Overview
We're so used to hearing of cinemas closing their doors that, for a while there, we were worried we'd be forced to watch feature films on our laptops forever more. But something's shifted. Since opening in 2013, Surry Hills' tiny one-screen Golden Age Cinema contiually sells out screenings, and this year we've had film festivals coming out our ears (including new fests dedicated to American indie and Latin American film). And, after announcing just last month that they'll open a ten-screen cinema in Double Bay, Palace Cinemas have this morning revealed plans to open another new multi-screen complex in Chippendale's Central Park Mall.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Palace will take over the third floor of the complex, which is at the moment home to aMBUSH Gallery. There will be a whopping 14 screens, with each cinema ranging from 30 to 100 seats, and a bar — because it wouldn't be a proper Palace experience without a glass of red in hand.
The cinema business is obviously proving a profitable one for Palace. As well as the Double Bay development, they're also replacing the seating at Paddington's Palace Verona and adding an extra four screens and, up in Byron Bay, they're in the middle of a revamp that will bring a nine-screen complex to the beachside town by 2018.
The new cinema will be called Palace Central and is expected to open towards the end of 2017.