The Savoy Cinema is the oldest operational cinema in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, and it is the preferred cinema in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

for film premières.

History

The cinema was built in 1929 by Meagher & Hayes, on the site of the old Granville Hotel. The luxurious auditorium, housing 2,789 seats, opened to the public with the American colour talkie '' On with the Show''. It was altered in 1954 to incorporate a large

CinemaScope CinemaScope is an anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its creation in 1953 by ...

screen, and showed

's first

widescreen Widescreen images are displayed within a set of aspect ratios (relationship of image width to height) used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than t ...

feature, ''The Robe'', at the time owned by Odeon Ireland Ltd. Savoy Cinema Dublin, during construction by Meagher & Hayes

It was reported in February 2012 that the cinema was in danger of closing. In the previous decade, audience numbers fell from 740,000 to 250,000 per annum.

Screens

The Savoy is the most altered cinema in Dublin's history, and in 1969 the cinema was converted into a twin cinema. In 1975, the Savoy's restaurant was converted into a third screen, holding 200 seats, followed in 1979 by further sub-divisions, creating five screens in all. In 1988, the cinema was given its sixth screen. In the process, the Savoy had lost a third of its capacity. In 2004, renovation work was carried out, moving the box office from the two booths located on either side of the entrance to what used to be an adjoining shop. The confectionery counter has also been moved many times, it is now in a room to the left of the main entrance. The Advance Screening Room became the seventh screen in 2014 it is now screen 13. In 2016, the old Screen 2 (500 seats) was converted into three smaller screens and the Savoy became a 9 screen cinema in Dublin City Centre. In January 2018, the "iconic" Screen 1 which held 750 was closed for work to split it into multiple screens.

Premières

The cinema has hosted the Irish premières of many films, most of them having an Irish connection. Films shown here have included ''Alexander'', ''Once'' and ''The Man in the Iron Mask''. The cinema was used until 2017 during the

Dublin International Film Festival The Dublin International Film Festival (DIFF; ) is an annual film festival held in Dublin, Ireland, since 2003. History Dublin International Film Festival was established in 2003. It was revived by Michael Dwyer, international film critic and ' ...

, primarily for big-event screenings such as opening and closing night premiers. It also hosts the surprise film, which in 2006 was the first

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

screening of the film, ''300''.

Controversy

In December 1934, Republicans demonstrated against the screening at the cinema of a

newsreel A newsreel is a form of short documentary film, containing news stories and items of topical interest, that was prevalent between the 1910s and the mid 1970s. Typically presented in a cinema, newsreels were a source of current affairs, informa ...

of the marriage of

Prince George, Duke of Kent Prince George, Duke of Kent, (George Edward Alexander Edmund; 20 December 1902 – 25 August 1942) was a member of the British royal family, the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary. He was a younger brother of kings Edward VIII and Geo ...

, to Princess Marina.

References

External links

The Savoy CinemaAn album of photographs recording the construction of the Savoy Cinema, O'Connell Street, Dublin and its appearance on completion.
A UCD Digital Library Collection. {{Cinemas of Dublin Cinemas in Dublin (city)