Coffs Harbour will lose its only multi-screen cinema next week, with BCC Cinemas at Bray Street set to close its doors for good on Sunday, 13 September.
The closure brings an end to a Coffs Harbour tradition of Friday night popcorn and the big screen experience, and locals have been sharing their shock and sadness on the Coffs Harbour Community Noticeboard Facebook group since news broke.
“Sawtell cinema is the go,” wrote Craig, pointing to the town’s smaller two-screen alternative as the closest remaining option for local moviegoers.
Others focused on the building itself rather than the industry around it. “On rainy days, when you were more likely to need a boredom buster, there were buckets catching the leaks,” wrote Rob, reflecting comments from several residents that the Bray Street complex had been overdue for a refurbishment for years.
Not everyone was ready to let the memories go without a fight. Paul wrote that he and his wife enjoyed “Tight Arse Tuesday night at the flicks”, usually followed by a meal nearby, while Susie suggested the community could look at buying the building back so it could remain “a great third space for people to meet up at”.
Others turned their thoughts to the staff losing their jobs. “Super sad news! For those who are now without a job, Harbour EverSwim are looking for people,” wrote Dan, offering to connect former cinema workers with new opportunities.
Event Cinemas confirmed its tenancy at BCC Cinemas Coffs would cease trading on 13 September, adding it understood closures like this could be disappointing for the community. One Coffs Harbour resident told NBN News the closure was a “damn shame”.
“It’s gonna be sad to see it go. People are getting out and enjoying watching a movie on the big screen without distractions, without phones. I think it’s a damn shame,” the resident said.
Regional Cinemas Australia chief executive Kieren Dell said the Coffs Harbour closure was not an isolated case, with Event Cinemas looking to consolidate its network nationally.
“It’s fairly common knowledge around the industry that Event Cinemas are looking to consolidate.”
“They’ve closed Southport recently on the Gold Coast, and they were looking to consolidate to their big metro premium sites,” said Mr Dell.
Mr Dell said the industry generally worked on a ratio of about one cinema screen per 10,000 people, and Coffs Harbour’s seven screens had fitted that formula. He said the closure should not be read as a sign the cinema industry was struggling more broadly.
“Data suggests there are more cinemas opening, or more screens opening, since COVID in Australia than closed. We’ve just come off five months of $100 million-plus at the box office, which is unprecedented. It’s never happened before,” said Mr Dell.
Asked whether another operator could step into the Bray Street site, Mr Dell said it would depend on lease and ownership arrangements, the condition of the building and how much investment would be required, and flagged that finding modern projection equipment could also be a hurdle.
“A lot of people in Europe and America around the world are buying new projectors. A lot of our projectors are 15 years old, so there’s a lot of demand for them. There’s obviously supply chain issues globally with the geopolitical environment,” said Mr Dell.
With BCC gone, Coffs Coast residents will be left with Sawtell Cinema, and the Jetty Theatre in Coffs Harbour for live entertainment, along with cinemas further afield in Grafton and Yamba, after Nambucca’s cinema also closed its doors.
Despite the loss, Mr Dell struck an optimistic note about the city’s cinema-going future.
“I’d be very surprised if a city the size of Coffs Harbour doesn’t have a cinema again at some point in the future,” said Mr Dell.
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