa Riley | Yoshi Chladny

Hosted by Dandy!

Let's face it dahlings, it's 2026 and one of the scarcest resources available is PURE JOY! We've got you covered in the The Happiest Drag Show on Earth—a full-throttle celebration of queer joy, camp, and community. Every act is meticulously designed to tickle your funny bone and warm your gay little heart!  It's a glitter soaked love fest, dahhhlings, where everyone is welcome, no one has to “fit in,” and you leave feeling hotter, happier, and more yourself than when you walked in. This glam spectacle is the perfect way to start the new year-  with the BIGGEST and BEST (award winning!) drag show in East Van. Hosted by social media sensation and local legend DANDY!

Friday, January 30
Doors 7:00 PM | Show 8:00 PM *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

EARLY BIRD, Save $10 off tickets until January 2, midnight.

Main Floor Assigned $30+ s/c in advance |  $35+ s/c at the door
VIP (Priority Seating & Prop Bag) $40+ s/c
Happiest 4-pack on Earth!  – Save $20! (Available online only)

Cast List Coming Soon!

About your Host:

Dandy (he/him) is the award-winning host made popular on TikTok for his viral videos promoting queer joy! Winner of Host of the Year 2024 for Vancouver International Burlesque Festival and awarded runner up in the Georgia Straight’s BEST OF VANCOUVER for his show Drag Attack! – you can catch him regularly on stage in his shows at the iconic Rio Theatre in Vancouver, or touring this Fall between LA and New York City. His all new series Dandyland, which highlights businesses, organizations, and artists in the lower-mainland’s LGBT Community, premiered this Summer on Optik TV and was nominated by the Costume Designers Guild Awards for Excellence in Short Form Design 2024, and WON a CAFTCAD Award for Excellence in Webseries 2024 thanks to already award winning, multi-talented Costume Designer, Rafaella Rabinovich.

@dandyandfriends

Mark Fischbach (aka YouTube creator and influencer Markiplier to his legions of fans) is unleashing his highly-anticipated debut feature horror film, IRON LUNG, into the cinematic sphere on January 30. In a post-apocalyptic future after "The Quiet Rapture" event, a convict explores a blood ocean on a desolate moon using a submarine called the "Iron Lung" to search for missing stars/planets.

Friday, January 30
Doors 11:00 pm | Movie 11:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

IRON LUNG (Mark Fischback, 2026 / 125 mins / 18A) Survivors of the apocalypse launch an expedition to a barren moon with an ocean of blood.

Mark Fischbach (aka YouTube creator and influencer Markiplier to his legions of fans) is unleashing his highly-anticipated debut feature horror film, IRON LUNG, into the cinematic sphere on January 30. In a post-apocalyptic future after "The Quiet Rapture" event, a convict explores a blood ocean on a desolate moon using a submarine called the "Iron Lung" to search for missing stars/planets.

Sunday, February 1
Doors 8:30 pm | Movie 9:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Tickets on sale soon.

IRON LUNG (Mark Fischback, 2026 / 125 mins / 18A) Survivors of the apocalypse launch an expedition to a barren moon with an ocean of blood.

The East Van Laugh Riot is pleased to welcome back comedian Ian Bagg, who is returning to the Rio Theatre's stage for a night of laughs on Friday, February 6.

Friday, February 6
Doors 6:00 pm | Show 7:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Most comedians have a monologue; Ian has a dialogue. Attend a show immediately and see why his high school history teacher asked Ian's parents if there was something he should know about Ian.

Guess who's back to keep Vancouver laughing in 2026... The East Van Laugh RioT is pleased to welcome the winter season return of comedian Sammy Obeid - with all-new material! We just can't keep him off our stage!

Tuesday, February 10
Doors 5:30 pm | Show 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Adult Balcony (General Admission) $39 + s/c Early Bird $30 Until December 21!
Adult Main Floor (Assigned Seating) $48+ s/c Early Bird $40 Until December 21!
VIP Meet n' Greet (Rows 2-6, centre section) $65+ s/c
VVIP Meet n' Greet (Front Row, centre section) $75+ s/c
Group Ticket Pricing (Minimum 4) $43 (ea)+ s/c (online only)

Lebanese-Palestinian American and born in Oakland California, Sammy Obeid double-majored in Business and Mathematics at UC Berkeley and then turned down a job at Google to be a comedian.

Now the host of 100 Humans on Netflix, he’s also appeared on NBC's Last Comic Standing and America's Got Talent, as well as TBS’s Conan, and is best known for his world record of performing comedy 1,001 nights in a row, a story featured in both Time Magazine and The New York Times.

Connect on Instagram @sammyobeid
Connect on Facebook
Connect on TikTok @sammyobeidthem
Connect on X @sammyobeid

A performance night featuring the talents and artistry of Professional Showgirls!

Get yourself teased, tantalized and all worked up ahead of V-Day with a "hump-day" helping of flesh and sin from some of Canada's best and award winning professional showgirls on Wednesday, February 11 at Lovers and Haters: A Showgirl Cabaret!

Expect to see acts that celebrate both love and hate incorporating strip club culture like Flow, Pole Dancing, Aerials and Chains. With featured performances from award winning Flow and Aerial artist, Miss Nude Canada 2024, Miss Nude North America 2023 - Bree Vybes!

