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Home » Theater Guide » Location » United Kingdom » England » Leeds, West Yorkshire » ABC Leeds
Also known as Ritz Cinema, Cannon, MGM

ABC Leeds

Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Vicar Lane
, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom LS2 7NL
(map)
Status: Closed/Demolished
Screens: Triplex
Style: Art Deco
Function: Unknown
Seats: 1950
Chain: Unknown
Architect: William R. Glen
Firm: Unknown
Add a photo for this theater!
Opened as the Ritz Cinema on 19th November 1934 with Will Hay in "Those Were the Days" and Warren Williams in "Upper World". It was designed by Associated British Cinemas (ABC) house architect William R. Glen and seating was provided for 1,100 in the stalls and 850 in the circle.

The decorative scheme was mainly Art Deco but there were touches of a semi-atmospheric design via painted panels on the side-walls that showed vistas of cypress trees and temples. The Ritz was equipped with a Compton 3Manual/10Ranks organ, the console had an illuminated surround and was on a lift. It was opened by Lewis Gerard.

In 1959 the facade was 'modernised' by a covering of sheets of metal cladding and a light-box sign was installed to display the film titles. The Ritz was re-named ABC from 25th May 1959.

In July 1969 it was closed for twinning, re-opening in April 1970 as ABC 1 & 2 with 620 seats in the former stalls and 867 in the former circle. In March 1974 ABC 2 in the former stalls was sub-divided into two screens with 474 and 236 seats.

In 1986 the ABC was taken over by Cannon Cinemas and re-named, they in turn were taken over by MGM and it became the MGM from May 1993.

In 1998 it had become the ABC again but it was reported to be up for sale. The ABC closed on 17th February 2000 with ABC screen 1 in the former circle showing "American Beauty", screen 2 "Double Jeopardy" and Bollywood film "Shaheed Uddham Singh" in screen 3.

It remained closed and shuttered until February 2006, when it was demolished.
Contributed by KenRoe

YOUR COMMENTS

 
A February 2005 photo of the abandoned ABC Leeds. Note the 1959 era panels that have fallen off revealing the original facade underneath.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikj/56686752/in/pool-cinemasignage/
posted by KenRoe on Nov 6, 2005 at 2:26am
Very sad to see the same thing happening in England as in the USA.
posted by Patsy on Feb 4, 2006 at 4:41am
Two pictures of demolition here:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/94918066/in/pool-cinemasignage/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/94918065/in/pool-cinemasignage/
posted by Ian on Feb 4, 2006 at 6:26am
Below are links to two pages on flickr. I took lots of pictures during the strip out in December 2005. It's very sad as the building was certainly not in a bad condition.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24711688@N00/74770600/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24711688@N00/74770596/
posted by Mikeyjb on Feb 6, 2006 at 5:55am
There are more pics here:

http://photos.jml.net/c877488.html

Taken by myself on 28th February - some structural evidence of the stalls and stage still there (the stage-side is still definitely in place), but now no roof and a huge hole in the front. Interior is pretty much all rubble now.
posted by Joel Rowbottom on Mar 2, 2006 at 4:48am
Thanks for posting the pics of the cinemas in their last sorry state; if there had been one cinema in Leeds I would love to have seen resurrected it would have been the ABC. Many happy times spent there, especially in the small cinemas with the strangely positioned aisles and bizarre sound.

posted by LouiseC on Jul 11, 2006 at 1:49pm
photos taken (i think) in 2001
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2121480102/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2120699815/
posted by woody on Dec 18, 2007 at 2:57pm
A few pictures from 1986 here:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/2134919399/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/2134919213/

posted by Ian on Dec 25, 2007 at 8:42am
I always found the 70mm screen in ABC1 a disappointment, did anyone else feel the same? The 70mm screen that had been installed behind a large curved curtain in the original auditorium seemed to have far better proportions.
posted by chriso on Apr 28, 2008 at 5:21am
Always a good cinema to relieve when I was in ABC Cinema management as it was always a busy house. Use to enjoy working in the Advance Booking Office there.
posted by Richard Roper on Mar 17, 2009 at 9:54am
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