A correction: Although the smaller screen was, at one time (according to internet sources), named in honour of director Mihály Kertész (“Michael Curtiz”), by the time of my visit, as can be seen from my photos, it had been renamed in celebration of Hungarian writer/director Miklos Jansco.
A correction: The auditorium is at ground floor level, behind the ‘shuttered’ frontage to number 117. I first visited not long after the Nickel opened, and there was only a very rudimentary bar in the basement. It is hoped that, in due course, this will be developed into a comfortable bar/lounge.
During the summer months - June to September - Cinema Terminale relocates to the historic Emperor’s Castle, where films are screened at the open-air Il Cinema Sotto le Stelle (“The Cinema Under the Stars”; see separate Cinema Treasures entry). However, Cinema Terminale is on ‘standby’ in case of inclement weather!
With the bookstore occupying the stalls, the cinema is now using the circle only, where there are approximately 190 seats, and from where patrons still get to experience the scale of this wonderful survivor. The bookstore is open from 10am to 8.30pm; film shows start at 9pm. There is also a café, which is open from 8.30am to midnight.
By the time of my next visit to Prato, in July 2025, the former Excelsior Cinema/Garibaldi Hall had been restored and re-opened as a multi-purpose events facility, Il Garibaldi.
A promotional booklet says that this is located inside the 19th century Palazzo Buonamici Nencini, one of the buildings of great historical value in the town centre, and adds that, in 1907, architect Oreste Morganti transformed the building’s garden into a cinema.
After careful restoration and technological upgrades, the hall is available for a wide range of uses, including cinema, theatre, concerts and corporate events. There are 320 seats between the stalls and gallery.
I first visited Prato in March 2016. Between then and my next visit, in July 2025, the former Cristall Cinema has become a grocery store. Interestingly, although the CRISTALL name has been removed from above the entrance, poster cases, presumably from the former cinema, have been installed on either side of the entrance (and then not used). Unfortunately, a suspended ceiling is covering up any decorative plasterwork, etc. that might survive in the former auditorium.
By the time I visited, in June 2025, the Annenhof Kino had been acquired by Cineplexx. It had been built on the site of an earlier Annenhof Kino (dates not known). Seating capacities are: Screen 1:165, Screen 5:502, Screen 3:237, Screen 4:155, Screen 5:167, Screen 6:239, Screen 7:300 and Screen 8:183. A total of 1,948. All screens have premium-priced Cinegold seats at the rear, and Screens 2, 3, 4 and 7 are equipped with 3D projection.
According to cinemasparaiso.blogspot.com, the Cine-Teatro Nun'Alvares opened on 1st January 1949, with 192 seats. It was owned by industrialist Norberto de Oliveira and designed by Francisco Nobre Guedes. From 1996 it was operated by distributor Medeia. It closed in January 2006, with Roman Polanski’s “Oliver Twist”, but re-opened in December 2009, following a major refurbishment, now managed by Malayka Cinemas. However, the single-screen cinema proved difficult to sustain, and the Cine-Teatro Nun'Alvares closed for good in 2011, the city’s final ‘traditional’ neighbourhood cinema. In April 2019 the building re-opened as the Hot Five Jazz & Blues Club, utilising many of the former cinema seats and with a stage (with screen) in the space the cinema screen once occupied.
According to a history and a contemporaneous press cutting held in the Cinema Theatre Association Archive the Playhouse closed on 19th March 1961. In the history, the final film is said to be “The Spanish Man”, but this should perhaps have read “The Spanish Main”, a swashbuckler from 1945 starring Paul Henreid and Maureen O'Hara.
In the Overview I expressed the hope that another contributor would be able to confirm that the Parish Hall had, indeed, been home to the Regent cinema - and Darron Keeling has now done so! He has very kindly drawn my attention to chestercinemas.co.uk, which confirms that the Parish Hall operated as the Regent cinema during the 1930s and 1940s (so later than I thought) and includes a poster, from July 1945, that lists Mrs Grainger as the manager. At that time, three shows a week were being presented: on Monday + Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday + Saturday (with no shows on Wednesday or Sunday). My grateful thanks to Darron.
