Regent Theatre
As Twentieth Century-Fox owned Hoyts, it was a given that their two major Australian venues – the Sydney and Melbourne Regent theaters - would be chosen to showcase Fox’s new CinemaScope process. On 3rd November 1953 two screens arrived from New York. One was 59 x 25 ft and bound for Melbourne, the other 54 x 23 ft was for the Sydney Regent - where structural alterations had already been underway for several weeks bringing forward the proscenium, installing auditorium speakers, and reducing the size of the two side boxes. A 45 minute preview screening for trade and press representatives was held at the Regent on Friday morning 20th November 1953 - featuring a short subject: “Coronation Parade”, along with sequences from “The Robe”, and other forthcoming CinemaScope attractions. This diagram produced by Hoyts – over egging the size and curvature of the Regent screen - appeared in trade publications.
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