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Converting foyer space into a cinema. (G.Florence)

Village also equipped the complex with a new Village designed
sound system and introduced automation to Cinemas 2 and 3. The
auditorium names were then reconfigured into Cinema 1 (805 seats),
Cinema 2 (330) and Cinema 3 (161) the new screen was Cinema 3
located in the former foyer area. The numbering of cinemas 2 & 3
was sometimes reversed. The smallest cinema was often used as a
move-over venue for films in the centre or from other screens in the
Village city circuit. And then… there were THREE!

After the opening of the new Village Centre in 1986, Village Theatres
stopped using the East End Complex. This was the beginning of the
end of the Palladium Centre.

Hoyts Theatres later purchased the building for a hotel development.
In the meantime Hoyts occasionally programmed the complex and
later leased Cinema 3 to Chinese film interests (who re-named the
venue The Broadway). The Broadway frequently screened triple
bill sessions. Apart from the Broadway screening around weekends,
the complex was used for occasional film festivals.
The former Broadway’s projection and sound equipment along with the
seating and curtaining was later sold to the Deakin Cinema in Mildura
and used to set up their new second screen (opened in 1988).

The East End Cinemas were sold in 1988 and then demolished
for construction of the Paramount apartment building and shopping
complex which is now on the site. H
Photographs and art from the collections of
George Florence, Kevin Adams, CATHS Archive.

References
Recollections of Bernie Halperin (29.1.2000)
The Film Weekly – 1964 / 65 and 1968/69
Hoyts Entertainment Prospectus 1999 (Page 8)
The Encore Directory 1986 Published by Chekeven Pty Ltd,
The Picture Palaces of Melbourne (2009 Revised Edition)
by Trevor Walters
David Kilderry - CATHS member
George Florence – CATHS member
and former employee at East End.
Additional information from Kevin Adams.
*Star Dawn Investments was a company
comprising Ron Birch, the Lieberman
brothers and Leon Fink. Fink later bought
out the others (c1984). The company owned
drive-in theatres in Melbourne suburbs.

CINEM AREC ORD 2012 13