As can be seen in the photo of the cinema following the devastating earthquake, up until that time it had been known as the Gaiety Electric Theatre. So presumably it was after it had been rebuilt that it was renamed the Gaiety de Luxe.
In April 2019 it looked as thought the Capitol would be closing. However, the following month long-time film industry staffers Kelly Rogers and David Ross took on a long-term lease, ensuring its future. It is now well-known for its imaginative programming and has become a regular film festival venue. Seating capacity is now 130.
The Event Cinemas Broadway closed in June 2020. One of the final films was “Bill and Ted Face the Music”, starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. At first the closure was said to be only temporary - this was during the Covid pandemic - but it never re-opened. The building is now used by Equippers Church.
Once the Lidl supermarket had been built, ‘TOWERS’ signage was put on display at street level. Unfortunately, there is no (obvious) information board, so people who are unaware of the cinema that once stood on this site can, presumably, be rather mystified to see it. It is also unclear whether this is the original signage (which remained in situ, behind the re-branded ODEON lettering) or a recreation. Still, for those ‘in the know’, it is a nice reminder of the site’s former heritage. See photos uploaded.
When I visited the Rialto, with my friend Gene Sorkin, the very amicable manager gave us a guided tour, explaining how this now seven screen cinema had developed over the years. I gather that the original Rialto opened in 1925, but suffered a serious fire in the 1960s. The building then became a factory, before being reincarnated as a three screen art-house cinema in 1994-95. Since then, it has gone to being a five screen complex to the present seven screens. The manager showed how this had been achieved, and pointed out a previous entrance to the screens, off the foyer, which is now the customer toilets!
Current seating capacities are: Screen 1:60, Screen 2:60, Screen 3:192, Screen 4:107, Screen 5:75, Screen 6:65 and Screen 7:75. A total of 634 seats.
Ray Dolling has provided ‘then’ and ‘now’ photographs showing the Invicta’s position near the beginning of the High Street, and the offices of DSD Law, at 5 High Street, which now occupy the site. As Ray remarks, Mill Road (not Mill Street) is a short distance away.
During a visit to Rotorua I met owner Simon Reilly, who said that the building was originally opened as a shopping mall. The climbing wall had opened in 1999, with the cinema following in 2000. The upper floors are home to Rock Solid Backpackers accommodation. As the Overview says, Simon acquired the business in 2009.
According to a member of staff, the Reading Cinemas opened in 2000. The building had previously been used as a hostel. Seating capacities are: Screen 1:116, Screen 2:138, Screen 3:118, Screen 4:102 and Screen 5:115. A total of 589 seats.
Nowadays, the Berkeley occupies the first floor of the original cinema building. There are restaurants across the original frontage at street level, and the cinema’s rather under-stated entrance is at the left hand corner. A wide staircase takes patrons up to the very large, and equally comfortable, foyer/lounge. From there, the four screens are accessed via a long central corridor (see the layout on the photograph of the ‘Emergency Procedures’ notice).
According to a member of staff, this modernisation took place around the late 1960s/early 1970s. The Berkeley presumably went from a single screen (stalls and circle) to today’s four auditoriums. The “13 screens” in the header is incorrect.
The way the four auditoriums have been laid out results in them being a similar size. Seating capacities are: Cinema 1:80, Cinema 2:79, Cinema 3:75 and Cinema 4:75; a total of 309.
When I visited Sacramento in June 2024 the building was disused. The Esquire Grill had closed in June 2019, in part due to major renovation work at the nearby convention centre, which made access to the Grill rather difficult.
A correction: Although the smaller screen was, at one time (according to internet sources), named in honour of director Mihály Kertész (“Michael Curtiz”), by the time of my visit, as can be seen from my photos, it had been renamed in celebration of Hungarian writer/director Miklos Jansco.
