It was April 1976 and the newly opened Tower Cinemas was pulling crowds from far wide with its array of the era’s biggest blockbusters - Jaws, Picnic at Hanging Rock and Barry Lyndon.
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More than four decades later and the King Street venue and its movies are etched into the hearts of generations of Novocastrians.
The final curtain will fall at the Tower Cinemas on December 5 with a question mark hanging over the site’s future.
Despite the steady decline of mainstream cinema audiences, the three-theatre complex has reinvented itself as home to a myriad of boutique film festivals.
“I’m stunned, I think everyone is,” Italian festival organiser Nick Moretti said.
“I think most of the film festival organisers felt the festivals were bringing enough people in for the owners to keep it open.”
While Event Cinemas has indicated it will continue to host festivals at its Kotara and Glendale cinemas, Mr Moretti said it would be difficult to replicate the Tower Cinema’s environment.
“A lot of new cinemas only have about 100 seats. We had 350 people for a film last night. The other thing that makes the Towers a fantastic place is the restaurants and bars that give the area a great atmosphere,” he said.
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Despite the challenge of finding a new venue Mr Moretti assured fans that he would find a location to celebrate the festival’s tenth anniversary next year.
Likewise, Newcastle Animation Festival organiser Jane Shadbolt said she would be on the hunt for a new venue.
“It represents the loss of a fantastic cultural space in our city,” she said.
Newcastle Film Society president Paul Harrison also said the group’s 750 members would be looking for a new home base.
“I can’t speak highly enough of the support that Event Cinemas has provided to us,” he said.
The society, which celebrates its 40th anniversary next year, was established at a time when Newcastle boasted four cinemas – the Royal, Tower Cinemas, and the Lyrique and Kensington.
“There’s a lot of people moving into town and there is definitely room for a cinema company to be based in the city,” he said.
An Event Cinemas spokesman said the decision to close the Tower Cinemas had been difficult.
“We’ve been showing movies at Tower Cinemas Newcastle since the cinema opened in 1974 – that’s 44 years of magical movie moments, first dates, family outings, birthday celebrations, romantic anniversaries, huge belly-laughs, exciting adventures and nightmarish scary scenes we’ve shared with the Newcastle community,” he said.
Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
