Montreal's wax museum, Musée Grévin, has abruptly announced its closure

Montreal's source for wax sculptures of celebrities, star athletes and beyond, Musée Grévin Montréal, abruptly announced its closure today, citing the pandemic as a major factor for the decision.

"After a year of closure due to the pandemic, Grévin Montréal had to make a difficult choice and announced the definitive closure of the Grévin Montréal Museum," the museum wrote on its website. "Sincere thanks to our employees for their dedication and great energy, thanks to our visitors and to our partners who have supported us throughout these years."

"A special thank you to the members of the Academy who helped build this museum by choosing the personalities from here who have marked our history," they continued. "And finally, thank you to the personalities and artists who have shaped and still shape our universe. They have been our muses and remain an inspiration."

A link is supplied on the site for ticket refunds for anyone who had plans to see the museum. Ticketholders are asked to indicate the order number, the name of the buyer and your phone number; the museum says it will contact them "as soon as possible to make the refund" but requests must be sent no later than November 8, 2021.

Opened in 2013, Montreal's own Musée Grévin's came from an original wax museum in Paris of the same name. Similar in size to its French predecessor, Grévin Montréal featureed wax adaptations of people from Canadian and Québécois history and culture. The museum was located in an old cinema complex known as Famous Players Centre Eaton 6 for a time.

It contained as many as 120 sculptures at one time, all arranged in different scenes. Faces ranged from historical figures like Jacques Cartier, Mahatma Gandhi and Elizabeth II to Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, and Leonardo DiCaprio.