Academy Cinemas Closing thanks for the memories

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I guess many here were too young to have gone there much, but it was sad news to me. I guess I am showing my age as a child of the 80s, I grew up in a time where the movies were only on at the Regent, Academy and Greater Union Hindley when it was in 2 locations on either side of Hindley Street.

I have heaps of fond memories going there in the school holidays, playing videos games in the 2 video arcade rooms and having to give your game to someone else when the bell was dinging because you movie was about to start. I remember mum sitting patiently on the seats while my brother and I would spend about half and hour playing video games before the movie would start. I also sadly remember going there to see a movie with mum, which was the last time I went to the movies with mum before she died.

The only thing I regret was that I didnt know it was closing until a few days ago and I wish I had of taken my step-son there to the movies there before it closed.

As much as I love Adelaide moving forward, the Academy Cinemas closing is a sad day for Adelaide.

 

[Dandy_GO]

Has it closed already? That was rather sudden! I knew it was closing, but I just saw a film there 4 days ago.

 

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Has it closed already? That was rather sudden! I knew it was closing, but I just saw a film there 4 days ago.

Yeah it closed Wednesday night, a preview screening of Die Hard 4 was the final screening there.

 

[Cap]

I agree - one of my more favorite undeveloped cinemas.

can't wait for another multi-use building to be put up instead

 

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I agree - one of my more favorite undeveloped cinemas.

can't wait for another multi-use building to be put up instead

Yeah more appartments, like there wasnt enough of them already.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

It really was a state of the art multiplex entertainment complex for Adelaide back in its day. I saw many films there through the 80s and even into the 00s. Change of Seasons, Friday the 13th, The Shining, Breaking Away, Seven, 8-Legged Freaks. Looking at that list, I have awful tastes in movies, but the Academy accommodated me! And yes, games of Frogger, Asteroids, that 3-D Tank game ... ah the memories of the Academy.

 

[Mong]

I guess many here were too young to have gone there much

Unless anyone here was born in the last week I think we're all old enough to have been there.

 

[Hodges 153!]

As much as I love Adelaide moving forward, the Academy Cinemas closing is a sad day for Adelaide.

Yeah, similarly with the demolition of Centennial Hall at Wayville this week....

It was beyond repair, unusable and closed for several years, but a shame to see it go nonetheless...

Progress is progesss I guess, and professionally speaking I cant complain about the new Academy building...

 

[Alex99]

LOL – yep fantastic memories

The first movie I saw there was Top Gun – didn’t you just love being dragged along by mum to watch some movies that she liked as a kid.


Since the multiplexes have become popular in the suburbs, it’s been years since I have been to academy cinema. Last movie I saw at academy would have been Anaconda maybe 10 years ago.

 

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Unless anyone here was born in the last week I think we're all old enough to have been there.

Thats true, but in the 90s with the suburban expansion of newer cinemas meant that not many went there nor would have appricated the Academy Cinemas for what it used to be. In the 80s the Academy Cinemas was the best place to go and see a movie, it was an Adelaide institution.

 

[Mong]

Thats true, but in the 90s with the suburban expansion of newer cinemas meant that not many went there nor would have appricated the Academy Cinemas for what it used to be. In the 80s the Academy Cinemas was the best place to go and see a movie, it was an Adelaide institution.

I knew what you meant.

 

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It really was a state of the art multiplex entertainment complex for Adelaide back in its day. I saw many films there through the 80s and even into the 00s. Change of Seasons, Friday the 13th, The Shining, Breaking Away, Seven, 8-Legged Freaks. Looking at that list, I have awful tastes in movies, but the Academy accommodated me! And yes, games of Frogger, Asteroids, that 3-D Tank game ... ah the memories of the Academy.

I think that tank game was battlezone, I remember both of those games rooms being so busy back in the day, but the 2nd games room was later incorporated into a studio theatre in the late 80s. I remember the 2nd room having a lot of the older type arcade games in it.

What others will struggle to understand now was that in those days they never shared the movies so you went to which ever theatre had that particular movie at it. Whereas now you can go to Marion, Norwood or TTP and they all show the same movies as each other.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

I think that tank game was battlezone, I remember both of those games rooms being so busy back in the day, but the 2nd games room was later incorporated into a studio theatre in the late 80s. I remember the 2nd room having a lot of the older type arcade games in it.

What others will struggle to understand now was that in those days they never shared the movies so you went to which ever theatre had that particular movie at it. Whereas now you can go to Marion, Norwood or TTP and they all show the same movies as each other.

