{"id":2076,"date":"2024-12-13T18:21:08","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T18:21:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/manchester-trend.com\/?p=2076"},"modified":"2025-08-29T12:01:18","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T11:01:18","slug":"the-history-of-the-odeon-cinema-in-manchester","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/manchester-trend.com\/en\/eternal-2076-the-history-of-the-odeon-cinema-in-manchester","title":{"rendered":"The History of \u201cThe Odeon\u201d Cinema in Manchester"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the early 20th century, Oxford Street in Manchester became a hub of the burgeoning cinema industry<\/a>. Following the establishment of the city\u2019s first purpose-built cinema, The Picture House<\/em>, the film industry began to flourish rapidly. One by one, cinemas opened along Oxford Street, and in 1930, another cultural venue was born: The Odeon<\/em>, originally known as Paramount Theatre<\/em> or Paramount Cinema<\/em>. Opened during the golden age of cinema, it played a pivotal role in shaping Manchester’s cultural identity. Next on manchester-trend<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foundation of The Odeon<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Historical records trace the origins of The Odeon<\/em> back to 1930. During this golden era of cinema, Paramount Theatre<\/em> was officially opened. On its inaugural day, the people of Manchester enjoyed a screening of The Love Parade<\/em> and a variety of stage performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The theatre was built for the Paramount Film Company of America<\/em>. The project was designed by renowned architects Frank Verity and S. Beverley. Notably, this was the first theatre in the UK to carry the Paramount name and one of the first of 50 planned Paramount theatres, with other locations including Leeds, Newcastle upon Tyne, Glasgow, Liverpool, and Birmingham. Manchester\u2019s Paramount Theatre<\/em> became part of the grand network of cinemas owned by Paramount Pictures<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Architecture and Capacity of The Odeon<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The building was designed by Frank Verity and embodied the Art Deco luxury of the 1930s. With a seating capacity of over 2,500, it was one of the largest and most opulent cinemas in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The interiors of Paramount Theatre<\/em> featured luxurious furnishings, sweeping staircases, and ornate details, creating a glamorous ambiance that matched the cinematic spectacles of the era. The venue was also equipped with an organ, which was used to accompany silent films and entertain audiences before screenings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Development and Decline of the Cinema<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Built for the era of cine-variety, The Odeon<\/em> combined film screenings with live stage shows accompanied by an orchestra. In 1940, Paramount Theatre<\/em> was renamed The Odeon<\/em> and later became part of the Rank Theatres<\/em> chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1973, the theatre was converted into a two-screen cinema, and the organ was removed. In 1979, a third screen was added, and in 1992, four additional screens were created by repurposing the basement and stage areas, transforming the venue into a seven-screen complex. A small private parking area was also available for visitors. That same year, the cinema hosted the premiere of A Few Good Men<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The theatre originally housed a Wurlitzer Publix One<\/em> organ, with four manuals and 20 ranks of pipes. This organ was the only model of its kind outside the United States. After the theatre\u2019s division into multiple screens, the organ was transferred to the Lancastrian Theatre Organ Trust<\/em>, later leased to Manchester and moved to Free Trade Hall<\/em>, where it was used until 1977. After Free Trade Hall<\/em> closed, the organ was relocated to the Stockport Town Hall\u2019s Great Hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, like many historic cinemas, The Odeon<\/em> faced challenges. These became particularly pronounced in the late 20th century, as television and multi-screen cinemas began dominating Manchester\u2019s entertainment landscape. The rise of suburban multiplexes offered audiences more screens and modern amenities, leading to a decline in attendance at older city cinemas, including The Odeon<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite multiple updates and reconstructions, including the division of the large auditorium into smaller screens, The Odeon<\/em> struggled to compete with newer venues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cinema ceased operations in 2004, ending 74 years of service, as it couldn\u2019t rival the AMC Great Northern<\/em>. After its closure, the building was occasionally used for church services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1999, the building was considered for listing as a protected historical landmark, but the proposal was rejected due to significant loss of original features. Following the cinema’s closure in 2004, some remaining elements, such as the stage and ceiling, were deemed restorable. However, in 2007, another application for listing was denied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, plans were proposed to replace the cinema with an office building named Landmark<\/em>. The project included 22,575 square meters of office space, parking for 116 cars, and 14 floors of office space. Permission for construction was granted in 2007, with completion initially scheduled for 2009. In 2016, demolition permits were issued, and the building was demolished in 2017. Construction on the site began shortly after and was completed in 2019. By 2023, the new building housed companies like Santander UK<\/em>, Allianz<\/em>, and HSBC<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although The Odeon<\/em> now exists only in old photographs, it remains a significant part of Manchester\u2019s cultural history. It was a beloved gathering place for filmgoers, a unique landmark, and a vital contributor to the development of the city\u2019s culture and arts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the early 20th century, Oxford Street in Manchester became a hub of the burgeoning cinema industry. Following the establishment of the city\u2019s first purpose-built cinema, The Picture House, the film industry began to flourish rapidly. One by one, cinemas opened along Oxford Street, and in 1930, another cultural venue was born: The Odeon, originally […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":406,"featured_media":2004,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[154],"tags":[1810,1804,1815,1814,1809,1813,1807,1811,1808,1805,1802,1806,2018,1812],"motype":[160],"moformat":[20],"moimportance":[31,32,35],"class_list":{"0":"post-2076","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-kino","8":"tag-amc-great-northern","9":"tag-art-deco-cinema","10":"tag-cine-variety-history","11":"tag-frank-verity-architecture","12":"tag-historic-cinema-demolition","13":"tag-manchester-cinema-decline","14":"tag-manchester-cinema-heritage","15":"tag-manchester-cultural-landmarks-2","16":"tag-oxford-street-cinemas","17":"tag-paramount-pictures-uk","18":"tag-paramount-theatre-history","19":"tag-rank-theatres-chain","20":"tag-the-odeon-manchester-en","21":"tag-wurlitzer-organ-manchester","22":"motype-eternal","23":"moformat-vlasna","24":"moimportance-aktualna-bilshe-roku","25":"moimportance-golovna-novyna","26":"moimportance-retranslyacziya-v-agregatory"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/manchester-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/manchester-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/manchester-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manchester-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/406"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manchester-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2076"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/manchester-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2076\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2455,"href":"https:\/\/manchester-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2076\/revisions\/2455"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manchester-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/manchester-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manchester-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manchester-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2076"},{"taxonomy":"motype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manchester-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/motype?post=2076"},{"taxonomy":"moformat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manchester-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moformat?post=2076"},{"taxonomy":"moimportance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manchester-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moimportance?post=2076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}