Sunshine Theatre 128 Hampshire Road, Sunshine Victoria - Opening Night 1925

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Sunshine Pictures Pty. Ltd., bought a huge grain store and converted it into a picture theatre. It operated across the road from an existing picture venue at the Sunshine Mechanics' Institute/ Town Hall, Sunshine

The Sunshine picture theatre (capacity 800) opened on the 20 March 1925 with a private screening. Then on 21 March 1925, the theatre was opened to the public with the silent films “The Humming Bird” starring Gloria Swanson, supported by Marion Davies in “Peg O' My Heart”. The following Monday, 23 March 1925 it screened If Winter Comes for 3 nights only.

Exhibitors through the years were…

1925 – 1953 : Exhibitor : Sunshine Pictures Pty Ltd
1931 – 1966 : Exhibitor : Kirby’s Theatres Pty Ltd

Sold - During 1966 the theatre was sold to Nikos & Demetrios Lazogas who pursued a Greek screening policy, mainly of family & comedy product they had purchased.

Comment : Between 1962 & 1968 it is believed that The Sunshine Theatre followed a policy of running Greek Motion Pictures. There is evidence that over the remaining years that Reg Boulter / R Penny & Grove Bros were exhibitors at The Sunshine Theatre.

Melbourne is home to one of the largest Greek diaspora communities in the world as well as being the city with the largest Greek-speaking population outside Greece. According to the 2001 Australian census, Melbourne has the largest Greek Australian population in Australia (151,785 or around 47%), and the largest Greek population of any city in the World, outside of Greece – Contributed by Greg Lynch –