local stories
Princess Cinemas: Waterloo's premiere art house since 1985
We're sharing the story of Princess Cinemas as part of the Support Local, Support Waterloo campaign.
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For 40 years, John Tutt has bet on the simple premise that even in a digital world, people need a place to gather. It’s a philosophy that has kept the “Original” Princess on Princess St. and the Princess Twin on King Street thriving, even as streaming services dominate home entertainment.
Tutt opened the Princess Cinema in 1985 after studying at Wilfrid Laurier University. He saw an opportunity for a demand for off-beat, art-house, and original movies in Waterloo that the big chains ignored. Decades later, that demand hasn't waned. “The Original just had its best year in over a decade,” Tutt says. “There's a younger generation coming in. They’re looking for something that can get them away from their screens.”
But the secret to the Princess’s longevity isn’t just the movies; it is how the cinema mirrors the unique culture of Waterloo.
Tutt notes that the region is home to "people who move," which drives the massive success of their adventure programming, including the Paddling Film Festival and the Banff Mountain Film Festival.
The Princess was one of the first five venues on the Banff world tour in 1987, and today, the cinema partners with local groups like Grand River Rocks and Runner's Choice to turn screenings into community events.
“Everything starts with our core programming — foreign language festival hits, Canadian cinema — programming in films that the chains don't get into. But we’ve always worked to integrate the community into our programming,” he says.
Working with the community is a two-way street. The cinema provides a cultural hub that isn't a university lecture hall or a stadium, and the community helps keep the lights on. Tutt points to long-standing collaborations, such as working with the City of Waterloo for over 20 years on Movies in the Park, or hosting Oscar nights run entirely by the Laurier Film Society.
As daily management transitions to his son, Jacob, the focus remains on enhancing that physical experience. Jacob is even looking at reinstalling 35mm projection — a nod to the tactile authenticity that younger audiences crave.
For Tutt, this curation of shared experience is why the Princess has survived for four decades.
“It's an experience you can’t get online,” Tutt says. “You can't replicate it. You have to leave your house to see it projected.”
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