Yeah Battlezone, that was it. It was great fun, altho the controls used to get a hiding and were pretty dodgy after a while.

I still remember the old Hoyts in Adelaide Arcade (Nos. 1 & 2) and downstairs the old DJ's Arcade (No.3 - that was the first to go).

 

[Seanason]

Was ok - but not that great.

I mostly went there for school so i dont hold too much of a high opinion.

But i wont ruin your thread.

 

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Yeah Battlezone, that was it. It was great fun, altho the controls used to get a hiding and were pretty dodgy after a while.

I still remember the old Hoyts in Adelaide Arcade (Nos. 1 & 2) and downstairs the old DJ's Arcade (No.3 - that was the first to go).

Wasnt that downstairs cinema called the Mid-City, it's funny because noone else seems to remember that place, I have said to people before about the old the Mid-City cinema but noone else seemed to be remember it. I am showing my age here, but I am 99.9% sure that I remember the last movie being shown there was To Be Or Not To Be starring Mel Brooks so it must have been in the Mid 80s when it closed.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Wasnt that downstairs cinema called the Mid-City, it's funny because noone else seems to remember that place, I have said to people before about the old the Mid-City cinema but noone else seemed to be remember it. I am showing my age here, but I am 99.9% surely that I remember the last movie being shown there was To Be Or Not To Be starring Mel Brooks so it must have been in the Mid 80s when it closed.

Yeah that was the place. It went so quietly, I can't even remember when it closed, but your timeline is probably right.

 

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Yeah that was the place. It went so quietly, I can't even remember when it closed, but your timeline is probably right.

The only reason why I remember that it was the final movie there was because for about 2 years of so after the place closed it was just left abandoned and the poster for that movie stayed under the glass for now showing. i think it eventually become some sort of fabric shop

 

[Slamin]

I appreciate this thread and agree with all your sentiments.

Have very many fond memories of the Academy...mostly wagging school and heading into town to catch a movie !!

It was a little run down and as said before now cinema has become suburban it made it a tough decision weather to refurbish it or give in to the actual commercial value of the property.

With Bob Wallis's passing it must have been alot easier to sell .

It is for this reason that I ensure I take my family to the mainline drive inn a few times a year. Another icom IMO and also run by the Wallis family.I want my kids to remember what the drive-inn was all about !!

But like the Academy, one day too it will be gone...look at the land it is on !! Mind you the Wallis's are a great SA family and have held it open more for nostalgia than profit....I hope that continues.

 

[Hodges 153!]

With Bob Wallis's passing it must have been alot easier to sell .

IIRC the sale and details of the intended re-development were made public just before his passing?

 

[Slamin]

IIRC the sale and details of the intended re-development were made public just before his passing?

Correct...Bob was ill for sometime and it was on the cards no doubt.

Cant blame them, they also had Mitcham being built and many other things going on, so selling something that wouldv'e taken alot of revevue to refurbish made alot of sense.

 

[Hodges 153!]

Correct...Bob was ill for sometime and it was on the cards no doubt.

Cant blame them, they also had Mitcham being built and many other things going on, so selling something that wouldv'e taken alot of revevue to refurbish made alot of sense.

Perhaps they are re-opening in the new building...

 

[NikkiNoo]

Perhaps they are re-opening in the new building...

I would highly doubt it - they make more money out of the smaller suburban cinemas now than a large central one.

There is only Greater Union left in the city and Nova and Mercury. I think Nova and Mercury would do the better business as people will travel into town to attend those cinemas. I remember when you had to travel to town to see a movie and it was the day out, meet your friend's kind of thing. That has disappeared with the bigger and better places opening in the suburbs and people go closer to home.

Must say I am part of a movie club at the Glenelg cinema on Sunday nights once a month and it is great to go to these old wallis cinemas, love seeing the old guy two rows in front that brings his own salt and pepper for the 1/2 a greasy roast chicken we get as 'supper' between two movies! Family lives near the new mitcham one and been to that too. It's not too bad and because of how close it is for my family I will probably go there quite regularly I figure in the future.

 

[Portmanteau]

It's a shame I never got to take you there, Nikki

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

They were having a clearance sale today at the Academy.

Should have gone & bought an industrial popcorn maker.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

They were having a clearance sale today at the Academy.

Should have gone & bought an industrial popcorn maker.

Saw some guy on the news during the week saying he was going to buy some of the carpet for his home theatre. Wonder if he was going to get any of the orange and brown tiles and formica for his bathroom? Look good with a 'Nightshift' poster of Shelley Long.