A correction: The auditorium is at ground floor level, behind the ‘shuttered’ frontage to number 117. I first visited not long after the Nickel opened, and there was only a very rudimentary bar in the basement. It is hoped that, in due course, this will be developed into a comfortable bar/lounge.
During the summer months - June to September - Cinema Terminale relocates to the historic Emperor’s Castle, where films are screened at the open-air Il Cinema Sotto le Stelle (“The Cinema Under the Stars”; see separate Cinema Treasures entry). However, Cinema Terminale is on ‘standby’ in case of inclement weather!
With the bookstore occupying the stalls, the cinema is now using the circle only, where there are approximately 190 seats, and from where patrons still get to experience the scale of this wonderful survivor. The bookstore is open from 10am to 8.30pm; film shows start at 9pm. There is also a café, which is open from 8.30am to midnight.
By the time of my next visit to Prato, in July 2025, the former Excelsior Cinema/Garibaldi Hall had been restored and re-opened as a multi-purpose events facility, Il Garibaldi.
A promotional booklet says that this is located inside the 19th century Palazzo Buonamici Nencini, one of the buildings of great historical value in the town centre, and adds that, in 1907, architect Oreste Morganti transformed the building’s garden into a cinema.
After careful restoration and technological upgrades, the hall is available for a wide range of uses, including cinema, theatre, concerts and corporate events. There are 320 seats between the stalls and gallery.
I first visited Prato in March 2016. Between then and my next visit, in July 2025, the former Cristall Cinema has become a grocery store. Interestingly, although the CRISTALL name has been removed from above the entrance, poster cases, presumably from the former cinema, have been installed on either side of the entrance (and then not used). Unfortunately, a suspended ceiling is covering up any decorative plasterwork, etc. that might survive in the former auditorium.
By the time I visited, in June 2025, the Annenhof Kino had been acquired by Cineplexx. It had been built on the site of an earlier Annenhof Kino (dates not known). Seating capacities are: Screen 1:165, Screen 5:502, Screen 3:237, Screen 4:155, Screen 5:167, Screen 6:239, Screen 7:300 and Screen 8:183. A total of 1,948. All screens have premium-priced Cinegold seats at the rear, and Screens 2, 3, 4 and 7 are equipped with 3D projection.
According to cinemasparaiso.blogspot.com, the Cine-Teatro Nun'Alvares opened on 1st January 1949, with 192 seats. It was owned by industrialist Norberto de Oliveira and designed by Francisco Nobre Guedes. From 1996 it was operated by distributor Medeia. It closed in January 2006, with Roman Polanski’s “Oliver Twist”, but re-opened in December 2009, following a major refurbishment, now managed by Malayka Cinemas. However, the single-screen cinema proved difficult to sustain, and the Cine-Teatro Nun'Alvares closed for good in 2011, the city’s final ‘traditional’ neighbourhood cinema. In April 2019 the building re-opened as the Hot Five Jazz & Blues Club, utilising many of the former cinema seats and with a stage (with screen) in the space the cinema screen once occupied.
According to a history and a contemporaneous press cutting held in the Cinema Theatre Association Archive the Playhouse closed on 19th March 1961. In the history, the final film is said to be “The Spanish Man”, but this should perhaps have read “The Spanish Main”, a swashbuckler from 1945 starring Paul Henreid and Maureen O'Hara.
Just to clarify, the ‘cinema space’ on the ground floor is only its entrance hall, which has stairs and lifts up to the first floor-housed cinema.
In the Overview I expressed the hope that another contributor would be able to confirm that the Parish Hall had, indeed, been home to the Regent cinema - and Darron Keeling has now done so! He has very kindly drawn my attention to chestercinemas.co.uk, which confirms that the Parish Hall operated as the Regent cinema during the 1930s and 1940s (so later than I thought) and includes a poster, from July 1945, that lists Mrs Grainger as the manager. At that time, three shows a week were being presented: on Monday + Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday + Saturday (with no shows on Wednesday or Sunday). My grateful thanks to Darron.
