Odeon Manchester

I VISITED THIS ODEON THIS YEAR TO SEE HOW THE COMPANY HAD REBRANDED THIS ONCE FINE MOVIE PALACE.THE REBRANDING IS ONLY ON THE EXTERIOR AND I MUST ADMIT IT DOES LOOK BETTER THAN THE LAST MAKE OVER WHICH WAS DONE BY RANK. THE INTERIOR HAS NOT CHANGED MUCH SINCE IT,S LAST CONVERSION. THE FOYER AND THE CIRCLE FOYER HAS NOT CHANGED MUCH SINCE THE CINEMA FIRST OPENED. LET US HOPE IT WILL STAY THAT WAY!.

DEREK ATKINS(PULIC RELATIONS OFFICER MERCIA CINEMA SOCIETY).

the manchester paramountopened on 6th october 1930, the original seating was around 3000, 1400 in the stalls (now sadly chopped up into three screens) 650 in the mezzanine (now much reduced but a single screen with lots of original plasterwork and with a complete crush lobby area that still has a wonderful 1930's feel) and 950 in the grand circle now the big screen, but very plain with only a little ornate plasterwork remaining at the back of the ceiling, the other two screens have been built in the former basement cafe (some nice plasterwork and on the stage (no decoration whatsoever of course)
all of the convertions could easily be removed and return the place to its original magnificence, however the cinema now has to compete with a 16screen amc and a 20sceen UCI filmworks nearby, so its future is very uncertain and it sits on a very prime piece of real estate.
a few years ago i was taken on a tour behind the scenes by the projection team, and in the subterranean basement there is a huge air conditioning plant still intact with a massive flywheel, aparently in the 80's they switched it on and it drained all the power in the area and dimmed the street lamps, but it was powerful enough to put a layer of ice on the inside of the original auditorium

I used to go to this cinema when I was a student from 1990-1993. I recall when the stalls were still in their original condition, before being split into more screen. I know it originally had an organ that rose up throughthe stage on the left of the original screen. It now resides in the Manchester Free Trade hall, and was used when I graduated. Was stunning to listen to, and I imagine it pleased a lot of people during the intermission. The North West Film Archive has lots of pictures of the Paramount from the 1930s. It originally had big plate glass windows at the front for displays. As I recall, the only tell tale sign of these now, are the slightly recessed bays in which the "Now showing" screens are fixed.

Odeon Faces Closure
Read all about it at...
http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/news/s/123/123168_historic_odeon_faces_final_curtain.html

I am shocked to find this cinema is to close this year.Yet another Odeon is lost to the might of the multiplex cinema.When will we learn that our beloved old movie theatres should be treasured and preserved. The closure of this fine cinema has become an all to familiar story around England. The Odeon chain is owned by greedy land developers and think nothing of what they have inherited from the founder of Odeon cinemas.Let us hope that a campaign is lauched to try and save this historic gem. Derek Atkins.(Public Relations Officer) Mercia Cinema Society.

This cinema has been doomed ever since manchester planning authorities allowed the 16screen amc to be built almost opposite, the sucess of the 20 screen filmworks across town hasnt helped. The Odeon has been doing very poor business for some years now inspite of its prime location and suprisingly nice screens. If it was opened up again it would be an awesome theatre however manchester already has the nearby Palace with its fabulous victorian interior and deco facade, and the oppulent opera house, as well as a host of smaller theatres and huge concert halls....
so lets face it, this amazing building with some exquisite original fittings is likely to be demolished just like the huge Gaumont which stood a hundred yards from the Odeon and inspite of its listing was flattened to make guess what... yes another parking lot.

Went to the Odeon for the last time, so sad. One of the staff told me that the block next door was due for demolition ( its full of shops and offices still up and running so no prizes as to what will happen to the ODEON now!!!!!) Developers are such greedy, faceless selfish B****rds. Why do companies get away with this kind corporate cultural vandalism every time????

The only decent city centre cinema now is AMC at least they have screen tabs and some style unlike Printworks crap cinema crap architecture, crap presentation (or cinema MacDonalds style - even down to the spotty youths running it!!!)

