Seating capacity: Based on the information from the sources, the initial capacity was likely 1,261 consisting of 801 on the lower level and 460 on the upper level. Later on, 28 more seats were added to the lower level. Another redevelopment result in 3 screens having a total capacity of 1,119 (339, 320 and 460).
Address: 29 Burrows Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Imperial Cinema operated during the period February 15, 1969 - March 3, 2004.
Update December 10, 2017: The interior space is now a Church as reported by readers. It is interesting to note that a fast-food restaurant inside the building "Vincentre" managed to recycle the four-word Chinese name plate of the cinema and proudly displays it on their wall (see Vine Centre 2 Wan Chai Google photo sphere). I hope this preservation continues today.
Sources:
- Cinema Treasures: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/18999
- Hong Kong Theatres Association Limited:http://www.hktaorg.com/home.html
- Talk Cinema: https://talkcinema.wordpress.com/2007/04/20/%e4%ba%ac%e9%83%bd%e6%88%b2…
- Wikipedia's list of theatres no longer operating: https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E5%B7%B2%E7%B5%90%E6%…
Comments
Re: The site is now the Vine Church
Hi There,
The site is now 'The Vine Church'. No idea how the interior had been converted though.
T
A floor was added above the
A floor was added above the former stalls section of the theatre. At the auditorium of the church, a stage was added, and the stalls section between the stage and the balcony was level with removable seats.Only half of the former balcony was reserved. As I visited the church as it opened to the public a few years ago, no projector for showing films was installed.
The lobby of the Imperial
The lobby of the Imperial Cinema was restored and used as a cafe.The staircase leading to the auditorium was also preserved and used as the entrance to the church.
A new lift was installed by
A new lift was installed by the church, while the lift of the former Imperial Cinema was demolished.