In the early 80s, Nam Cheong showed Cantonese films under the GH circuit. I thought the tickets were margainally cheaper than the main cinemas (eg. Golden Harvest in Jordan) but my brother paid for the tickets (so I didn’t know). However, the front-stall used to fitted with wooden seats with no cushions. It was painful to watch a film for 2 hrs sitting on “planks” even when I was a kid.
When it opened to business, the Chinese name of Empire was é‡'è²æˆ²é™¢, which followed the clan of Royal, Empress, Prince, Princess etc. (so as the “royalty” of their English name) and most of them were developed by the giant developer SHK in Hong Kong.
Golden Theatre was a landmark in the Shamshuipo area and the name is still used around the area a lot. A medium size shopping/residential complex was build on the plot of land surrounding Golden Theatre (see Cineplex Theatre) in the late 70s and the shopping centre in this complex is called Golden Shopping Centre, now a world famous tourist spot for computers and Hi-tech accessories. Golden Theater itself was rebuilt as a smaller residential/shopping complex and the shopping arcade is called “New Golden”, not to be mixed up with Golden Shopping Centre next door. Although the cinema is long gone, “Golden” is still used, particular to minibuss and taxis, to refer to the block the cinema used to stand.
Here is a high res picture of Kwun Chung theatre: View link
It says in Catonese that the films are shown from 12:30 pm non-stop everyday. It sells day-ticket so you guys can go in anytime, stay as long as you wish! For those really want to know where EXACTLY, it is #30 (said on the photo). Be quick!
Ruby Palace was opened near my neighbourhood when i was a kid. Together with Paladium next door and the Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park, it was owned by the Far East Holdings. My classmate’s sister worked there as a “seat-guide” when it was open, so we could go in for an early afternoon show (12:30) without a ticket. It was an odd location as it was on a very quiet, deadend street. No wonder that the business was never good. Also the owner was quite notoriously tight and my classmate’s sister was asked to put number stickers on those 1125 seats without any extra paid. She left Ruby Palace because of that. Now it a high-rising private apartment Nob Hill, where my best friend lives, strange enough.
Mike: Not in Hong Kong. Cars? What cars? They are very recent things in China. In Hong Kong, it was likely to be too noisy and too hot to stay outside for a couple of hours.
Golden Valley was under the management of Far East Holdings, which owned many regional cinemas in the 80s. Since mid 90s, their cinema business declined. The auditorium of Golden Valley is still vacant, apparently because it’s reported to be haunted (as some rumours say).
The whole site, including the supermarket on the ground floor (used to be the stall auditorium) is currently under massive renovation. It has been run under the InterContinental for showing foreign films when it opened. Century changed management to Newport and started showing Cantonese films until its closure.
Pearl had a very wide but flat auditorium. Possibly built for its Cinerama purpose, the screen was quite high and it felt a bit weird if you took a seat at the back stall. Maybe it’s the curved screen. It was advertised as a 3-D cinema in Chinese newspaper when it opened for business. Like its neighbour Jade, Pearl’s business florished because of its prime location, right in the centre of Causeway Bay shopping district. Many Hollywood blockbusters have been shown there, including Grease, Alien, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Ghost, and Basic Instinct. Pearl, together with Palace and Lee were those cinemas for me to relax after a full-day lecture at the university.
Jade had been the jewel of the crown for the Shaw circuit (SB) since it opened for business. It had been in the top-10 for gate receipts during most of its years before 1992.
Oriental was paired up with Empress in 1970 when Empress was newly opened. it was then switched to Victoria in Mong Kok before paired up with Sands and Gala, Mong Kok.
Triumph is now a restaurant run by the Maxim’s group. I went there yesterday and found the restaurant was decorated as a theatre with small balconies on both sides. It didn’t seem to be the original features as I remembered the auditorium was quite steep with no balcony.
In the early 80s, Nam Cheong showed Cantonese films under the GH circuit. I thought the tickets were margainally cheaper than the main cinemas (eg. Golden Harvest in Jordan) but my brother paid for the tickets (so I didn’t know). However, the front-stall used to fitted with wooden seats with no cushions. It was painful to watch a film for 2 hrs sitting on “planks” even when I was a kid.
When it opened to business, the Chinese name of Empire was é‡'è²æˆ²é™¢, which followed the clan of Royal, Empress, Prince, Princess etc. (so as the “royalty” of their English name) and most of them were developed by the giant developer SHK in Hong Kong.
