Paddington’s Verona redevelopment to include new cinema, 53 apartments
At a time when cinema attendances are dropping, curtains are falling on venues across Australia and industry revenue is down, it would take brave entrepreneurs to open a brand new independent, standalone movie theatre.
But the quest for a happy ending sometimes overcomes all setbacks, and now a new cinema with four screens and space for creative performances is set to be built in Sydney’s Paddington on the site of the former Verona Cinema.
“The decision to include a cinema in the new Verona redevelopment is about more than just preserving a landmark and continuing the goodwill of the previous cinema,” says Jack Joseph, director of developer WT Malouf, which has also proposed new retail and 53 apartments at the spot.
“It’s about reinvigorating a much-loved space for the community in the context of surrounding development. The cinema is not a nostalgic add-on, it’s a central part of the vision, being an appropriately sized, single-level and atmospheric venue that reflects how people engage with film and hospitality.”
The loss of Palace Cinema’s Verona, which moved to the Entertainment Quarter at Moore Park when its building was sold, was much mourned by the local community, especially with so many other independent cinemas in the vicinity closing in recent years.
Losses include the Academy Twin further down Oxford Street, the Mandolin Cinema in the city, the Dendys at Opera Quays and Martin Place, The Valhalla in Glebe, and The Village Twin Cinema in nearby Double Bay.
There are now only 460 cinemas existing nationwide, according to figures from Screen Australia – a drop of 32 cinemas from 2022 and 41 from 2021.
The new cinema will be run by Barrie Barton, who has the 52-seat, single-screen Golden Age Cinema in Surry Hills, and who’s been on the lookout for years for a good location for an expanded version.
“We opened the Golden Age 14 years ago now, and it’s a very modest establishment, refurbished from the old private screening room in the Paramount building,” Barton says. “For a long time, we’ve been looking to grow, with a combination of screens and a hospitality offering.
“This, we feel, is the right location with screens and room to experiment, as well as more vestibule accommodation and space for performances and talks and presentations before films and music as well. It’s everything we dreamed of, and we’ll be curating the right mix of film and hospitality for urban life.”
The Surry Hills cinema, named among the top 100 cinemas in the world by entertainment guide Time Out, will remain untouched. Construction work on the Paddington site is planned to start in late 2026, with delivery within three years.
To ensure the building contributes positively to the landscape, the original Verona Cinema architect, Tim Greer of Tonkin Zulaikha Greer – who also designed the adjacent 25hours Hotel – has been hired for the collaboration.
“The cinema will be part of a broader mixed-use building which includes market housing, affordable housing and retail space, and is directly adjacent to the 25hours Hotel opening imminently,” Joseph says.
“The cinema plays an integral role in shaping what’s set to become one of Sydney’s most vibrant precincts, contributing to the revitalisation of Oxford Street.”
The development will also have around 60 metres of retail frontage along Oxford Street for small-scale, street-activating businesses, while the 53 apartments will include 15 affordable housing apartments. Public connections between South Dowling and Verona streets will be landscaped to improve walkability and accessibility.
The project has been designed in line with the City of Sydney’s Oxford Street Cultural and Creative Precinct strategy, which encourages new investment in cultural space, night-time economy and creative industries. It also aligns with the NSW 24-Hour Economy Strategy, contributing to the revival of Oxford Street as a safe, vibrant and connected cultural precinct that operates by day and night.
At the cinema itself, the movies running will be a mix of new blockbusters, art films and much-loved movies, as well as a few cult classics. The cinema’s closest competition will be the big multiplex cinemas in Sydney’s city centre and Bondi Junction, at EQ and Palace’s other complex at Central in Chippendale. But Barton doesn’t see it quite that way.
“Since COVID, our competition isn’t other cinemas, but it’s people’s couches in their apartments and houses, particularly with streaming services,” he says. “But so much of the joy of film is in the enjoyable discourse you have in the cinema, and a much better experience.
“So it’s about getting people out and watching film and seeing performances, and we feel pretty confident that will happen in a neighbourhood like Paddington.”