This cinema closed in September 2004, paving the way for its imminent demolition. Of course, it will be razed to the ground with the kind of disrespect that comes from profiteering. I'm sure there was a conscious decision to look at the Odeon site and demolish it, to be replaced by yet another horrible breeze block set of apartments. A total feat of characterless engineering. I recall a cinema advertising campaign during 1984 at the Odeon called 'This Is Cinema'. Well, that WAS cinema. Nice one Manchester ... 75 years of history, consigned to the scrapheap. An utter disgrace. Let's see if anyone remembers the heritage of the yuppie apartment block replacement in 2080, 75 years from now.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.Wait until the whole Odeon circuit goes up for sale later this month and then watch the new owners make all the old cinemas redundant. All those old favourites that have somehow managed to struggle through the 60's until now will suddenly disappear without a whimper.

When will English Heritage or the National Trust realise what they are losing and start classifying these theatres? Yes, we have hundreds of Victorian and Edwardian playhouses all beautifully preserved and not one Super Cinema. Developers know it is only a matter of time before they start to classify and are moving quickly to demolish what treasures are left.

I still remember waiting outside for Return of the Jedi on its first Saturday morning showing. I can remember thinking that I could hide behind the arches on the stairs leading to screen 1 ( use to be screen 2 ) for Empire strikes back, so that I could watch it again. I even remember my first ever visit to see Snow White and can remember having watched a preview screening of Karate Kid and like everyone else leaving the theatre trying our best to do that famous kick.

Going to the Odeon was always a special treat, it had all the latest run of films that the subs could never get, the large population of students from Oxford street made it a great atmosphere to be in there with, but sadly I moved to London and like many others stopped going and thus like my beloved Carlton
and ABC cinemas it is no more......

Like the Gaumont opposite, the Odeon was a great place to see a film in the 1960s prior to the later twinning.My only gripe about it was that the screen masking dropped significantly for cinemascope..but the place had an amazing atmosphere...a sad loss.

Hi there im a film location manager looking to film in a cinema with character from mid october. Does anybody have the number for the Odeon group or whoever is responsible for tyhe portfolioof properties sold by the Odeon group?
All your feed back would be great. At the moment I'm dealing with Fergus wheeler, from the PR dept. employed by CINVEN, the company I belive bought/asset stripped Odeon/Rank etc
Many thanks
Dan Connolly
mrdanconnolly@mac.com

Signs down, and blue boards up: 9th April 2006 photo


* Still open, pre-September 2004

Photos after closing:
* 21st July 2005
* 17th August 2005
* 5th November 2005
* 6th December 2005
* 2nd February 2006
* 21st March 2006
* 25th March 2006
* 22nd June 2006
* 11th July 2006

Put your boxing gloves back on again and fight the system.

Do what they did with the massive FOX THEATRE, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA; They simply built around and over it... So simple!

Now known as COPELY HALL, they have NO more worries about a leaking roof -it's all protected forever along with lower operating expenses.

Put your boxing gloves back on again and fight the system.

Do what they did with the massive FOX THEATRE, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA; They simply built around and over it... So simple!

Now known as COPELY HALL, they have NO more worries about a leaking roof -it's all protected forever along with lower operating expenses.

A few May 2007 photos of the shuttered cinema:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/492389269/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/492389277/

It is a beautiful building. What a shame it couldn't have been preserved. I too remember the interior and it was in very good shape when I last visited the cinema during the early part of the decade. The photos are excellent.

A report from the Cinema Theatre Association, who put the Odeon forward for an urgent spot-listing, states that:-

"We were completely shocked and horrified to discover from the English Heritage inspector that most of the interior decoration had been deliberately trashed in a targeted removal of anything of architectural merit."

Are there interior photos (before the trashing)? I'd especially like to see the crush bar mentioned above with 1930's feel, but eager to see the rest.

A night view of the shuttered building in November 2007 here:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/1813750286/

A couple more vintage shots of the Odeon from 1987 here:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/2122633319/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/2123407664/

The Odeon organ was a 4/20 Wurlitzer.

A 1975 shot here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/2310085410/

Try this one! http://www.images.manchester.gov.uk/web/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=61492

Do we get smiley icons here on Cinematreasures I wonder?

any news on the demolition date yet?

Incidentally,everyone! That link I put up on Mar 2004,2008 has about a dozen timeless photos of the Odeon.You can get to the rest via that lead url address,BUT you may need me to guide you through it. Apparently Manchester City council's interest in Heritage and History stretches only to parking that site in amongst teacher's pay rises and overdue books from the library.

p.s. I hope Manchester members don't get squeamish about a Brummie rummaging around in their local history. I was a Manchester/Stockport ratepayer between 1986 and 1996 LOL.

