Highlands Cinemas first opened in 1979, as a small 58 seat 16mm theatre. It was somewhat of a hobby for Keith Stata, who had a life long interest in movies. Keith had his first screening room at age six, it was in the woodshed, and admission was 2 cents a head. A later version was in the basement, and another in a free standing building. The later was in the late 60's it had a 12 ft. movie screen, and a 9x12 ft. bed built into the floor.

The theatre was converted to 35mm in 1984. In 1986 a small projector museum, and a second theatre with 60 seats was added. In 1987 another addition was made to the museum. 1988 saw the construction of a third theatre with 80 seats, and additional museum space. In 1990 the second theatre was enlarged to 150 seats, and a new candy bar, and more museum space was added. A small addition to the third theatre was completed in 1991.

A large expansion of the museum, additional washrooms, and the addition of the fourth theatre was undertaken in 1995. In 1996 the fifth theatre, and a second candy bar was completed. In 1997 & 1998 further additions were made to the museum. In 1999 theatres 4 & 5 were enlarged and improved. The year 2000, saw further improvements to the existing theatres, and the installation of air conditioning. In 2001 more museum space was added. Just about every year has seen improvements to picture, sound, and sight lines to make your movie going experience more enjoyable.

Today Highlands Cinema's has five screens, the largest being 200 seats. The museum area has grown to 4000 sq. ft. and houses the largest collection of motion picture projectors and associated paraphernalia in Canada. There is also a MEMORY LANE display which chronicles 100 years of change. It contains over 50 mannequins in authentic clothing, and every day items from the various decades. Highlands Cinema's is a labour of love, which is designed to be a total experience, allowing you to view first run movies, witness how the technology of motion pictures evolved, and reminisce with fond memories of your youth in the past decades on display.

To date almost 85 articles on the complex have appeared on radio, TV, and in print. The Theatres are located north of the main street of Kinmount, Ontario @ 4131 Hwy. 121, on the left side of the highway just past Rokeby Lumber. The Theatres are open at the first of May, and run 7 nights a week until just after Labour Day, then weekends until Thanksiving. Admission to the museum is included with your theatre ticket, or you can purchase a ticket to view only the museum. The museum hours are the same as the Theatres.

We recommend you come early to give you time to look around before your show. The doors open 30 minutes before the first show during the busy summer, and 15 minutes before in the off season. On rainy days, holidays, and Saturday or Monday nights, we recommend that you come at least 30 minutes before show time to make sure you get a seat. The lobbies, and three of the theatres are wheel chair accessible. If you are in a wheel chair we suggest that you try to call a day ahead to find out where the movies are. Sometimes, if we are not too busy, we are able to shift a film in a theatre that is not accessible to one that is, to accommodate you. You can reach us, or leave a message at our office number (705)488-2199. If you've never been here, we hope to, "SEE YOU AT THE MOVIES!" "SOON!"