The Civic Theatre on Auckland's Queen Street opened as a cinema on 20 December 1929 and is the largest surviving atmospheric cinema in Australasia: lighting and decor create the illusion of a starry night sky above a Moorish garden with turrets, minarets and two life-sized panther statues. The foyer is Indian-inspired, with seated Buddhas and twisted columns. It was the creation of cinema entrepreneur Thomas O'Brien, who eventually went bankrupt during the Great Depression. In 1993 the city council considered demolishing it; after a $41.8 million refurbishment it reopened on 20 December 1999. With 2,378 seats it is the largest theatre in New Zealand and is managed by Auckland Live. The auditorium stood in for a New York theatre in Peter Jackson's King Kong (2005).
The Auckland Civic Theatre, opened in 1929, is one of the last preserved atmospheric theatres in the world — the seats under an artificial starry-sky ceiling convey the feeling of sitting outdoors.
At a glance
- Type
- Multi-genre theatre
- Location
- Auckland, New Zealand