Correction to previous comment:Date should read March 4,2008.

Here is a photo from 1988.

An April 2008 view here:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/2439887513/

1970's photograph here. Might be replicated elsewhere, but on main page of www.oldsalford.co.uk

This was the Odeon in 1991.

Ummm.. Not to bring any naysayers forward buuut...

http://www.aidan.co.uk/article_paramount_manchester.htm

You should read this. He (The author of the article) is true. The building can't be saved. Even if it is saved, ODEON slapped a Conveant on the site, preventing its use as an entertainment venue. Besides, the English Heritage still won't budge to list the building.

I have to say I largely agree with the outcome although this has been brought about by iniquities that should not exist.

1) the interior was deliberately trashed before English Heritage could view the Odeon. Such acts of vandalism should be made legally reversible at the cost of the owner if EH decide that prior to the destruction it was listable. Furthermore EH should have the right to thoroughly inspect a building (including looking behind partition walls and above ceilings causing potential damage to existing fittings) before coming to a conclusion.

2) if organisations such as Odeon's owners place a covenant on a building to prevent a specific use in the future then a portion of the sale price should be required to be donated to other similar enterprises in the area. So say a 20% levy on this development purchase price should be made available to aid cinema preservation in the area. Cutting into their profits is the only way to stop restrictive practises. At least if one building is lost, then another might be saved.

3) the dereliction and sub-division it itself is not insurmountable. I commented recently on the Berkhamsted Rex which was in a far worse state than the Odeon, but where there was a will (much opposed) to save it. There is no such desire in Manchester to save the Odeon

Quite an emotional tone to this one! Isn't it funny, but Paramount in the 1930's were also 'greedy, faceless, selfish, 'b***ards', and they were American imposters too. At the time there were quite a few people (notably architectural critics like the ones everyone seems to aspire to be on this website) who thought it crass, gaudy, preposterous, vulger etc etc etc. One thing everyone could agree on, though, was that the Paramount was modern. And all around, the the old music halls and live-theatres died a death - imagine if web forums existed in the 30's!!!

This circa 1971 photo might have been linked to previously. This is a direct link to the photo.

Why place a covenant to prevent future entertainment in the building when the building was built solely for that purpose??

a scan of the reopening brochure cover from 1992 when it reopened with 7 screens
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/3535001773/

Still a little sad this cinema shut down, neither the amc or the filmworks live up to the atmosphere this old place had, I saw so many films there over the years, particular highlights were preview screenings of Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers and The Return Of The King, both full houses and a great atmosphere.

I never had the chance to go into the Oxford Road Odeon, unfortunately, however, i used to walk past it nearly every day whilst i was at Salford Uni. I used to look up at it and think how sad it was that it was boarded up. I ended up doing a little research and reading up about the Gaumont, and the Oxford Picture House (now mcDonald's) and the countless cinemas along that road, and became absolutely fascinated. It's funny because whilst people do kick up a fuss at other cinemas closing, this one always seems to keep people talking, whether it's because of the demolition rumours i don't know.

I even wrote an article in the student paper, I was that incensed and focused on getting the place re-opened - in the article i interviewed Aidan O'Rourke (from 3D fan's link!) I'm guessing the Covenant and the details about the interior 'trashing' came as a pretty huge blow to him, he was a big campaigner for saving the building and preventing it's possible faceless replacement.

Anyone interested in this cinema should read about the history of entertainment and cinema along the Oxford Road/Peter Street Axis. It goes back well over 100 years, and it's really sad, with the exception of the Cornerhouse the end of the Odeon brings the end of that fantastic piece of history. It was Manchester's most prestigious and luxiourious cinema, it survived world war II's blitz, it was one of the very few Odeon cinemas which didn't adopt their unique and now classic architecture, it showed the first full length technicolour movie. It is virtually the last of the manchester picture houses, it outlived pretty much every other in the city, the Gaumont, the Picadilly Picture House, The Deansgate Picture House, The Grosvenor, The New Oxford, The Regal... which is a great feat in itself.

I'm so passionate about this one, and I never even got to step foot in it! It will be such a sad day when the knock it down.