 Grand Cinemas in Joondalup (now operated by Hoyts) | |
| Industry | Cinema |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1932 (Grand Cinemas) 1950s (Ace Cinemas) |
| Headquarters | Australia |
| Products | Cinemas |
| Brands | Grand Cinemas, Ace Cinemas |
Grand Cinemas and Ace Cinemas are independent Western Australian chains of cinema multiplexes. The chains formerly co-operated under The Movie Masters banner, [1] but as of 2022 they no longer operate under this arrangement.[ citation needed ]
The Movie Masters Cinema Group was formed in the 1990s as a co-operative initiative between two locally owned and operated Western Australian cinema companies, Ace Cinemas and Grand Cinemas. The Movie Masters brand was initially formed to allow Ace Cinemas and Grand Cinemas to effectively compete against multi-national exhibition chains such as Greater Union and Hoyts. [1]
Ace Cinemas (originally Australian Cinema Enterprises) was founded as one of Australia's first drive-in operators in the 1950s, and had a number of drive-in theatres across metropolitan and rural Western Australia. [2] They opened Perth's first cinema multiplex, the 3 screen Cinecentre, in 1974. [2] [3]
Grand Cinemas (originally The Grand Theatre Company) was founded by businessman James Stiles in 1932, spun-off from Town and Suburban Properties Ltd, a real estate company that had purchased the struggling Grand Theatre. The company was formed to take over running of the cinema after the previous tenants, Union Theatres (the precursor to Greater Union), had defaulted on their lease. [4]
In their early decades the company operated a number of cinemas in Perth, including the Grand Theatre, the Theatre Royal, and the Princess Theatre in Fremantle. They also constructed the Piccadilly Theatre, [4] and the heritage-listed Cygnet Cinema in Como, [5] opening both in 1938. In 1954 the company was renamed to City Theatres, and were brought out by television station TVW in 1973, though Arthur Stiles, the nephew of James Stiles, remained in charge of the company. [2] In 1980 they opened the Cinema City complex opposite the Perth Town Hall (later operated by Hoyts before its demolition in 2008). [2] [6]
In 1993, the renamed Grand Cinemas started expanding their suburban locations, beginning with the launch of their cineplex at Warwick, offering the first suburban cinema complex in Perth's upper northern suburbs (prior to that patrons had to travel to the Innaloo Greater Union complex further south). In 1996 they expanded to Bunbury, and in the following years opened a number of cineplexes including taking over two former Greater Union sites in Hillarys and Joondalup. [7] As of 2022 the business remains owned by the Stiles family. [8]
In November 2022, Grand Cinemas announced that it had called in administrators after being financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and immediately closed its Armadale and Joondalup cineplexes as a result. [8] In December 2022, their three remaining operating cineplexes at Currambine, Warwick and Bunbury were sold to Hoyts. The cinemas would remain operating under the Grand name before being rebranded in early 2023. [9] In April 2023, Hoyts announced that they would also take over and reopen Grand's former Joondalup cineplex. [10] Reading Cinemas took over and reopened Grand Cinemas' former cineplex at Armadale in January 2023. [11]
The Movie Masters operated and was based solely in Western Australia.
The Ace Cinemas Gold Lounge is a luxury cinema located in the two biggest auditoriums at Midland and Rockingham. The concept was revealed in the 1990s when the Midland complex was first opened. The two seating areas are accessed via a private lounge containing a fully licensed bar. Patrons can order food and drinks during a screening. Due to WA law stating that people under 18 years of age cannot enter a licensed area without a parent and/or guardian present, the company does not allow anyone under the specified age access to the Gold Lounge.
The first Grand Cinemas Gold Lounge opened at their Warwick cineplex in 2014; it contained 2 screens and a bar. In 2016, Grand Cinemas Currambine opened with two Gold Lounge auditoriums. [7] In 2023, the two Gold Lounges at Warwick and Currambine were replaced by and refurbished as Hoyts LUX lounges after the locations were acquired by the Hoyts company.
