Rialto Cinema, Dunedin facts for kids
The Rialto Cinema is a modern movie theater with many screens, located in the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. It first opened its doors in 1998.
The cinema is inside a very old and important building on Moray Place, not far from the city center. A famous architect named Edmund Anscombe designed the building. It first opened in 1916 as the Empire Theatre. For a while, it was New Zealand's second-biggest movie theater, with space for 2,000 people!
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A Look Back: The Empire Theatre's Story
In the 1920s, a businessman named Thomas O'Brien took over the building. He had it completely redesigned to look like old Moorish buildings, with a ceiling that sparkled like a starry night sky and tall towers called minarets. Later, in the 1930s, the entrance area was updated in the popular Art Deco style.
Changes Over the Years
After World War II, the cinema became part of the Kerridge-Odeon group of cinemas. In 1952, it was renamed the St. James Theatre and had big updates, but some of its old Moorish and Art Deco designs were kept.
The cinema closed in 1993 and was briefly used as a nightclub and restaurant. Then, it went through a huge makeover. In 1998, it reopened as the Rialto Cinema, with three screens. By 2004, it had grown to six screens! The new design brought back many of the original features, including the starry ceiling in the main theater and some of the Moorish arches and metalwork.
What Makes the Rialto Special?
The Rialto Cinema building is listed as a Category I historic place by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. This means it's a very important historic building. It's known for its fancy inside designs and is a rare example of an "atmospheric theatre."
The Magic of an Atmospheric Theatre
An atmospheric theatre is designed to make you feel like you're in a different place, often outdoors. The Rialto's ceiling, painted a smooth blue, was made to look like a night sky with hidden lights that created twinkling stars. The inside walls had designs like columns and arches, making it feel like you were sitting in a romantic outdoor courtyard or a big open-air theater. This clever design made watching movies a truly special experience!
