Saved - oldest cinema to reopen with whiz-bang gear

John Davies outside the picture palace. Photo / Brett Phibbs

New Zealand's oldest movie house - the Victoria Theatre in Devonport - will reopen in October with big plans to offer the country's most up-to-date projection equipment.

In its latest reincarnation, the 1912 heritage building will be the Victoria Picture Palace, managed by John Davies, of central Auckland's Academy Cinema.

Victoria Theatre Trust has drawn up a management agreement for him to run a three-theatre complex, separate from the art-house Academy.

It's a vital source of income for the trust, which gained a 33-year lease in January from the North Shore City Council, which paid $1.55 million to save the old building from the bulldozer.

"This is a really exciting development for Auckland," said trust co-chairwoman Margot McRae.

"We're saving the oldest purpose-built cinema in the Southern Hemisphere and we're going to take it into the future." It was a major step forward in turning the heritage building into a cinema and arts venue.

She said it would have wide appeal, being a short ferry ride from downtown Auckland and in the middle of a variety of eating and drinking places.

Mr Davies said the theatre would officially open on October 26 - the anniversary of its original opening - and programming would be a mix of styles for young and old.

A three-year upgrade would replace projection equipment and seating in all three spaces and provide a new heating system and much greater leg room.

Projection equipment would comply with Hollywood studios' Digital Cinema Initiative, which is a quality-lifting requirement for the bigger chain's new developments.

Initially, Victoria's two larger cinemas (180 and 120 seats) will be 35mm capable, with one having an e-cinema setup as well for larger e-cinema pictures. The third (smaller) cinema is already 100 per cent e-cinema.