Event Cinemas Wollongong

Located in the coastal town of Wollongong, south of Sydney. The Town Cinemas was built for and operated by Greater Union Theatres, opening on 8th December 1976 with 1,190 seats. The opening film was a World Premiere of the Australian film “Break of Day”. This was followed for the remainder of the week by Jack Nicholson in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” in the 522-seat Town 1, Lee Marvin in “Shout at the Devil” in the 256-seat Town 2, and Richard Chamberlain in “The Slipper and the Rose” in the 412-seat Town 3.

The three screens are located side-by-side and extend above the foyer, which runs the length of the building. Seating is of the stadium plan and capacities today are for 492 in Screen 1, 231 in Screen 2 and 387 in Screen 3. All three screens are fitted with Digital Surround Sound. By 2016 it had been taken over by Event Cinemas. It was closed on 23rd March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It reopened on 20th August 2020 but was temporary closed on 18th October 2020. It re-opened on December 13, 2020.

Recent comments (view all 5 comments)

Ken Roe on February 20, 2011 at 2:28 pm

Three photographs I took of the Greater Union Cinemas in March 2010:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/5462444581/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/5462447281/
Foyer
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/5463050782/

operator on March 9, 2015 at 3:00 am

I worked there as a projectionist not long after it opened in 1977. Cinema 1 used Cinemacannica and cinema 2 and 3 used Kalee 21 projectors. Light source was Zenon bulb for all cinemas.

All cinemas were automated using metal strip on the film to operate a uniselector to step to the next programmed function (forget the name of the system).

davidcoppock on October 20, 2020 at 4:52 am

Whats a uniselector?

P on December 13, 2020 at 10:30 pm

Only screens 1 and 3 have been running for the last few months.

P on December 15, 2020 at 3:40 am

It reopened on the 13th of December