Glenbrook Cinema celebrates 50 years with Festival of Favourite Films

Glenbrook Cinema will play 20 of its most successful films next week to celebrate its 50th anniversary of good old-fashioned theatre experience.

Glenbrook Cinema manager Ron Curran is celebrates 50 years of cine-magic. Picture: Angelo Velardo

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Glenbrook Cinema has stood the test of time and now its owner is celebrating 50 years with a week-long Festival Of Favourite Films.

“I’d say 90 per cent of the people who are booking for this festival have seen them all but they want to celebrate us and there’s a little bit of nostalgia,” owner Ron Curran said.

Mr Curran with a film projector in the 70s. Pictures: Courtesy of Glenbrook Cinema

Glenbrook Cinema in the sixties. Pictures: Courtesy of Glenbrook Cinema

Mr Curran and his wife Judy bought the cinema business and equipment in 1968.

“I’d always been absolutely in love with cinema and my wife worked at the head office at Hoyts and we both love movies,” Mr Curran said.

In the 50 years since, the cinema has kept up with technology but Mr Curran said it was the old-fashioned service that kept the customers coming in.

The theatre before its renovations in 60s or 70s . Pictures: Courtesy of Glenbrook Cinema

“At first it was a challenge and it hasn’t ceased to be a challenge,” he said.

“It’s because of our commitment to running a cinema with the magic that I can remember when I was a kid, when I first fell in love with cinemas — it was a special thing.

“We like to keep it that way. It’s not just throwing a movie on the screen, it’s about service, our special dedication to the magic of movies.

“We’ve always taken phone bookings, we show people to their seats and we don’t show commercials.”

Mr Curran with his daughter Tamara who created this award-winning display for the launch of 1995 family film Babe. Pictures: Courtesy of Glenbrook Cinema

Farm animals for Babe launch. Pictures: Courtesy of Glenbrook Cinema

The 1995 family film Babe was the cinema’s most successful film, with thousands of people going to Glenbrook Cinema to see it.

“We had something like 20,800 people see it at Glenbrook,” Mr Curran said.

“We’ll never, ever exceed that because we don’t have the same amount of seats.”

Mr Curran’s daughter, Tamara, designed a special farm animal display for the screening, which resulted in the cinema winning the Kodak Marketing Award.

FESTIVAL OF FAVOURITE FILMS

When: November 28 to December 5

Cost: $10 a film

Films include: North By Northwest, Babe and Singin’ In The Rain

More details and bookings: glenbrookcinema.com.au

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