The Screen Cinema was a three-screen cinema in Hawkins Street,
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 ...
, Ireland.
History
The cinema had been operating since 1984, showing world cinema, and independent and Irish films. The Screen Cinema, originally named The New Metropole, opened on 16 March 1972 on the corner of Hawkins Street and Townsend Street on the site of the previous cinema,
The Regal, which had been demolished since 1962 to make way for offices. The New Metropole name derived from the more famous Metropole Cinema on
O'Connell Street
O'Connell Street () is a street in the centre of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, running north from the River Liffey. It connects the O'Connell Bridge to the south with Parnell Street to the north and is roughly split into two sections ...
(Penney's department store now occupies the building), and after the latter closed in 1973, the New Metropole became the Metropole.
Originally a single screen cinema, the auditorium was subdivided in 1982 to create two additional auditoria. The new screens were suspended from the ceiling, meaning the main screen was not reduced.
In 1984, it was renamed the Screen Cinema, which became the sister cinema to the more well known
Savoy Cinema
The Savoy Cinema is the oldest operational cinema in Dublin, and it is the preferred cinema in Ireland for film premières.
History
The cinema was built in 1929 by Meagher & Hayes, on the site of the old Granville Hotel. The luxurious auditori ...
on O'Connell Street. After this, the Screen showed more unusual, independent, and foreign language films rather than mainstream Hollywood films, which attracted a cult audience to the cinema.
The Screen received a face-lift between 2004–2005 when the interior was upgraded and the cinema lost its original marquee and neon sign in favour of an electronic board displaying the programme.
[''The History of Dublin Cinemas'', Marc Zimmerman.]
Despite its unusual layout, the cinema has maintained a steady flow of cinema-goers, and thrives on art house films, usually keeping the most successful releases running until just before DVD release. The Screen has hosted the
Jameson 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 ' ...
since its inception in 2002, and in 2007 alone, 48 films were screened over the six days the venue was in use. Celebrity festival visitors have included
Wim Wenders
Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker, playwright, author, and photographer. He is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among many honors, he has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Docum ...
,
Julie Walters
Dame Julia Mary Walters (born 22 February 1950), known professionally as Julie Walters, is an English actress. She is the recipient of four British Academy Television Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two International Emmy Awards, a ...
,
John Boorman
Sir John Boorman (; born 18 January 1933) is a British film director, best known for feature films such as ''Point Blank'' (1967), ''Hell in the Pacific'' (1968), ''Deliverance'' (1972), ''Zardoz'' (1974), '' Exorcist II: The Heretic'' (1977), ...
, and
Eduardo Noriega.
In the summer of 2009, the Screen showed a season of classic films which included ''
All About Eve
''All About Eve'' is a 1950 American Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. It is based on the 1946 short story "The Wisdom of Eve" by Mary Orr, although Orr does ...
'', ''
Casablanca
Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...
'', ''
The Apartment
''The Apartment'' is a 1960 American romantic comedy-drama film directed and produced by Billy Wilder from a screenplay he co-wrote with I. A. L. Diamond. It stars Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Jack Kruschen, David ...
'', ''
Brief Encounter
''Brief Encounter'' is a 1945 British romantic drama film directed by David Lean from a screenplay by Noël Coward, based on his 1936 one-act play ''Still Life''.
Starring Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway, and Joyce Carey, ...
'', ''
Guys and Dolls
''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also bo ...
'', and ''
The Great Escape''. Hallowe'en's "Scream Cinema Monster Mash" offered audiences ''
Ghost
A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...
'', ''
Child's Play'', ''
The Shining'', ''
Evil Dead II
''Evil Dead II'' (also known in publicity materials as ''Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn'') is a 1987 American comedy horror film directed by Sam Raimi. It is considered both a remake and sequel (or "re-quel") to the 1981 film ''The Evil Dead'', and wa ...
'', ''
The Thing'', ''
Night of the Living Dead
''Night of the Living Dead'' is a 1968 American independent horror film directed, photographed, and edited by George A. Romero, with a screenplay by John Russo and Romero, and starring Duane Jones and Judith O'Dea. The story follows seven peop ...
'', and the surprise film, ''
The Mist'', in black and white.
