CAARP: Cinema and Audience Research Project

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 : 1968-01-01 - 1971-01-01 : Exhibitor : Village Roadshow Limited / Village Drive-In Pty Ltd / Village Theatres Limited 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
Films	Distributor	Dates
Phaedra		1966-07-18 - 1966-07-18
Phaedra		1966-07-19 - 1966-07-19
Phaedra		1966-07-20 - 1966-07-20
Phaedra		1966-07-21 - 1966-07-21
Summer Of '42, The		1971-10-07 - 1971-10-07
Summer Of '42, The		1971-10-08 - 1971-10-08
Summer Of '42, The		1971-10-09 - 1971-10-09
Summer Of '42, The		1971-10-10 - 1971-10-10
Summer Of '42, The		1971-10-11 - 1971-10-11
Summer Of '42, The		1971-10-12 - 1971-10-12

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