The Astor Theatre, Melbourne’s beloved single-screen revival cinema, has announced it will close its doors in 2015. The long-ailing theatre, which is located on the city’s busy Chapel Street, tweeted on Saturday that it will cease operation next year and urged patrons to “celebrate what the Astor is until then.”
The Astor Theatre has long been a treasured cultural venue in the city, regularly screening old movies, double-features, and rare prints of classic films. However, the theatre has faced a downturn in recent years and was briefly owned by the nearby St. Michael’s Grammar School, who later sold it to St. Kilda businessman Ralph Taranto.
According to a report by the Sydney Morning Herald, the building’s owner and the cinema operator have been engaged in a dispute, reportedly over insurance and access to the site for builders and renovations.
The latest instalment of the theatre’s popular calendar advises that it is the second-last that will be released. “The Astor regretfully announces that this is our second last calendar. Come and celebrate the best of The Astor Theatre 1982-2015. For those films that will have their last screening a small (symbol) star appears on the artwork below,” it reads.
No official statement from cinema operators or the building landlord has been released besides the announcing tweet, which readers can see below. The theatre has had numerous run-ins with closure in the past. In 2012, ABC reported on then-owners St. Michael’s Grammar School rubbishing reports that the Astor’s closure was imminent.
It is beyond difficult to deliver news that we will close our doors in 2015. We hope you will help us celebrate what the Astor is until then
— Astor Theatre (@astor_theatre) August 23, 2014
Morning Melbourne (& to others elsewhere), we are already humbled & overwhelmed once again at the scale of your incredible love and support
— Astor Theatre (@astor_theatre) August 23, 2014
