Palace Cinemas (Australia)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cinema chain |
| Founded | 1965 |
| Founder | Antonio Zeccola |
| Headquarters | South Yarra, Melbourne , Australia |
Area served | Australia |
Key people | Zeccola family |
| Products | Arthouse and international film presentations, cinema-related events, film festivals |
| Website | www |
Palace Cinemas is an Australian cinema chain that focuses on arthouse and international film presentations.
Based in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra, Palace Cinemas runs venues throughout Australia, including in New South Wales (Central Park Sydney, Norton Street, Byron Bay, Ballina, Oxford Street), Victoria (Coburg, Brighton Bay, Northcote, Balwyn, Brighton, South Yarra, Melbourne, Moonee Ponds, The Astor Theatre), Western Australia (Raine Square), Queensland (Brisbane, Fortitude Valley), and Canberra.
Operations
Palace Cinemas specializes in exhibiting both international and domestic arthouse films as well as hosting cinema-related events. The company has been under the stewardship of the Zeccola family since its inception.
At Palace Moore Park, an agreement exists with neighboring Hoyts to prevent overlapping mainstream film screenings.
Although Palace directly owns a single cinema in Western Australia, it collaborates with Luna Cinemas to operate several other venues. Luna Palace Cinemas functions independently with its own website and membership system, distinct from Palace’s national network. Additionally, Luna Palace manages two seasonal open-air cinemas located in Leederville and Mosman Park.
Film festivals
Palace organizes various international film festivals that highlight cinema from specific countries. These include the Alliance Française French Film Festival, Lavazza Italian Film Festival, Spanish Film Festival, German Film Festival, and British Film Festival.
History
Established by Antonio Zeccola in 1965, Palace Cinemas began with the Pix Theatre situated in Noble Park. In 1994, it launched The Como and The George cinemas in Melbourne, emphasizing Australian productions along with experimental and festival films.
The following year, 1995, saw Palace acquire Sydney’s Academy Twin cinema and open the Verona complex featuring four screens; this venue was officially inaugurated by Nicole Kidman in 1996.
In 2000, Palace Norton Street became the venue for Australia’s first professionally curated Italian film festival.
A $1 million refurbishment of Cinema Como was completed in 2005 as part of a larger renovation initiative that included Brighton Bay, The George, and Sydney locations. That same year, Palace assumed control of Sydney’s Chauvel cinema.
The company’s headquarters moved to South Yarra in 2016.
In 2017, Palace Central debuted with ten standard cinemas alongside three Palace Platinum auditoriums; two of these feature expansive floor-to-ceiling windows that are concealed during screenings.
The Pentridge Cinema opened in 2020 within the former HM Prison Pentridge site in Coburg and introduced Palace’s first Dolby Atmos-equipped auditorium.
In November 2023, Palace revealed plans to close Palace Verona by February 2024 and replace it with a new venue at The Entertainment Quarter in Moore Park.
December 2023 marked the opening of Penny Lane in Moonee Ponds, offering eleven indoor screens plus a rooftop cinema experience.
Palace Verona officially ceased operations on 25 February 2024.
Adelaide
- Palace Nova Eastend: 12 screens located at Cinema Place; home to the Adelaide Film Festival since 2020
- Palace Nova Prospect: 14 screens on Prospect Road
Brisbane
- Barracks
- James Street (previously known as Centro)
Byron Bay
- Byron Bay
- Ballina Fair
Canberra
- Palace Electric
Melbourne
- The Astor Theatre (specializing in classic films)
- Balwyn
- Brighton Bay
- Dendy Brighton
- Pentridge Cinema (launched in 2020 within the former Pentridge Prison shopping complex; the first Palace venue equipped with Dolby Atmos)
- Cinema Como
- The Kino (collaborative venture)
- Westgarth Theatre
- Penny Lane
Perth
- Raine Square
- Cinemas operated in collaboration with Luna Cinemas:
- Luna Leederville
- Luna on SX, Fremantle
- Windsor Cinema, Nedlands
- Luna Outdoor, Leederville
- Camelot Outdoor, Mosman Park
Sydney
- Central
- Norton Street
- The Chauvel Cinema
- Moore Park
Adelaide
- Nova Eastend (located on Rundle Street)
Perth
- Palace Northbridge
Sydney
- Academy Twin (Paddington)
- The Walker Cinema (North Sydney)
- Verona
Palace Films
Palace has been involved in producing and distributing significant Australian titles including Kokoda and Chopper, alongside managing the Australian distribution of a wide range of international language films.