Independent cinemas Melbourne: Cameo, Metro Cinemas Boronia, Waverley Cinema
Check out incredible before and after photos of Melbourne’s grand old movie houses.
Outer East
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The future of independent and much-loved grand movie houses is under the spotlight after the closure of a popular privately owned cinema after almost half a century of showcasing the latest releases.
The lights dimmed for the final time at the Croydon Cinemas in the city’s outer east late last month after 45 years in the movie business, with the operators saying the slow recovery of the cinema industry post-pandemic was to blame.
Hundreds of locals shared their sadness at the “absolutely devastating” news on social media, and some feared for the future of other independent cinemas.
But Michael Smith, who owns the beloved Sun Theatre in Yarraville with his wife Anne, said he was feeling optimistic about the future of independent cinemas.
“We have a really loyal following of people who love the cinema who couldn’t wait for us to reopen (after Covid lockdowns),” he said.
“We still hear people coming in saying ‘We haven’t been here for so long, I’ve forgotten how much I love it.”
Mr Smith said cinema was such an affordable form of entertainment, had stood the test of time and was an easy escape from the world for a couple of hours.
The Sun Theatre was opened in 1938 by the Yeomans family and was considered the most luxurious cinema in the western suburbs at the time.
It ran as a cinema in the 30s and 40s, and in the 60s became a Greek cinema.
The Sun was closed for 18 years before the Smiths bought it in 1995 and spent the next couple of years doing it up.
It started with a single screen just showing movies on weekends, before the couple added more screens, eventually ending up with eight.
They also got a liquor licence which proved a wise decision.
“Every film is better with a glass of red wine,” Mr Smith said.
Eddie Tamir, who owns three cinemas in Melbourne – the Classic Elsternwick, Lido Cinemas in Hawthorn and Cameo Cinemas Belgrave - said there were plenty of challenges in the industry at the moment, but also cause for optimism.
“The full essay won't be completed and written about until somewhere in the next 12 months, but the slate of films set to be released from May into next year – the quality, the breadth and the frequency of them are similar to 2019, which was the record box office year in history,” Mr Tamir said.
“So everybody in the industry is very excited.”
New releases include the Guardians of the Galaxy, the sequel to Dune and Timothée Chalamet starring as Willy Wonka.
Mr Tamir said there was an argument that streaming had replaced free-to-air TV and cable TV, but not cinema, with anecdotal evidence that many viewers were mainly watching TV shows on platforms like Netflix, but not feature films.
“I think there is something beautiful about watching the complete story in one sitting and the whole experience in a cinema and the shared experience that has transcended TV, VHS, DVD, and streaming for the last 10 years,” Mr Tamir said.
“So arguably cinema has evolved and reinvented over that 100 years despite all the format changes.”
All three cinemas Mr Tamir owns are original old theatres that had been shut down before he took over.
“I’m a sucker for old theatres which could be a bit insane but I just love that energy of the original buildings and all the laughing and crying and experiences and debates that have happened between the walls,” he said.
“They all have that original cinema structure and original cinema vibe and we’ve evolved to create a modern experience and expanded the number of screens, keeping all the history that is worth keeping in each of them.
“I love each of the original buildings and their original names — it’s grounded in community and history.
“That is important to us rather than having a brand which homogenises things.”
The Classic and Lido also have popular rooftop cinemas, while the Cameo has an outdoor cinema on a grassy slope.
Metro Cinemas Boronia owner Tom Schouten said the closure of Croydon Cinemas was devastating news.
Mr Schouten and his family have run their popular cinema in Melbourne’s outer east, known for its affordable tickets and candy bar prices, for the last 18 years.
He called on movie goers to support their independent cinemas.
“It’s like use it or lose it,” he said.
“We’ve been at threat of closing for awhile now but we’re not prepared to accept that.
“We’re fighting this.
“I’ve got a family who are so supportive.
(Our cinema) is like a hub where people meet – you get lonely people and it gives them somewhere to go, and our staff know a lot of our customers by name.
“If I go back to (a quote from the Australian classic movie) The Castle – we’ve got “The Vibe”.
Best independent cinemas and grandest old theatres in Melbourne
The Astor Theatre
Corner Chapel Street and Dandenong Road, St Kilda
The classic single screen theatre opened in 1936.
Screening current day hits and classic flicks, the amazing cinema has art deco architecture and a grand entrance foyer.
Cameo Cinemas
1628 Burwood Highway, Belgrave
Sun Theatre
8 Ballarat St, Yarraville
Waverley Cinema
Blackburn Rd, Mount Waverley
Family owned and run for over 47 years, a four screen cinema complex in the heart of the south eastern suburbs.
Tickets are just $8.
Palace Balwyn Cinema
231 Whitehorse Rd, Balwyn
Palace Westgarth
89 High St, Northcote
Thornbury Picture House
802 High St, Thornbury
Metro Cinemas Boronia
Dorset Square, Boronia
Classic Cinemas
9 Gordon St, Elsternwick
Lido Cinemas
675 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn
Village Cinemas Rivoli
200 Camberwell Rd, Hawthorn East
Historic image: Dennis Noone
Cinema buff David Kilderry worked at the Rivoli as a projectionist and some years later was involved as technical supervisor of the expansion to eight screens.
He described it as “a real cinema treasure that Melbourne should be proud of; one of the best conversions of an old 1940 cinema to a modern multiplex”.
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