Dumaresq Street Cinema

Introduction

Dumaresq Street Cinema is an old-school budget movie theatre showing the latest blockbusters on 3 screens! A cinema isn’t a cinema without popcorn and drinks! They sell fresh popcorn, a variety of drinks from small to jumbo as well as candy and chocolate covered ice cream.

History

It was opened on the 21st of October 1981 by a film critic, Alderman Guy Thomas along with the then mayor, Bill Collins. It first went under the name “Dumaresq Street Twin Cinema.” One of Australia’s most classic films today, Gallipoli, recently released that year and was the first movie screened at the opening of the cinema.

The cinema was managed by the council until it faced challenges during the recession of the late 1980s. After a period of closure, it was revived in 1991 and transformed into a three-screen cinema by the well-known community figure Ron Moore and his family.

Mr. Moore, also famous for his Minto hardware store, had a community centre in Minto named in his honour by the Campbelltown Council.

Over the next thirty years, Dumaresq Street Cinema earned the nickname “the people’s cinema” due to its affordable ticket prices, which were significantly lower than other theatres in Campbelltown that charged nearly three times as much.

“We have the lowest movie ticket prices in all of Sydney.” This is a phrase that everyone in Campbelltown who has visited Dumaresq Street Cinema knows by heart.

Closure?!

In 2023, the cinema was in talks with the Campbelltown City Council about ending their lease and shutting down. Many people shared their heartbreak and disappointment about the news, so much so that a petition was started to try to “Save Dumaresq St Cinema.” No more incredibly cheap prices in a 40 year standing movie house, no more cinema in the heart of Campbelltown, no more memories of walking in to the enticing smell of popcorn.

Then! On October 12 the same year, two cinema industry leaders, Colin and John O’Neill, bought the cinema business from the Moore family.

Mr. O’Neill has more than 20 years of experience in the cinema industry.

His company, Metro Cinemas, currently manages theaters in Bathurst, NSW (five screens), Burnie, Tasmania (four screens), and Lake Haven, NSW (eight screens).

Colin Resnick served as a senior executive at Hoyts, where he held the position of chief financial officer and played a key role in the company’s international growth.

Additionally, Mr. Resnick was a co-owner of IMAX.

Campbelltown City Council has approved the extension of the Dumaresq Street Cinema lease for another five years, with the option to extend it for an additional three years.

Prices

Currently, the Dumaresq Street Cinema is selling movie tickets for $8.50, more than two times cheaper than other cinemas! One of the biggest appeals of this cinema was the generosity of providing people and families with affordable prices to experience movies on the big screen within a community.The Moore family wanted people to enjoy themselves. Even after Mr. O’Neill and Mr. Resnick bought the cinema, they knew how important it was to keep the prices affordable. They strive for “providing affordable entertainment for everyone since 1992”

(Photos from Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgebrticevic/posts/it-was-fantastic-to-drop-by-and-catch-up-with-adam-from-dumaresq-street-cinema-i/250399240157304/)