1956-1999:
A Capitol in Decline
Quotes from long-time patron, Donald Binks
In 1949, broadcast TV was brought to Australia, and everything changed. The cinema no longer offered exclusive access to the miraculous moving image.
The cinema had moved into the living room, and with it, revenue for picture houses began to decline.
By 1956, official commercial licences for television were provided to Sydney Amalgamated Television Services, Television Corporation, General Television Corporation and HSV7. These began broadcasting in Melbourne and Sydney.
By 1957, Cinema Admissions had dropped by a recorded 5 Million attendances.
The Capitol, under management from Hoyts, took a major hit. Yet despite all odds it survives until now. During this period the theatre took on many lives; under different owners and serving different purposes.
With TV so dominantly on top and the cinema industry scrambling to compete, Hoyts found little use for The Capitol, vacating the cinema and leaving it in fear of demolition. This caused a massive outcry amongst its many supporters, most notably Robin Boyd.
1964
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Before and after the 1965 remodel
1965
The Capitol reopened after renovations with the financial support of The Royal Victoria Institute of Architects and The National Trust. But the theatre was scaled back from its former prime, with the floor being taken out to now include a shopping mall.
Adrian Danks on this era of The Capitol and its shifting identity.
' The Capitol under Hoyts's management in 1958 as an action movie theatre '
' The Capitol under fears
of future
longevity after struggling to find a buyer
(Pre RMIT - Late 1990s) '
' The Capitol hosting
the 1977
Melbourne Film Festival '
' The Capitol under management
from Regency theatres in
the 1990s '
' The Capitol under Hoyt's management in 1958 as an action movie theatre '
' The Capitol under Hoyt's management in 1958 as an action movie theatre '
' The Capitol under management from The Chinese Theatre Group in 1994 '
Even through these many decades, lives and purposes, The Capitol lived on.
Stephen Gaunson speaks on how its community has fought to keep the Capitol alive.
Professor Lisa French speaks on the struggles and triumph to keep the theatre running.
