Sydney❜s Iconic George Street Cinema Is Actually Not Closing

Update: The show must go on! Events Cinema clarified on their Facebook page that they are in fact staying open: 

"It’s been reported in the media that our cinema at George Street is closing, however this is incorrect – there are no plans to close.

"While our doors have been temporarily shut due to COVID-19, we’ve upgraded our big-screen V-Max theatres, now with daybeds, luxury seating and full recliners, and we’ve introduced a new marketplace candy bar as well as contactless self-service technology.

"We can’t wait to welcome you back so you can experience it for yourself when we are able to re-open our doors."

Original story: The iconic George Street site has been earmarked for a swanky new apartment complex and is doomed for demolition, taking with it decades of nostalgia for teens who escaped the suburbs to hang out on the neon strip or dress up for midnight screenings of Rocky Horror.

With a long tradition as the home of cinema, the George Street stretch was originally occupied by the Trocadero Theatre and Rapallo and Paramount Cinemas. When the more modern Hoyts complex took over in 1976 it was the biggest cinema in the world, with seven screens and a huge 4,333 seat capacity.

Having seen various incarnations since then, the current Event cinema complex is the last of its kind to keep the city’s big-screen dreams alive, and it has no immediate plans to close it’s doors, having invested in a major refurbishment during the COVID-19 lockdown. Daybeds, luxury seats and full recliners have been added to their Vmax experience, plus the addition of self-service technology and a brand new candy bar will lure cinema-goers back once restrictions are lifted.

However, developers have obtained the Stage One Development Application approval for the site and have the go-ahead to proceed with the design process. The proposed development is set to include two multi-purpose apartment complexes - a 43-storey building and a 270-metre, 507-apartment residential tower - pus a hotel, retail space, childcare, car parking and a new, boutique, cinema. It is expected to come at a cost of over $692 million.

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