Original cinema concept exits development

ONE of the originators of the original cinema concept at the development at 85 Geelong Road, Torquay says his group is no longer part of the multi-million project, but is supportive of a cinema getting up and running at the site.

Being built on a 2.6 hectare rectangular paddock, the mixed-use development by Liuzzi Property Group will include a cinema, a service station and convenience store, a three-storey backpackers/budget hotel, medical centre, gym/play centre, a childcare centre, commercial office space, and three fast food and beverage outlets.

Ocean Cinemas was associated with the cinema element of the development since at least 2019, but proponent and Jan Juc resident Simon Wright said Ocean Cinemas exited the project in October of last year.

“In October, we hit a roadblock, and we never found a way around it.”

A former chief executive officer at Virgin Entertainment Group who has opened cinemas around the world, Mr Wright said he was not proprietary about Ocean Cinemas’ designs and concept, and had no issue with someone else using them at the development.

“I really am happy about that, I’m very invested in Torquay and Jan Juc; it’s the place I live.”

Mr Wright said opening and running a cinema now, whether in Torquay or elsewhere, was much harder than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’ve got a lot of experience in cinema, and it’s not happening so much in Australia at the moment, but in Europe and America, every big cinema company is in trouble.

“It would not be good to open up a cinema in that location [in Torquay] that is actually not sustainable; that would not be good for anyone.

“I believe there’s demand – we set it up at the size that was the right level, there’s enough people who want to go to the cinema in Torquay to make a cinema work. I wouldn’t have always said that was the case, but it is now.

“It’s a very easy drive from Armstrong Creek, and the site is on the right side of Torquay for the catchment.”

He said his experience at Virgin taught him that “people generally go to their nearest cinema”.

“One of our challenges to ourselves was, ‘Can we make cinemas unique enough that people will drive past the nearest one and go to the Virgin?’.

He said the cinema’s programming “should suit a wider group of people” than the films screened at a typical multiplex.

“The challenge is for people to say, ‘I want to go to the cinema, and I don’t care what’s on’, because it’s that good; that’s the Holy Grail.

“Cinema has to become much more customer-centric than film-centric. It’s about people having a good time, not about just showing whatever Hollywood’s put out last.”