Page 22 - CR

Photos: Refitting as the Dendy (Pics. from M. McKay and B. Parsons). Pics: New projection room for Cinema 2.
After three years of sitting closed and
boarded up, in late 1994 the Dendy
Cinemas Company took a lease on the
George with a view to transferring their
operations from the Metro Art Cinema
in Edwards Street which they had been
running since April 1990.

Commercial needs dictated for smaller
capacity, multi-screen venues, and so Dendy then closed the Metro Art on
Dendy set about converting the 714- March 22 and transferred all staff to the
seat George into two smaller “intimate” new location. (Later in the year, the Metro
auditoriums. This was achieved by was re-opened by an independent exhibitor).
simply dividing the existing space into
two sections with a new wall. When the second auditorium of the
Dendy Twin opened in May, it finally
The new 268-seat Cinema One would gave the company greater programming
use the original projection room above flexibility and the ability to be involved
the foyer and utilise the former rear in Film Festivals and special events.
section of seating and a new screen on
the diving wall. A false wall down one The Dendy Company would eventually
side of this auditorium would now give be purchased by actor Mel Gibson
access to the second auditorium in the and his business partner Bruce Davey,
former front stalls area which would but ultimately, not even their stellar
now use a new projection room, but use credentials could keep the location
the original screen and proscenium. afloat. Super-sized multi-screen
Megaplex Cinemas in suburban
Installation of new screens and projection shopping centres offering close-to-
equipment was carried out by Associated home convenience and easy parking
Sound from Newcastle (NSW). were proving to be serious competition
Alterations were sympathetic to the for all CBD cinemas across the nation.
Romanesque style of the George with
most of the original décor retained. Little money could be spent on a cinema
with diminishing audiences – at one
The conversion was carried out in two stage the air-conditioning system broke
parts, with the first cinema of the new down, air-flow was simply provided by
Dendy George Street opening on large fans on either side of the screen.
January 19, 1995 with the hit film Once They proved noisy- and did little more
Were Warriors. than circulate the already hot air.

22 2011 CINEMAREC ORD