As can be seen in the photo of the cinema following the devastating earthquake, up until that time it had been known as the Gaiety Electric Theatre. So presumably it was after it had been rebuilt that it was renamed the Gaiety de Luxe.
In April 2019 it looked as thought the Capitol would be closing. However, the following month long-time film industry staffers Kelly Rogers and David Ross took on a long-term lease, ensuring its future. It is now well-known for its imaginative programming and has become a regular film festival venue. Seating capacity is now 130.
The Event Cinemas Broadway closed in June 2020. One of the final films was “Bill and Ted Face the Music”, starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. At first the closure was said to be only temporary - this was during the Covid pandemic - but it never re-opened. The building is now used by Equippers Church.
Once the Lidl supermarket had been built, ‘TOWERS’ signage was put on display at street level. Unfortunately, there is no (obvious) information board, so people who are unaware of the cinema that once stood on this site can, presumably, be rather mystified to see it. It is also unclear whether this is the original signage (which remained in situ, behind the re-branded ODEON lettering) or a recreation. Still, for those ‘in the know’, it is a nice reminder of the site’s former heritage. See photos uploaded.
When I visited the Rialto, with my friend Gene Sorkin, the very amicable manager gave us a guided tour, explaining how this now seven screen cinema had developed over the years. I gather that the original Rialto opened in 1925, but suffered a serious fire in the 1960s. The building then became a factory, before being reincarnated as a three screen art-house cinema in 1994-95. Since then, it has gone to being a five screen complex to the present seven screens. The manager showed how this had been achieved, and pointed out a previous entrance to the screens, off the foyer, which is now the customer toilets!
Current seating capacities are: Screen 1:60, Screen 2:60, Screen 3:192, Screen 4:107, Screen 5:75, Screen 6:65 and Screen 7:75. A total of 634 seats.
Ray Dolling has provided ‘then’ and ‘now’ photographs showing the Invicta’s position near the beginning of the High Street, and the offices of DSD Law, at 5 High Street, which now occupy the site. As Ray remarks, Mill Road (not Mill Street) is a short distance away.
The seating capacity is 330. This includes 30 seats in the gallery that are not, usually, used.
During a visit to Rotorua I met owner Simon Reilly, who said that the building was originally opened as a shopping mall. The climbing wall had opened in 1999, with the cinema following in 2000. The upper floors are home to Rock Solid Backpackers accommodation. As the Overview says, Simon acquired the business in 2009.
According to a member of staff, the Reading Cinemas opened in 2000. The building had previously been used as a hostel. Seating capacities are: Screen 1:116, Screen 2:138, Screen 3:118, Screen 4:102 and Screen 5:115. A total of 589 seats.
Screen 2.
Seating capacities are: Screen 1:31, Screen 2:32, Screen 3:103, Screen 4:156, Screen 5:73, Screen 6:32 and Screen 7:77. A total of 504.
Seating capacities are: Screen 1:211 and Screen 2:16.
Nowadays, the Berkeley occupies the first floor of the original cinema building. There are restaurants across the original frontage at street level, and the cinema’s rather under-stated entrance is at the left hand corner. A wide staircase takes patrons up to the very large, and equally comfortable, foyer/lounge. From there, the four screens are accessed via a long central corridor (see the layout on the photograph of the ‘Emergency Procedures’ notice).
According to a member of staff, this modernisation took place around the late 1960s/early 1970s. The Berkeley presumably went from a single screen (stalls and circle) to today’s four auditoriums. The “13 screens” in the header is incorrect.
The way the four auditoriums have been laid out results in them being a similar size. Seating capacities are: Cinema 1:80, Cinema 2:79, Cinema 3:75 and Cinema 4:75; a total of 309.
When I visited Sacramento in June 2024 the building was disused. The Esquire Grill had closed in June 2019, in part due to major renovation work at the nearby convention centre, which made access to the Grill rather difficult.