Final credits roll for Cork cinema

CORK’S Lord Mayor led tributes last night to an iconic city centre cinema which closes to the public today after almost 70 years in business.

However, 200 people are already on a waiting list to attend the classic Bogart film, Casablanca, which will be screened for an invited audience of dignitaries tomorrow night, after which the curtain will come down on Capitol cinema history.

Lord Mayor Deirdre Clune will be among the invited audience.

“We have already said farewell to great old Cork cinemas such as the Coliseum, the Pav and the Savoy - and this week it is the Capitol’s turn,” she said.

“We will all treasure the fond memories and happiness that the Capitol has given us for nearly 70 years.”

Opened in 1947 as a one- screen cinema, the Capitol played a pivotal role in the life of Corkonians and hosted the first cinescope picture, The King of the Khyber Rifles, in 1954.

One of its biggest blockbusters, The Sound of Music starring Julie Andrews, ran for an incredible three months in 1967.

Hollywood stars like Maureen O’Hara were among the screen legends to visit the Capitol when it hosted the Cork Film Festival.

Faced with falling audience figures in the 1980s, the Capitol invested €1.4m developing a 1,100-seat multi-screen cineplex.

It reopened as a six-screen cinema with Batman in August 1989.

By the 1990s, the Capitol had again established itself as one of the city’s most popular entertainment venues.

The site will be demolished and converted into retail units and apartments.