Wallis expands into games, ‘mixed entertainment’ at Mount Barker cinema as it branches out against streaming
An SA entertainment family wants to redefine what a night out at the movies means, and says its $15m plan for a Hills cinema could be rolled out across Adelaide.
Entertainment
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Going to the movies won’t just be popcorn in the future, but laser tag, mini golf and bowling as an SA-owned cinema chain branches out to combat the Netflix effect.
The Wallis family, which owns four cinemas across SA, is developing a huge $50m expansion of its Mount Barker site.
Announced in December, public consultation ended on Thursday and the plans now go to Mount Barker Council’s assessment panel.
Wallis Entertainment is planning a $35m, 100-room hotel room and a $15m, three-storey cinema revamp, topped by a massive function centre with sweeping views of the Hills town.
But the other two levels are all about “mixed entertainment” – new for SA cinemas, Wallis director Deanna Wallis said.
“It’s going to be the first for the state and that’s why we did our rebrand recently from Wallis Cinema to Wallis Entertainment,” Ms Wallis said.
“This is a direction lacking here in SA – and these type of offerings are growing overseas.
“We want to be first to bring that here in SA. We cannot rely on cinema because the industry has just changed so much.”
Two Mount Barker cinema screens would be decommissioned and turned into multi-level mixed entertainment, offering duck pin bowling, laser tag, two nine-hole crazy minigolf courses, arcade games, and a food and drink area.
“At Mount Barker, those auditoriums are the equivalent to three storeys, which is wild when you think about it,” Ms Wallis said. “They’re basically blank canvases. So we’ll put in additional slabs – which will be fun for the engineers and builders.
“We’ll have another pop-up bar, a candy bar. Then on the top of the cinema we’re going to build a glass extension overlooking the summit and we’ll have a 350-seater function space, which is going to be absolutely incredible views.”
Wallis also owns cinemas at Mitcham, Noarlunga, Mildura and the art-deco Piccadilly in North Adelaide.
“We do hope to roll out mixed entertainment across our other sites in years to come,” Ms Wallis said.
“Obviously cinema will always be integral to our model – but we have to move with times to attract multiple customers in multiple different ways.”
Wallis Entertainment also owns and operates the historic Auchendarroch House, one of the Hills most popular wedding and event venues, and tavern at the Mount Barker site. The hotel would curve around the House and take up part of its carpark.
Ms Wallis said a hotel branding partner would be revealed soon and promised it would “shock”.
The hotel will one day compete with the council’s own proposed $50m, 120-room Summit hotel and wellness centre, which it is developing with Accord Property.
Ms Wallis said they’d “obviously had conversations” with the council after it announced its own hotel and both groups aimed to avoid replicating projects.
“We’re more on the entertainment side of things, focused on indoor activities – where theirs is more recreational,” she said.
“It’s our desire to work collaboratively and cross-promote. At the end of the day we always will be team Mount Barker and we want both projects to flourish.
“We are doing a completely different offering and once I can announce our brand – who we’re partnering with – it will all make sense.”
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