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Century / Swanston / Capitol 2, Melbourne

Venue Summary
Name Century / Swanston / Capitol 2, Melbourne
Address 129 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000
Operation Dates 1940-06-28 - 1985-01-01
Capacity 491
Suburban/Country City
Purpose Cinema
Screens 1
Roles
1946-01-01 - 1953-01-01 : Exhibitor : Newsreel Theatres Pty Ltd
1953-01-01 - 1968-01-01 : Exhibitor : Century Theatre Company
1968-01-01 - 1971-01-01 : Exhibitor :
1971-01-01 - 9999-01-01 : Exhibitor : City Cinemas Pty Ltd
Venue Comments

The Century Theatre originally operated as a newsreel theatre screening continuously from 10am to 10 pm with a session every hour.

"Operated by Woodrow and Sloman, the Century was a below ground level theatre that opened on Friday the 28th of June 1940. In later years, the theatre was known as the Swanston Theatre and later still, the Capitol Two Theatre." (Walters , p.195)

Film Weekly records the following changes in capacity:
1946/7- = 487
1954/5-1970 = 491

Film Weekly records the following venue exhibtors:
Newsreel Theatres Pty Ltd (1946/7-)
Century Theatre Company (1953/4 -)
Village Drive-Ins (1968/9-)

Note: Capacity Cinemas operated both Capitol 1 & 2.

References
Film Weekly, Film Weekly: motion picture directory, Film Weekly, Sydney. 1946/7- 1969/70
Great Race' opens Melbourne Capitol', Film Weekly'', Sydney, v.105. December 23 1965

Burchall, G. 'New lease of life for the Capitol', The Age, January 14 1997.
Rollo, J. 'Burley Griffin design in peril', The Age, October 21 1998, p.19.
Semple, P. 'Capitol Theatre sold to RMIT', The Age, March 17 1999.
Tippet, G. 'Melbourne's queen of the cinema celebrates her 80th anniversary', The Age, November 08 2004, p.6.
Watkins, S. 'City seeks a way to save cinema's grand old dame', The Age, October 30 1998.

Onana, G. 'Gordon Onans: reminiscences of a theatre manager', Kino, no. 20 1987, p. 20
Thorne, R. 1981, Cinemas of Australia via USA, pp.96-110.
Walters, T. 2009, The Picture Palaces of Melbourne. pp.195-6.

RMIT University, 'Capitol Theatre: Working Capitol', booklet and fact sheets, March 2000.

Venue Events
Event Date Name of Venue Address Latitude /
Longitude
Capacity Suburban Purpose Screens
1940-06-28 Century 125 Swanston Street
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
-37.814824
144.965944
487 City Cinema 1
1965-12-30 New Century



491
1971-01-01 Swanston 129 Swanston Street

-37.814725
144.965902
1979-04-13 Capitol Two



Screenings

Screenings
Films Distributor Dates
Summer Of '42, The 1971-12-22 - 1971-12-22
Summer Of '42, The 1971-12-23 - 1971-12-23
Summer Of '42, The 1971-12-24 - 1971-12-24
Summer Of '42, The 1971-12-25 - 1971-12-25
Summer Of '42, The 1971-12-26 - 1971-12-26
Summer Of '42, The 1971-12-27 - 1971-12-27
Summer Of '42, The 1971-12-28 - 1971-12-28
Summer Of '42, The 1971-12-29 - 1971-12-29
Summer Of '42, The 1971-12-30 - 1971-12-30
Summer Of '42, The 1971-12-31 - 1971-12-31
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