New cinemas set to go

– Shaun Inguanzo
ONLY the concrete of the former Village Dandenong site was left in state when Reading Cinemas undertook to rebuild it.
Reading Entertainment has literally, from the ground up, transformed a neglected patch into a world-class cinemaplex and is set to open the doors to the public next Thursday.
Based in Melbourne, Reading Entertainment is a subsidiary of the Los Angeles-based American Company, Reading International,
Digital sound, the pending installation of digital projection offering 3D movies, plush stadium-style seating and large screens and a shiny new candy bar await cinemagoers who were left in the cold when Village withdrew its Dandenong and Waverley Gardens complexes late last year, and early this year.
Reading Entertainment managing director said he had been awaiting an opportunity to move the company into Melbourne’s east – and Dandenong was it.
“I guess we’re fortunate enough to have a long-term relationship with (Dandenong Plaza owners) GPT,” Mr Smith said.
“They had this opportunity, and sort of spoke to us about it, and I guess collectively we shared the vision.
“And we’ve definitely made a go of it with a world-class, modern day offering.”
The $12 million investment has produced a movie lover’s dream scenario, with what Mr Smith said was the ultimate in cinema technology and comfort.
“You’ll see when you go in there that the entire cinema has been reconstructed – you wouldn’t even appreciate what it was before,” Mr Smith said.
Mr Smith said the cinema would show blockbuster films such as Hellboy 2, Tropic Thunder, Baby Mama, the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Pineapple Express, Mamma Mia, and The Dark Knight.
The six-screen cinema has room to expand, Mr Smith said, adding that if necessary, and if the market demands it, he will bring arthouse films to Dandenong. “We own Realty Distribution which specialises in arthouse, so I’d be more than keen to give it a go if it’s what people want.”
Reading Cinemas opens on Thursday 28 August with a special ticket price of $10 until 10 September.