Embassy Theatre, Wellington

Coordinates: 41°17′39″S 174°47′03″E / 41.294277°S 174.784066°E / -41.294277; 174.784066
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the cinema in Wellington. For other uses, see Embassy Theatre.

The Embassy Theatre
The Embassy in 2005
Map
Former namesDe Luxe Cinema
General information
TypeCinema
Location9-11 Kent Terrace, Wellington, New Zealand
Coordinates41°17′39″S 174°47′03″E / 41.294277°S 174.784066°E / -41.294277; 174.784066
Current tenantsEvent Cinemas
Completed31 October 1924
OwnerWellington City Council
Technical details
Floor count4
Design and construction
Architect(s)Llewelyn Williams
Main contractorA W. Williamson of Christchurch
Designated7-Dec-2001
Reference no.7500

The Embassy Theatre is a

SKYCITY Cinemas in October 2005,[citation needed] and is now part of AHL owned Event Cinemas.[5] The building is recognised as a place of historical/cultural significance by Heritage New Zealand[6] and is the only custom-built 1920s cinema still in use in New Zealand.[3]

Building history

Designed by Llewelyn Williams, the building opened on October, 31st, 1924, operated by De Luxe Theatres. In 1945, the original name of the theatre ("De Luxe") was changed to "The Embassy".

Wellington City Council. Part of the condition of providing this funding was that ownership of the building be given to the Council. In addition to strengthening the building against the city's many earthquakes, renovations also included an update to the interior to bring it more in keeping with the original theatre design.[8][9]

Building features

The bathrooms inside the Embassy Theatre

Designed in the

jazz music.[11]
The ground floor also contains the Black Sparrow cocktail bar and two smaller cinemas.

Hosted world premieres

When the Theatre hosts film premiers, it is often adorned with film-related sculptures

The theatre was thrust into the international cinematic limelight when it hosted the world premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King on December 1, 2003. Nearly 120,000 people lined the red carpet along Courtenay Place to watch the procession of actors and filmmakers as they made their way into the theatre for the screening.[3] The theatre also hosted the Australasian premieres of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers.[12]

The theatre held a red carpet screening of Peter Jackson's King Kong in 2005[13] and the 2012 world premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.[14]

Other events

The Embassy Theatre also takes part in the

New Zealand International Film Festival.[15]

References

  1. ^ [1] Archived October 14, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Embassy Theatre Gains Further Heritage Recognition". Archived from the original on 18 October 2008. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  3. ^ a b c [2] Archived October 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ [3] Archived May 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Australian firm buys SkyCity cinemas - Printable". Archived from the original on 3 June 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Heritage New Zealand". Historic.org.nz. Archived from the original on 18 October 2008. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Embassy Theatre". Cinematreasures.org. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  8. ^ [4] Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ [5] [dead link]
  10. ^ "Wellington City - Local Travel Information and City Guide". Wn.com. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  11. ^ "Blondini's Cafe & Jazz Lounge". Wellingtonnz.com. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  12. ^ "Heading To Embassy Theatre". Archived from the original on 16 October 2008. Retrieved 26 November 2008.
  13. ^ [6] Archived May 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ "100,000 expected at Hobbit premiere". 3 News (MediaWorks). Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  15. ^ Newell, Steve (23 March 2022). "NZIFF announces film festival's return to cinemas this July and August". Flicks.

External links

Media related to Embassy Theatre (Wellington) at Wikimedia Commons

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