The latest series of classics shown was the "Ministry of Musicals" which featured the best Hollywood musicals and contemporary classics. The programme of films screened included
''Oklahoma!'', ''
Singin' in the Rain
''Singin' in the Rain'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell and Cyd Charis ...
'',
''An American in Paris'', ''
Meet Me in St. Louis
''Meet Me in St. Louis'' is a 1944 American Christmas musical film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Divided into a series of seasonal vignettes, starting with Summer 1903, it relates the story of a year in the life of the Smith family in St. Louis l ...
'', ''
The Last Waltz
''The Last Waltz'' was a concert by the Canadian-American rock group The Band, held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. ''The Last Waltz'' was advertised as The Band's "farewell concert a ...
'',
''Labyrinth'', ''
This Is Spinal Tap
''This Is Spinal Tap'' (also known as ''This Is Spınal Tap: A Rockumentary by Martin Di Bergi'') is a 1984 American mockumentary film co-written and directed by Rob Reiner (in his feature directorial debut). The film stars Christopher Guest, M ...
'', and ''
Cry-Baby
''Cry-Baby'' is a 1990 American teen musical romantic comedy film written and directed by John Waters. It was the only film of Waters's over which studios were in a bidding war, coming off the heels of the successful ''Hairspray''. The film sta ...
''.
It was reported in February 2012 that the ''George's Quay Local Area Plan'', prepared by
Dublin City Council
Dublin City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the authority responsible for local government in the city of Dublin in Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Until 2001, the council wa ...
to regenerate Dublin's southeast inner city, indicated that the Screen Cinema could be demolished and later re-housed in replacement property development in the Hawkins Street area. In the same month, another report suggested that the cinema was in danger of closing altogether – in the previous decade, audience numbers fell from 200,000 to 60,000 per annum.
Closure
On the 19 February 2016, after 35 years in operation, it was announced in the media that the Screen Cinema would be closing its doors to the public as a result of falling ticket sales. It was hinted that
Irish Multiplex Cinemas
Irish Multiplex Cinemas (or the IMC Cinema Group) is a cinema chain in Ireland. It operates cinemas throughout Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was part of the Ward Anderson company until 2013, when it was split between IMC and Omniplex Cinema ...
, parent company of Screen Cinema, were to close and sell the cinema a year earlier due to a drop in audience numbers. Staff working in Screen Cinema were said to be offered redundancy packages but this was later withdrawn by IMC and staff were instead offered to be transferred to the
Savoy Cinema
The Savoy Cinema is the oldest operational cinema in Dublin, and it is the preferred cinema in Ireland for film premières.
History
The cinema was built in 1929 by Meagher & Hayes, on the site of the old Granville Hotel. The luxurious auditori ...
on O'Connell Street (another cinema in the IMC Group). It was said that all staff will be transferred to the
Savoy Cinema
The Savoy Cinema is the oldest operational cinema in Dublin, and it is the preferred cinema in Ireland for film premières.
History
The cinema was built in 1929 by Meagher & Hayes, on the site of the old Granville Hotel. The luxurious auditori ...
with a redundancy package being available from the 29 February 2016.
''Mr. Screen''
The caricature sculpture of a
cinema usher, entitled ''Mr. Screen'', which stood outside the Screen Cinema was created in 1988 by sculptor,
Vincent Browne
Vincent Browne (born 17 July 1944) is an Irish print and broadcast journalist. He is a columnist with ''The Irish Times'' and ''The Sunday Business Post'' and a non-practising barrister. From 1996 until 2007, he presented a nightly talk-show ...
.
''Mr. Screen'' in Google Street View
Retrieved: 10 January 2012. It is now located in the lobby of the Savoy Cinema
The Savoy Cinema is the oldest operational cinema in Dublin, and it is the preferred cinema in Ireland for film premières.
History
The cinema was built in 1929 by Meagher & Hayes, on the site of the old Granville Hotel. The luxurious auditori ...
, O'Connell Street.
References
External links
Screen Cinema website
{{Cinemas of Dublin
Former cinemas in Dublin (city)
Buildings and structures in Dublin (city)
Tourist attractions in Dublin (city)
Demolished buildings and structures in Dublin
1972 establishments in Ireland
2016 disestablishments in Ireland
Brutalist architecture in Ireland