Academy Twin Cinemas
3A Oxford Street,
Sydney,
NSW
2021
3A Oxford Street,
Sydney,
NSW
2021
3 people
favorited this theater
Showing 7 comments
Was there for the final screening and a friend got us in to the projection booth. Sadly and needlessly missed. The operators tried to negotiate rent, but the owners didn’t give a toss about cinema history and refused, which led to it and every business in the complex vacating, with the whole place empty and up for sale for a very long time (great business savvy, guys!).
It was actually the SECOND twin to open in Sydney. Village Double Bay opened in December 1 1972.
December 26th, 1911 grand opening ad as Olympia, August 22nd, 1969 as Mandala and June 29th, 1973 as Academy Twin ads in the photo section.
Closure of Academy Cinemas was announced today in the Sydney Morning Herald. They are to be closed down on June 27. There is a dispute with the landlord over a number of issues involving upgrading.
photos taken dec 2008
exterior of the whole building, cinema entrance is now half way along the side
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/3199528697/
cinema entrance
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/3199514099/
lobby
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/3199517805/
We came to live in Sydney in 1953 and lived in Albion St, Surry Hills. So Old West, as I remember everyone calling it, was the local theatre. I really cannot remember anyone calling it the Odeon.
I can very clearly remember seeing some movies at this theatre. I particularly remember Calamity Jane with Doris Day and The African Queen with Hepburn and Bogart. I also remember Abott and Costello Go To The Moon!!! I am sure I saw many more movies but for some reason they are the three that come to mind most easily. We went very regularly on Friday and Saturday nights. After all, no TV in those days.
Every time I am in Sydney and drive along Oxford St I look at the building with great nostalgia. To this day I watch my DVD copie sof Calamity Jane and The African Queen. I guess going to the Odeon/Old West was part of my film upbringng.
waynesw
Between 1960 and 1968 it ran Greek films as did many other suburban cinemas in Sydney; They were operated by Mr Chris Louis and his family who are a great immigrant success story in Sydney. Pre TV they might have been allowed a quiet night to rent a cinema to show a European film, then, post TV they were offered the freehold for about 10c each. They bought them up and become one of the biggest cinema owner chains in Sydney, saving a dozen or so from the bulldozer. It was because of their film interests that many suburban cinemas remained: the Redfern Lawson, the Rosebery Marina, The Earlwood Chelsea, Enmore Hoyts, Newtown Hub, and with cousins in Melbourne, the same deal. Some remain, some are dilapidated and some, like Enmore are a major showplace. this one was twinned and still is today, Sydney’s major Arthouse venue.