Oscar Winning Director Opens New Cinema
Roxy Cinema and Coco investors include Jamie Selkirk, Oscar award winning editor and film producer and his partner Ann, Tania and Richard Taylor, co-founders of Weta workshop, cocktail guru Jonny McKenzie, Jo-Anne Lundon and Tim Alexander, long time movie fans with a focus on technology and Valentina and Daminda Dias, local foodies and co-owners of Polo Restaurant.
The building was originally Capitol Theatre, constructed in 1928 to screen silent movies and updated in 1932 to screen ‘talkies’ (movies with sound). In 1964 the last film screened and the building was converted into Capitol Court shopping mall which operated for three decades, before falling into disrepair.
The building was purchased in 2003 and is now owned by the Selkirk and Taylor/Rodger Family Trusts and over the last year a $7 million rebuild from the ground up has turned the Roxy dream into a reality. The building’s original art deco style has been revived, with stunning interior features designed and built by the team at Weta Workshop, state-of-the-art audio and visual technology and two cinemas installed to guarantee a world-class movie experience.
“Having set up Weta Workshop almost 18 years ago it seemed only logical to take on the challenge of breathing life back into one of Wellington's original suburban cinemas” Tania Rodger said. “This was an abandoned building that deserved a second chance and I now see the Roxy as a unique gallery, a place to showcase the creative art of film making with our creative team from Weta Workshop and we’re so pleased to be able to share the magic of movies with people from far and wide.”
Coco at the Roxys is open from 10am offering a range of sensational brunch. Lunch and dinner delights, from espresso and gateaux, tasting plates and wine, to cocktails, or gourmet burgers and fries. Upstairs the public will be welcome to take in the stunning new surrounds and have a preview of Cinema One with its specially installed ‘waterfall curtain’.
The owners in conjunction with New Zealand’s largest cinema equipment supplier, Audio Visual Equipment, have equipped both cinemas with identical digital equipment with the addition of a 35mm Kiniton film projector in Cinema One as well as being the first purpose-built 3D cinema in the country. Luxury seating supplied by Effuzi seating group provides cinema goers the ambiance and comfort whilst. Surround loudspeakers are also tuned to perform as an array to create the clarity an audience expects from professional quality cinema
“We are in the heart of New Zealand’s movie industry so we must have the best” Jamie Selkirk said. “It’s an opportunity to give something back to Miramar and Wellington, so come along and be part of the Miramar film experience.”
Roxy cinema selected Effuzi’s ‘ Phatt’ cinema chairs upholstered in leather