NEWCASTLE Film Society farewelled the Tower Cinemas on Sunday night, marking the end of its 30 years of weekly screenings at the theatre.
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Society president Paul Harrison said despite the group’s season ending in October and its relocation to Event Cinemas Kotara next year, it had requested one last session at Tower before the cinema’s December 5 closure.
“They have been fantastic and we could not have asked for a better partner to be associated with,” Mr Harrison said.
“We’re sad, there’s no two ways about it.
“We asked management if we could have one last film to say goodbye.”
Fairfax Media reported that a steady decline in the number of Tower Cinemas attendees paired with the popularity of parent company Event Cinemas’ more modern Kotara and Glendale facilities were believed to have played a major role in the shock decision to close.
Some also believe that, despite being within a popular restaurant and entertainment precinct, parking had become increasingly problematic for patrons.
A change.org petition calling on Event and Dendy Cinemas to save the theatre has collected more than 5000 signatures.
Mr Harrison said he can see both sides of the issue.
“We’d like to be in town, which is on the cusp of change,” he said.
“If I had the money I would buy it and do something with it.
“Kotara is going to have easier parking, better security and the cinema experience is going to be second to none.
“Tower Cinemas is quirky, it has it’s own niche.
“We love going there because it provides something different for the city and it suits our city.
“But it’s got to be made viable somehow.
“Saying that, I think there is still room for a contemporary cinema in town – perhaps more aligned to the Dendy or Palace.”
He said moving from Tower Cinemas’ 700 seat theatre to Kotara’s 475 seat theatre meant the society was likely to have to put a cap on its membership and increase the annual fee by $5.
