Page 5 - CR31R.pdf

Giant Screens Close
Not a good year for Imax in the
smaller cities - Adelaide Imax, only 4
years old, closed on January 30 this
year. This was followed in April by an
announcement in New Zealand by
Force Corporation secretary, Peter
Holdaway, of the immediate closure of
the Auckland Imax Theatre “due to
the business not being a viable
commercial enterprise”.
The latest closure has been the $9.2
million Perth Imax Theatre which
closed its doors without notice on June
10. The theatre had only opened on
December 7, 2000, but also failed to
Regent Theatre, Wollongong attract sufficient clientele. For some
months, leading up until closure, it was
screening a mix of Imax product and
Additions get Green Light
re-runs of the latest 35mm commercial
NEWSREEL • After much debate over concerns features for Ace Theatres Ltd. For
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regarding parking issues, Darebin
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some time, the building had been
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CINEMA, THEATRE & • Council has approved the proposed advertised for sale by tender, but failed
addition of 3 new screens at the
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to attract an appropriate buyer.
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Northcote’s historic Westgarth Owner/developers, Multiplex,have
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• •• • •• • •• • •• • •• • •• • •• • Theatre. The new screens will be now decided to sell the building
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SHOWBUSINESS NEWS •
built on land adjacent to the original outright for $3.95 million. The Sydney,
Petition to Save Regent 1921 auditorium. The theatre has Melbourne and Brisbane theatres with
On Friday 26 April 2002, residents agreed to take some steps in order to their larger populations, continue to
of the Wollongong (NSW) region promote preferred parking areas and trade well, and reports are that
were informed that Lend Lease, the assist cyclists etc. Townsville and Auckland may yet re-
Sydney-based land speculation and Theatres to be Demolished open under new management.
development company, was proposing
Melbourne’s first purpose-built
the demolition of that city’s beloved
suburban cinema, the (1911) Prahran
Regent Theatre, in order to make
Lyric in Chapel Street, is soon to be
way for yet another supermarket and
demolished to make way for a new
commercial development complex.
residential and retail complex. The
Knowledge of this proposal original street frontage had long since
immediately engendered feelings of been replaced by a modern brick bank
outrage that developers and relevant building, but the old auditorium had
authorities including Wollongong City been retained at the rear and was used
Council would consider such an idea. for storage and parking. Only a few Roxy
Opened in 1957, The Regent remnants of its theatrical past End of an Era at Roxy
Theatre is still operating as a premier remained visible in the interior, Built 72 years ago as a 1,938 seat
first-run cinema and is cherished by the including parts of the original pressed- “picture-palace” in the “spanish style”,
local community as a unique heritage iron ceiling. the Roxy Theatre at Parramatta
building which holds many memories Further along Chapel Street, the (NSW) sadly closed its doors as a
and provides a touch of glamour to an former (1937) Hoyts Windsor is also cinema on March 27 (2002). The
otherwise drab city centre. reportedly seeing out its final days as theatre had originally opened on
A “Friends of the Regent a nightclub, before it too makes way February 6, 1930, but in 1976 was
Theatre” group (FORT) evolved and for yet another residential apartment “sympathetically” converted to a triple
has been working diligently to help building. screen venue by Hoyts by dividing the
ensure the preservation of the theatre, former stalls area into 2 smaller
and The National Trust have auditoriums. Since 1995 the complex
prepared a statement of significance has been operated by Village Theatres.
for the building, and given it an urgent New Extension Opens
interim listing on its Register. Your Palace Theatre’s two new screens
support can be shown by participating at their Balwyn location have opened
in the “on-line” petition which can be in time for the July School Holidays.
accessed via the FORT website at: The new cinemas, which are quite
www.uow.edu.au/~morgan/regentl.html luxurious and stylishly decorated,
which has all the details including replace the groups head-office
photographs. (There is also a link on building which was located alongside
our own Caths-V website). Former Lyric the original (1930) Balwyn Theatre –
which itself was tripled in 1994.
CINEMARECORD 2002 5