This is of interest to Australian readers but overseas readers may also find this of some interest.

Here in Melbourne Australia, our cinema exhibition industry is dominated by two large groups - Village Roadshow and Hoyts, and to a lesser extent Palace cinemas and some independants.

How surprised I was to see an advertisment in todays Melbourne Sunday Herald-Sun advertsing a new cinema compelx close to where I live.

The ad read as follows:

"Reading Cinemas
Movies have never looked this GOOD!
Get the full picture on FIRST CLASS (TM)
Mega Wall to Wall Screens
Opening June 7th 2001
Cnr Kimberley Dr & Maroondah Hwy Chirnside Park, beside Chirnside Shopping Centre
http://www.readingcinemas.com.au "

Their web site does not specify what standard of cinema they offer but they certainly look to be a big multinational. They also seem to have an arthouse arm which is good.

Hopefully the competition will be good for the cinema going public.

What are other reader's experiences of this cinema chain?

cheers Peter

If Reading is opening up locations in Oz, expect others to follow. Reading is generally (IMO) conservative and tight with purse strings, and not the type of company to take extraordinary chances.

I don't really know too much about Reading's but I do know that they have a cinema in Geelong (called Waurn Ponds or something like that), they have been trying to open one at Burwood for ages and have land reserved for a new cinema in Frankston. I think nationally they have over 100 screens.

I had a closer look at the Readings web site and found details of their premium product which involves small theatrettes with 28 recliners per theatrette and wall to wall screens. It looks good. If they just had footrubs it'd be perfect.

I had heard about the failed Burwood proposal. I was disappointed because there are not that many arthouse theatres around and few in the eastern suburbs where I live. Hopefully Readings will set aside some sessions for foreign content in their new cinema complex which would be nice. I did look at Waurn Ponds's session times but didn't see any foreign content there however.

The increased competition will be great for Melbourne. Interestingly an article in today's paper suggested that there now was an oversupply of theatres in Melbourne which should I hope lead to lower prices and more innovation. In some ways consumers have limited choice in that foreign films are not shown all that much here. That is surprising as I think there is a large sector of the Melbourne public who are from an ethnic background or who would go to foreign films.

Village & Hoyts have done a good job servicing the cinema going public thus far (although neither chain has yet serviced the drive-in theatre going public of the eastern suburbs of Melbourne - we badly need a drive-in over here) but a new entrant should shake things up a bit which should be of benefit to the public. The article I saw also mentioned that some live tv events may be shown at these cinemas using digital technology
http://www.theage.com.au/business/2001/05/29/FFXYVAG49NC.html

cheers Peter

If you live in the eastern suburbs you should come to the cinema I work at.
www.waverleycinema.com.au/~wcinema

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Have had no reliable reports re quality, but whatever it is it should be a vast improvement on standards currently being accepted in the windy town.

Previously if you wanted a good cinema experience in the Wgtn metro area your only option was the Embassy.

Hopefully this will lift the presentation bar.

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Pretty soon the wheels are going to fall off someones little red wagon,I have my ideas, time will tell, As for Readings, I feel it will give the others something to think about.

Palace is 50% owned by Village,Village owned by Warner Bros and Greater union who is now owned by Atlab,and Hoyts by a bundle of others.

My personal veiw is the industry in AUST is in a big mess.

Anyway you could hardly call Readings a NEW entrant in Aust cinema.
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I was quite impressed with the layout of the cinema. The cinemas themselves have a floor that curves downward and then upward towards the screen (ie like there is a dip in the middle of the floor). I found the presentation good and seating comfortable. The standard of the cinema is a cut above your average concrete box cinema.

Even so I don't know that I will go there all that often. I have a preference for a cinema with real atmosphere and for me that means either the Village Rivoli or the Palace Balwyn. These are both art deco style cinemas. The Rivoli is quite ornate and has recently gone through a multi-million refurbishment. It is a stunning complex but still retains the atmosphere it had when my mother went there as a girl. It also shows a good mix of mainstream and arthouse product.

Generally these days I visit the Balwyn cinema. It still has the little twinking lights in the ceiling and the old fashioned candy bar. It is like stepping back in time 30 years. The Palace movie club is worth joining too as it offers good value.

Before my daughter was born my wife and I would also occasionally visit the Palace Cameo Cinema in Belgrave. I like this cinema also as it is an old cinema that has been turned into a complex of 3 cinemas. its fun having pancakes at the Cameo Coffee Pot before the movie.

I wish that cinema complex companies such as Village and Hoyts could realise that for many patrons seeing a movie is more than just seeing a film. Cinema architecture today is largely designed to minimise costs and provide greater choice for patrons. However choice is only one element in the product mix. I believe that if someone built a art-deco style cinema complex with multiple cinemas in the far eastern suburbs of Melbourne that showed a mixture of mainstream and arthouse product it would be highly successful.

cheers Peter