The Cumberland is pretty much the exact opposite of the big blockbuster movie theaters - your Scotiabank theatre, your AMC Dundas Square. You know, the big monster places with fifty screens that only shows the top five movies on a half dozen screens each. Not that those aren't needed too - they are. But the Cumberland isn't that place.
Despite residing in the posh and fancy Yorkville area, the Cumberland doesn't really have that sort of air about it. With only four screens and a focus on small arthouse, independent and foreign films, this theatre is as far removed from the usual sort of star kissing Hollywood celebrating you can get. The theatres themselves are modestly sized, depending which screen your film plays on. The inside is a pretty standard cinema from concessions to the decor - but that's the point, really. You're not here to have a slick VIP lounge with bottle service. You're here to watch a film.
I like to think that this theatre, while still owned by one of the largest cinema distributors in the world, still keeps an eye out for the underdog. And whether that feeling is cultivated or naturally occurring, it's still often the only place you're going to be able to catch these films. So you can't really bite the hand that feeds you.