Cinemas

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History Of Cinemas
 the Regent Theatre first opened in 1929, originally as part of the Hoyts Cinema chain. The theatre held over 3371 people, the largest seating in Australia. The theatre had a lounge including a Wurlitzer organ. The Plaza Ballroom underneath had been redesigned to cater for the new talking pictures and opened later the same year, but disaster struck and the Regent Mark 1 ended which destroyed the auditorium but luckily the plaza was not destroyed and soon it was safe to reopen and so it was decided to be reopen (Regent Theatre) but this time the design was to be made different and so on 16 December 1947 it was opened and got the nickname "palace of dreams" but the theatre did not do well during the 60s Australia’s taste changed to fast for the theatre and so the Plaza briefly became a cinema but by 1970 both the Regent and the Plaza were closed and all the furniture and fittings auctioned off( which done pretty well). Then began a period when the deserted Regent became the centre of public debate and was brought before the council who intended to destroy it and expand the city but the Melbournians however had better intentions for the Theatre which formed a protest group called the Green ban but eventually in 1993 the council decided it to be Theatre and now the Regent Theatre is on Collins Street still retaining its former  glory.



 History of the Forum Theatre  the forum Theatre which is found at the corner of Flinders Street, The buildings designer itself was designed by the American Architect John Eberson who was known to design many of the theatres in Melbourne. When it first opened in February 1929; the theatre itself held 3371 people the most seats in Melbourne. 

By the 1960s in was transformed into two cinemas the Forum and the Rapello in 1978 the theatre was eventually added to the buildings list and could not be destroyed. In 1981 renovations took place dividing the facility in the forum and forum 2. 

In 1985 it was taken over Revival Centres international (A Christian organisation). But remarkably it was purchased by Staged developments Australia which used it as a film and concert venue. It was later bought by David Marriner as a major theatre venue. Today it is used as a concert for many bands and actors and plays.

 History of Hoyts <span style="font-size: 17pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Towards the start of the 20th <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">century -specifically 1909 there was a Melbourne dentist named Dr Author Russel during his free time, was a cornet player and a magician. After hearing about a small circus American named Hoyt’s circus. Decided that it was a good idea and so he purchased a small share of the circus and travelled with them as their magician a inevitable financial disaster which left him small some of money left Authur to get back to work as a Dentist. But Russel who was still determined, leased the old St George Hall in Bourke Street and began screening short films and unlike his previous encounters it was successful and as a result, he formed a new company called Hoyts Pictures the time Dr Authur Russel had died at the end of world war 1 Hoyts had expanded throughout Melbourne and Sydney. <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">

<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">In 1926 Hoyts had been merged with two other companies to form Hoyt’s theatre limited. During the 1930s the fox film corporation (20th century fox) thought it would be a good idea to invest so they secured a major shareholding in the company. In the summer of spring August 1982 the fox corporation sold the company to 4 Melbourne business men who sold it to the Flink family which expanded Hoyts to Europe and New Zealand. During the 80s and 90s Hoyts witnessed a gigantic expansion so by the year 1994 it was the 10th biggest cinema chain in the world but has the years past by Hoyts had veriest owners but eventually it was sold to Val Morgan who had paid 440 million dollars now Hoyts can be found throughout Australia with majority to be found in NSW.

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