State Theatre
When it comes to independent cinema the State Theatre in North Hobart stands alone in Tasmania. Only the art deco Star in Launceston is comparable. www.flickr.com/photos/luminosity7/49077130843/in/album-72...
Like the post office across the street it opened in 1913 as the North Hobart Picture Palace showing silent movies. The Spanish flu of 1918 and competition from theatres closer to the city centre forced it to close in 1920. It reopened in 1935 and has shown films ever since under a number of different guises.
Since 2019 it has been owned by the Reading Cinemas chain. The key to its success today is that it operates 11 screens in small rooms, allowing for a wide range of movies to be shown at once. The State also operates a bookshop with an extensive range of books about the movies.
State Theatre
When it comes to independent cinema the State Theatre in North Hobart stands alone in Tasmania. Only the art deco Star in Launceston is comparable. www.flickr.com/photos/luminosity7/49077130843/in/album-72...
Like the post office across the street it opened in 1913 as the North Hobart Picture Palace showing silent movies. The Spanish flu of 1918 and competition from theatres closer to the city centre forced it to close in 1920. It reopened in 1935 and has shown films ever since under a number of different guises.
Since 2019 it has been owned by the Reading Cinemas chain. The key to its success today is that it operates 11 screens in small rooms, allowing for a wide range of movies to be shown at once. The State also operates a bookshop with an extensive range of books about the movies.