The Elizabeth Picture Theatre
A century-old Irish Club ballroom, still lit by its original stained glass windows, now doubles as a cinema screen.
Overview
The Elizabeth Picture Theatre opened in 2017 inside the heritage-listed Tara House, home to the Queensland Irish Club for almost a century. Yet that was before owners Peter and Stephen Sourris — also behind New Farm Cinemas — spent millions and the better part of two years restoring it.
It was Brisbane CBD's first new cinema in two decades, established in a building that first went up in 1878. The venue keeps its old-world bones — timber, stained glass, a grand staircase lined with vintage movie posters — with the showpiece Tara Room retaining the ornate ceiling and curtained windows of its former life as a ballroom.
Nowadays, five screens run from a 22-seat room up to a 150-seat house, including three Royal Rooms done gold-class style: reclining seats, food and drinks delivered to your seat and a dedicated bar.
Beyond the cinemas, there's a ground-floor candy bar, function spaces trimmed with old leather couches and portraits of Marilyn Monroe and Paul Newman, and a grassy outdoor area out back, perfect for hanging before your screening or chatting about it afterwards.
Images: Anwyn Howarth.
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