Wednesday, February 11
Doors 7:30 pm | 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

All tickets $25 + s/c
(Main floor assigned, Balcony GA)

Featuring performances by:

Nina Nightblossom
Bree Vybes (winner of Miss Nude Canada 2024)
&
Demi Reign

It takes two to tango this Valentine's Day at the Rio Theatre!

The highly-anticipated Burlesque Duos returns to the Rio's stage on Saturday, February 14. This beloved (not to mention popular!) East Vancouver Valentine's Day tradition is the ultimate spectacle of partnership and creativity. Spice up your Valentine's Day with a night of never-before-seen pairings and innovative duets!

Saturday, February 14
Doors 7:00 pm | Show 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

EARLY BIRD only $30 + s/c. Offer expires January 12, midnight!
Balcony -General Admission $30 + s/c in advance | $35+ s/c at the door
Main Floor - Assigned $40 + s/c in advance | $45+ s/c at the door
VIP Tickets $50+ s/c
Menage 4-pack of tickets - Save $40(Available online only)

Perfect for singles and couples alike, the evening's marquee will include unforgettable performances from eight of Vancouver’s top teasers, including:

Scarlet Delirium & Manda StroyerApril O'Peel & Angora Phobia
Diva the Violet Femme & Homo Hardware
Cherry Ontop & Chelsea Hart

Hosted by:
Sparkle Plenty & Dee Twenty

Join us at the Rio Theatre on Friday, March 20 for the second annual H Cupcake Productions Foundation's THE COSPLAY SWIMSUIT CONTEST, a charity variety show mixing comedy and sex appeal - for a good cause!

H Cupcake Productions was founded with the goals of bringing laughter and smiles to adults, while supporting the needs of children. While the world hasn't been the kindest place these past few years, the organization's mission is event-driven, with the goal of bringing as much joy as possible to as many people as possible. The group has been the main event for adult entertainment at Anime Revolution since 2012, with an average current attendance of 3,400 people.

We have a fabulous lineup of performers to excite and entertain you! Many of your favorites from our annual show at Anime Revolution will be joining us: Cookie._.Rush, JMRohCreations, Vancity_Ranger, Gothish.Rain, Milkiway.Cosplay, BadSheepCosplay, Brystak, Kamistry, Gavin, Sharkiekitty, Angora.Phobia and Im.JuneMonsoon.

Friday, March 20
Doors 7:00 pm | Show 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Adult Entry $15+ s/c (Until August 11) | $20+ s/c
VIP (Rows A-C) $30+ s/c (Until August 11) | $40+ s/c

This Cosplay Swimsuit Contest will benefit BC Children's Hospital, with proceeds going towards purchasing a soft stuffed animal for a child in need at BC Children's. (When else are you going to get to see Burlesque, Singing, Dancing, Feats of Athletics and get to feel good about funding a charity!)

Come view our past events at our website at: www.hcupcakeproductions.org

Community Trail Running presents:
The Trail Running Film Festival

After a great debut in 2023, and an even better follow-up in 2024-2025, the Trail Running Film Festival is back on tour in 2026 and coming to Vancouver once again! Expect another amazing evening of films, performance, inspiration, and community.

Our amazing sponsors will ensure you have an awesome evening. Big thanks to 5 Peaks, Odlum Brown, Sinister Sports, Coast Mountain Trail Running, RunGo and more!

Come and help us celebrate our incredible sport as we explore individual and collective potential. The festival will also have a 50/50 in support of BC AdventureSmart and include prizes and giveaways to add to our celebration!

We’re excited to bring you stories from around the world by filmmakers sharing their work of adventure, inclusivity, wilderness, art, and diversity across the trail and ultra community. Trail running is awesome and so is this film festival!

Thursday, April 2
Doors 6:00 pm | Event 7:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Tickets (Early Bird $30+ s/c until January 1) | $40 + s/c
Squad Pass Group Pricing (Group of Four $140+ s/c - Available online only)

Rogue Folk Club presents
Dervish

Music from the West of Ireland with passionate vocals and dazzling instrumentals.

Dervish have been bringing Irish traditional music to the world for more than 30 years, and received the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Lifetime Achievement Award. Described by the BBC as “an icon of Irish music”, the band have played festivals from Rock in Rio to Glastonbury, toured with the Irish President and struck up tunes on the Great Wall of China.

Dervish’s lineup features some of Ireland’s finest traditional musicians. Fronted by one of the country’s best-known singers, Cathy Jordan, joined by some of Ireland’s finest trad musicians - Shane Mitchell (accordion), Liam Kelly (flute/whistle), Brian McDonagh (mandola/mandolin), Michael Holmes (bouzouki) and Tom Morro (fiddle).

Exceptional musicianship, breath-taking vocals, vibrant sets of tunes and instantly compelling songs all come together to make Dervish as complete a band as are to be found anywhere in the tradition.

Sunday, April 26
Doors 6:30 pm | Show 7:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Early Bird Tickets $42+ s/c (Until January 1 )
Tickets $47+ s/c | $52+ s/c at the door

Tickets on sale November 28 10:00 am

This Rio Theatre gift certificate is good for entry to any single regular screening and includes two medium drinks, and one large popcorn. If you prefer a physical card, this gift certificate is also available for purchase from our conession stand during open business hours.

This Rio Theatre gift certificate is good for entry to any single regular screening and includes one medium popcorn, one medium fountain beverage, and one small candy. If you prefer a physical card, this gift certificate is also available for purchase from our conession stand during open business hours.