The State of the Circuits - 1927
By early 1927, there was intense rivalry between Union Theatres and Hoyt's, the two interstate circuits, to obtain the exclusive Australian distribution rights of the major American film studios' output. An interesting "battle array" of each circuit's major theatres was published:
UNION THEATRES LTD. AND ASSOCIATE COMPANIES' THEATRES BRISBANE Wintergarden (first run) Capacity 2500 Tivoli & Roof Garden (First run) 3000 (now being constructed) Majestic (first run)1200 Valley (first run) 2200 Associated with Birch & Carroll Circuit in all large country towns in Queensland. NEWCASTLE Strand (first run) 1400 Royal (first run) 2200 Lyric (first run)1000 Star, Merewether (first run)1400 SYDNEY Crystal Palace (first release, long run)1200 Lyceum (first run)1800 Haymarket (first run)2000 Lyric (first run)1550 Empress (first run)1000 Olympia (first run)2000 Union de Luxe, North Sydney2200 Southern Cross, Neutral Bay2000 Union de Luxe, Marrickville2200 Union de Luxe, Ashfield 2200 (These last 4 controlled jointly - Union Theatres 2/3, and Hoyt's 1/3 interest) Prince Edward (in association or working agreement) MELBOURNE Majestic (first run)1700 Melba (first run) 1200 Britannia (first run)1000 Empress, Prahran (2nd run)1500 Star (first run) 1000 Strand (first run) 1100 (Star & Strand owned jointly with Hoyt's Theatres Ltd.
ADELAIDE West's Wintergarden (first run)2300 York (first run)2000 Wondergraph1600 Pavilion (first run)1400 Grand (first run) 1000
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HOYT'S THEATRES LTD AND ASSOCIATED COMPANIES' THEATRES BRISBANE No Theatres
NEWCASTLE No Theatres
SYDNEY Hoyt's (first run) 1200 Hoyt's Kinema, Mosman 1800 Union de Luxe, North Sydney2200 Southern Cross, Neutral Bay2000 Union de Luxe, Marrickville2200 Union de Luxe, Ashfield 2200 (These last 4 controlled jointly - Union Theatres 2/3, Hoyt's 1/3 interest)
MELBOURNE Hoyt's Kinema (first run) 2000 Paramount (first run)1600 Star (first run)1000 Strand (first run) 1100 (Star & Strand owned jointly with Union Theatres Ltd.) Practically whole of the Suburban Theatres in Melbourne either through Associated Theatres Ltd. or pooling agreement.
ADELAIDE No Theatres
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WESTERN AUSTRALIA Prince of Wales (first run)2100 Grand (first run) 1300 Royal (first run) 2000 Pavilion (old release)1000 Princess, Fremantle (first run)2000 TASMANIA His Majesty's, Hobart (first run)1700 Princess, Launceston (first run)1700 Majestic, Launceston (first run)1400 |
WESTERN AUSTRALIA Majestic (first & 2nd run) 1000 Queen's Hall (first run) opening shortly1800 Two theatres in Kalgoorlie
TASMANIA No Theatres |
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THEATRES BUILDING
UNION THEATRES SYDNEY State Theatre, Market Street3500 BRISBANE Tivoli Theatre3000
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HOYT'S None |
THEATRES ANNOUNCED OR RUMOURED TO BE BUILT
UNION THEATRES SYDNEY State Theatre, Market St. 3500 Another weekly change theatre (location not yet announced)3200 Rebuilding on site of Empress including Groth's & Fairlight Bldg2400 Rebuilding Crystal Palace1600 BRISBANE Tivoli Theatre, at present rebuilding
MELBOURNE Theatre to be built3000 5 suburban theatres in key centres, seating capacity, each2500
ADELAIDE Rebuilding Wondergraph Theatre 3000
WESTERN AUSTRALIA Theatre to be built by Sir Thomas Coombe3000 |
HOYT'S SYDNEY Theatre on Auditorium site, near Empress, rumoured capacity1700 Property purchased next to Hoyt's; if built on, probable capacity2000
BRISBANE Site secured in Queen St, but it is reported that a legitimate theatre will be built on the site and that the lease contains provision that same must be used eight weeks in year for legitimate productions.
MELBOURNE Collins St. theatre, probable capacity2500
ADELAIDE Theatre, St. Peter's site 2500 |
[Everyone's, 16 February, 1927]
This list would appear to be accurate, but it should be borne in mind that it was compiled by Union Theatres, and would therefore have been geared to show that company's circuit in the best possible light. It gives little forewarning of the situation which was to arise less than a decade later, when Hoyt's (by then owned by the American company Twentieth Century Fox) circuit of Regents was well established, MGM was constructing a growing circuit of its own, and Union Theatres were very much heading for the financial rocks.
At this stage, however, Union Theatres seem decisively in the lead. Of the "theatres announced or rumoured to be built", the two unnamed Union theatres in Sydney were to be the Capitol and the Victory (the latter built on the site of the Empress, but not until 1938), that at Melbourne, the State, and that in Western Australia, the Ambassador's, Perth. The Hoyt's sites were to be the Regents (the Queen's Hall, Perth, was renamed "Regent" when rebuilt). The property next to Hoyt's De Luxe in Sydney was, with the site of the De Luxe itself, to be the location of the Plaza Theatre.
Most of the States were served also by smaller local circuits. Examples of these were Dan Clifford's circuit in Adelaide, the Crispe and Western Suburbs circuits in Sydney and Birch and Carroll in Queensland. Birch and Carroll were associated with Union Theatres.
