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Taken on: March 28, 2020

Uploaded on: November 16, 2024

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The Empire Theatre was opened to a huge crowd on 27th June 1912 (A view from the upper circle)

It was a grand affair officiated by the Mayor of Brunswick. The architect was Frank G. Richardson and the builder was John Carey. In 1913 it was decided that the Lyric Theatre, Brunswick would merge to form the Brunswick Theatres Ltd.

In 1926 Hoyts Theatres leased the Empire Theatre from Brunswick Theatres Ltd. In 1929 the Empire Theatre became the first Brunswick theatre to install ‘talkies’ when Warner Baxter in “In Old Arizona” was screened. It was the first ‘talkie’ western movie. The Lyric Theatre was closed in 1930. In 1937 Hoyts built and opened their own theatre, the Padua Theatre and did not renew their lease on the Empire Theatres. The Empire Theatre would continue under the Brunswick Theatre Ltd. banner until 1948 when they sold the Empire Theatre to the Kings Theatres chain.

By 1957, Television had all but destroyed the cinema business.

The Empire Theatre was revived by screening Italian films. In 1965 the Greek owned Cosmopolitan Motion Pictures chain purchased the Empire theatre outright. They introduced a policy of screening Greek movies and for a while business was very good. The nearby Padua Theatre had gone over to screening Italian movies in 1968. Eventually the Greek audience drifted away and the Empire Theatre was closed in 1975.

In 1976 the Empire Theatre was destroyed by fire.

Contributed by Greg Lynch -