The Joondalup line is a commuter rail service in Western Australia, linking the Perth central business district (CBD) with the metropolitan area's north-western suburbs. The service is operated on the Northern Suburbs Railway by Transperth Train Operations, a division of the Public Transport Authority, and is part of the Transperth network. It is 40.7 kilometres (25.3 mi) long and serves 13 stations. The service is currently, as of 2022, being extended to Yanchep as part of the Yanchep Rail Extension project, and may be renamed once the extension to Yanchep is completed.
Currambine is a northern suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, 29 km north of Perth's central business district. Its local government area is the City of Joondalup. It contains the Currambine Central shopping centre and cinema complex.
SmartRider is the contactless electronic ticketing system of the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia. The system uses RFID smartcard technology to process public transport fares across public bus, train and ferry services.
The Western Australian Legislative Assembly is elected from 59 single-member electoral districts. These districts are often referred to as electorates or seats.
Joondalup is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, approximately 26 kilometres (16 mi) north of Perth's central business district. It contains the central business district of the regional City of Joondalup and acts as the primary urban centre of Perth's outer northern suburbs.
Golden Village is a cinema operator based in Singapore, fully owned by Orange Sky Golden Harvest of Hong Kong. It was initially set up as a 50:50 joint venture between Golden Harvest and Village Roadshow of Australia. It is the largest cinema chain in Singapore, operating 12 multiplexes and Cineplexes in the country. It joined hands to open a cinema at Great World City, GV Grand. Started in 1992, it opened Asia's first multiplex, the Yishun 10 multiplex. The cinema has the extensive management, operational and marketing skills of Village, as well as broad depth of experience of Golden Harvest in both film distribution and production across Asia.
Currambine railway station is a commuter rail station on the border of Currambine and Joondalup, north of Perth, Western Australia. It is on the Joondalup line, which is part of the Transperth network. Located in the median of the Mitchell Freeway, the station consists of an island platform connected to the east and west by an underpass.
The Australind is a rural passenger train service in Western Australia operated by Transwa on the South Western Railway between Perth and Bunbury.
Swan Transit is an Australian bus company operating Transperth services under contract to the Public Transport Authority. It is a subsidiary of Transit Systems.
The Perth Central Area Transit system, or simply CAT, consists of five bus routes in the centre of Perth, one bus route in Fremantle, and three bus routes in Joondalup. Similar services exist in Rockingham and Midland. Unlike all other Transperth services, most CAT routes are free.
The B-series trains are a class of electric multiple unit built by Downer Rail in Maryborough, Queensland for Transperth between 2004 and 2019.
Cathay Organisation Holdings Limited is one of Singapore's leisure and entertainment groups. It has the first THX cinema hall and digital cinema in Singapore. The group has operations in Singapore and Malaysia.
The City of Joondalup is a local government area in Perth, Western Australia. Its central business district is located in the suburb Joondalup, and it includes the town centres of Hillarys and Warwick.
Transperth Train Operations is a division of the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia. It is responsible for operating Perth’s urban passenger rail system, as part of the Transperth network.
The Metropolitan (Perth) Passenger Transport Trust was a statutory authority of the Government of Western Australia from 1958 to 2003. From 1958 to the mid-1990s, it operated bus and ferry services within the Perth metropolitan area. From 1974 to 1993, it managed suburban rail services within the Perth metropolitan area as well, contracting the operation of those services to Westrail.
Cygnet Cinema is located at 16 Preston Street, Como, Western Australia. It was the first purpose built sound cinema in the suburbs immediately south of the city in the inter-war period. The Cygnet Cinema opened in 1938 and was built by local identity and film entrepreneur James Stiles. It is an excellent example of the art deco style of architect William Leighton and is included on the State's Heritage Register.
The Oriana Cinema was an art deco cinema and theatre built in 1938 in Fremantle, Western Australia and demolished in the early 1970s.
Perth Stadium railway station is a railway station in Burswood, Western Australia, next to Perth Stadium. With six platforms, the station is the second largest on the Transperth network, after Perth railway station.
