Maidstone Cinema

Someone has their wires crossed on this one. The original Maidstone Cinema was a single screener, the first cinema every built within a shopping mall in NZ, opened early 1974 and operated by independent exhibitor Bryan Jennings. I took over the business in 1988 and sold it to my manager Lou Howell in 1994 who ran it until it closed to make way for an extension of the mall. This cinema is now demolished. The new Ascot 4 cinemas (Opened 2007) are located across the carpark from the extension to the mall and built above Hazelwoods Furnishers.

The Maidstone Cinema was a one screen cinema only, not five. Opened in 1974, finally closing on 31 January, 2002. It has since been gutted and turned into shops.