On with the show

Blockbuster new-release movies will continue to be offered in Paddington after the Palace Cinema group vowed to improve its line-up at the Chauvel following the relocation of the Verona to the Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park.

The new Verona Moore Park opened in early March in the revamped former Cinema Paris site, after its previous location was sold to developers to make office space.

Palace Cinemas’ Alex Moir describes the closure of the Oxford St Verona — a fixture since 1996 — as sad, but he is hopeful the cinema group can continue to offer locals access to great films across its two 2021-postcode locations.

“Our hearts have been in Paddington for many years, particularly with the Verona, but we’re very excited for the future,” Moir says. 

The new Palace Verona Moore Park will have a sharper focus on arthouse and foreign-language films and film festivals, while the Chauvel will offer more commercial movies.

“The Chauvel will now be getting access to first-run films for those Paddington people who aren’t too keen to walk too far and we are excited by the opportunities that will open up for the Chauvel now with more of the bigger films there than previously."

Moir says a lot of work has gone into restoring the Cinema Paris site, which was abandoned by Hoyts during COVID. He says the complex has been recalibrated with new next-generation laser projectors that will offer a more cinematic experience for filmgoers. 

The venue has four screens, plush seating and a larger audience capacity than was on offer on Oxford St. Of all the Palace cinema complexes, the Verona Moore Park will become the group’s arthouse hub.

“There will be a more curated range of cinema at Verona Moore Park, more arthouse and more international films. The move is really about preserving Verona’s legacy in the area and ensuring that arthouse film has a future in Sydney,” Moir says.

He adds that cinema goers will also benefit from the Entertainment Quarter’s access to undercover car parking, and proximity to light rail, which is described as a "short walk" away.

Meanwhile, the model for the redeveloped ex-Verona site on Oxford St — also, confusingly, to be called Verona “in a nod to the building’s cinematic heritage” — has been released.

The 1138sq m corner site was bought by development companies WT Malouf and Fenbury in 2021 for $30.8m and will be “redeveloped into a world-class eight-level mixed use building featuring 3500sq m of office and retail space and 1000sq m of cultural entertainment space”.

Architect Doug Southwell, a director of architecture firm Scott Carver, which has done the redesign of the premises, says the development will have two subterranean levels of cinema space plus a rooftop restaurant and bar. The development application was approved by City of Sydney in December, with work starting this quarter for a completion date of late 2025.

“This project is an amazing opportunity to reinvent and redefine the next generation of cultural experiences on Oxford St,” says Southwell.

“It anchors the eastern end of the City of Sydney’s Oxford St renewal and will help people rediscover one of Sydney’s most creative and culturally significant areas.”

He argues cinema is an important part of the mixture of the building.

“[The redeveloped] Verona will retain the cinematic experiences loved by so many, and enhance them with live entertainment, retail and creative workspaces, allowing magical experiences into the everyday.”

The design incorporates the original 1946 diamond-shaped facade into the new complex.

Moir says Palace is in negotiation with City of Sydney to renovate the Chauvel, which is heritage listed and has been operating out of Paddington Town Hall since 1977.

“We are in ongoing discussions with City of Sydney about that,” he says. “We would love to renovate but it’s up to City of Sydney to allow it.”

Palace Verona Moore Park opened with the French Film Festival and will this year host the German, Spanish, Scandinavian and Italian film festivals at the new location.