Chance to own historic cinema
One of the country’s last remaining art deco cinema buildings and multi-screen movie complexes has been placed on the market.
The Capitol Cinema in the Bay of Plenty township of Te Puke dates back to 1917 when it was called the Alliance Hall and newly built, sheathed with asbestos. It hosted Te Puke’s second Anzac Day, local productions, a high school ball, and silent movies with local orchestras.
The cinema has grown from having what was believed to be the tallest movie screen in the southern hemisphere to a four-theatre cinema. A large doorway on one side of the stage enabled travelling circus elephants to enter for their live shows, which were hugely popular during the 1930s and 1940s. The Capitol was also used for local fundraising events, and in 1931 a Monster Earthquake Relief Concert was held to raise money for the disaster-struck residents of Hawke’s Bay.
In 1945, a Victory Ball for VJ (Victory in Japan) Day was held at the Capitol, where scores of soldiers from the Eastern Bay of Plenty were officially welcomed home by the community.
Two years later, more than 800 people packed into the venue to present ‘tokens of appreciation’ to 174 returned servicemen and women. Each ‘token of appreciation’ was an envelope containing £17.
Over the ensuing years, the Capitol Cinema was the centre of Te Puke’s social scene – with the Te Puke Boxing Association using the venue to stage bouts, the annual Returned Services Association debutante ball, and fundraising dances and musical concerts held for the town’s Memorial Hall.
In 1954 the Capitol was the first New Zealand cinema to be adapted to CinemaScope widescreen movies.
In 1978 the theatre closed because of dwindling sales, but was reopened after a major refurbishment in 2000 with a special preview of the movie Perfect Storm.
In 2003 it was among the first cinemas in the world to screen Lord of the Rings – The Return of the King – when it rolled the film at one minute after midnight.
Two years later the Capitol was among the first venues in the world to screen Star Wars Episode III – Revenge of the Sith during another midnight show.
In 2009, the installation of a 3D system meant the theatre was the only one in New Zealand outside of Auckland to have the technology.
The Capitol Cinema’s four theatres range in capacity from a boutique 20-seater venue, up to the blockbuster 200-seater playhouse. In total, the four cinemas have a combined capacity of 413 viewers.
Bayleys Tauranga salesperson Brendon Bradley said the Capitol ranked alongside a handful of other great New Zealand movie houses of its construction period – such as the Majestic in Taihape, the Regent in Te Awamutu, the Dome in Gisborne, and the Roxy in Wellington.
‘‘The Capitol has been a landmark in Te Puke for generations – most recently for its cinematic offerings. By always keeping abreast of cinemagraph technological evolutions in the global industry, and leading moviegoer viewing habits, the Capitol has remained a profitable entity at a time when similar operations in the big cities have wavered,’’ he said.
The business is being sold with chattels including the projectors and screens, commercial-grade air conditioning units, and all office equipment.
The freehold land, buildings and Capitol Cinema business at 127-133 Jellicoe St in central Te Puke are being marketed for sale by Bayleys Tauranga, with offers closing on November 30.