Rio Theatre
| Address | 1660 East Broadway Vancouver Canada |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 49°15′44″N 123°04′14″W / 49.262095°N 123.070477°W |
| Owner | Corinne Lea |
| Type | Live Venue and Movie Theatre |
| Capacity | 409 seats; 582 with standing room |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1938 |
| Renovated | 2006 |
| Architect | Max Breeze Downing |
| Website | |
| riotheatre | |
The Rio Theatre is an independent, multidisciplinary art house in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Built in 1938, the Rio served East Vancouver primarily as a movie theatre until 2008, when new owner, Corinne Lea, began to add live music and multimedia and multidisciplinary art events. The Rio has since become a well known cultural hub in East Vancouver, famous for launching several successful public battles to save the theatre.
The Rio seats 409 people, including a balcony section. The projection room houses a NEC NC2000C digital projector that was installed in 2010. The venue includes a lobby with concession voted best in 2010 and 2011 for single-screen theatres in Vancouver, a large stage, and a backstage greenroom for live performers.
Since its evolution in 2008, the Rio has hosted Hollywood blockbusters, local independent filmmakers, midnight screenings of cult classics, the toddler-friendly "Movies for Mommies" series, local and international film festivals, comedy festivals, queer film events, burlesque shows, screenings and tours for local public schools, political events, religious services, spoken word and other live performances, and local and international live music.
The Dear Rouge song "Meet Me At The Rio" is about the venue.