Golden Theatre was a landmark in the Shamshuipo area and the name is still used around the area a lot. A medium size shopping/residential complex was build on the plot of land surrounding Golden Theatre (see Cineplex Theatre) in the late 70s and the shopping centre in this complex is called Golden Shopping Centre, now a world famous tourist spot for computers and Hi-tech accessories. Golden Theater itself was rebuilt as a smaller residential/shopping complex and the shopping arcade is called “New Golden”, not to be mixed up with Golden Shopping Centre next door. Although the cinema is long gone, “Golden” is still used, particular to minibuss and taxis, to refer to the block the cinema used to stand.
The theatre is now an office for the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, which is powerful in the To Kwa Wan industrial area.
Here is a high res picture of Kwun Chung theatre:
View link
It says in Catonese that the films are shown from 12:30 pm non-stop everyday. It sells day-ticket so you guys can go in anytime, stay as long as you wish! For those really want to know where EXACTLY, it is #30 (said on the photo). Be quick!
link update:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/old-hk/3007386495/
sorry.
Another good catch from flickr.
View link
including a ticket for the one and only Beatles’s gig in Hong Kong.
How about this postcard… a gem.
View link
a photo of Majestic before it underwent renovation.
View link
Had never seen that stretch of Nathan Road had so many trees.
That’s probably my best found so far… check out this picture (postcard).
View link
That’s the best pic I can find so far:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/old-hk/5164793992/
A old picture of National:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/old-hk/3823883978
A picture of Golden Gate
http://www.flickr.com/photos/old-hk/3792666822/
Ruby Palace was opened near my neighbourhood when i was a kid. Together with Paladium next door and the Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park, it was owned by the Far East Holdings. My classmate’s sister worked there as a “seat-guide” when it was open, so we could go in for an early afternoon show (12:30) without a ticket. It was an odd location as it was on a very quiet, deadend street. No wonder that the business was never good. Also the owner was quite notoriously tight and my classmate’s sister was asked to put number stickers on those 1125 seats without any extra paid. She left Ruby Palace because of that. Now it a high-rising private apartment Nob Hill, where my best friend lives, strange enough.
It was amazing to see that picture supplied by ken mc. Casino Royale was to be shown there.
A colour picture of the cinema on Fenwick street.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/twe42/3422370576/
Here is a great picture of Princess Theatre:
View link
The Artdeco style curved facade can be clearly seen.
Mike: Not in Hong Kong. Cars? What cars? They are very recent things in China. In Hong Kong, it was likely to be too noisy and too hot to stay outside for a couple of hours.
Golden Valley was under the management of Far East Holdings, which owned many regional cinemas in the 80s. Since mid 90s, their cinema business declined. The auditorium of Golden Valley is still vacant, apparently because it’s reported to be haunted (as some rumours say).
The whole site, including the supermarket on the ground floor (used to be the stall auditorium) is currently under massive renovation. It has been run under the InterContinental for showing foreign films when it opened. Century changed management to Newport and started showing Cantonese films until its closure.
Pearl had a very wide but flat auditorium. Possibly built for its Cinerama purpose, the screen was quite high and it felt a bit weird if you took a seat at the back stall. Maybe it’s the curved screen. It was advertised as a 3-D cinema in Chinese newspaper when it opened for business. Like its neighbour Jade, Pearl’s business florished because of its prime location, right in the centre of Causeway Bay shopping district. Many Hollywood blockbusters have been shown there, including Grease, Alien, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Ghost, and Basic Instinct. Pearl, together with Palace and Lee were those cinemas for me to relax after a full-day lecture at the university.
Jade had been the jewel of the crown for the Shaw circuit (SB) since it opened for business. It had been in the top-10 for gate receipts during most of its years before 1992.
If I am correct, the luxury seats at King’s were preserved and re-fitted at Silver (Kwun Tong) after King’s closure.
Oriental was paired up with Empress in 1970 when Empress was newly opened. it was then switched to Victoria in Mong Kok before paired up with Sands and Gala, Mong Kok.
Triumph is now a restaurant run by the Maxim’s group. I went there yesterday and found the restaurant was decorated as a theatre with small balconies on both sides. It didn’t seem to be the original features as I remembered the auditorium was quite steep with no balcony.