In 1932, the Capitol was sold again, this time to the D.J. James Cinema Circuit, and in 1934 the cinema underwent a major extension and refurbishment by the architect firm Kemp & Tasker, expanding the seating capacity to 1,728. The cinema changed hands again in 1937, when D.J. James was bought by Eastern Cinemas, part of the General Cinema Finance (GCF) group, and in 1943, GCF was in turn taken over by the Rank Organisation, who rebranded the Capitol under their Odeon Cinema Circuit name on 1 January 1945. [1] [6] Winning big at the Oscars (seventeen awards in total, including best picture for Return of the King!) and the box office, it did so for a good reason: it’s utterly epic! Great for action-adventures and films you want to feel truly part of. Available in 2D and 3D formats. By the 1990s, cinema chains had shifted their focus to large, out-of-town multiplexes and divested themselves of smaller town cinemas. With the opening of the new cinema complex at Jarman Park in Hemel Hempstead in 1995, Rank decided to close the St Albans Odeon. Despite the efforts of a local campaign to save the cinema, it closed to the public on 20 August 1995. The last film screened was Waterworld. After closure, the building was stripped of its fixtures and fittings. [1] [8] Re-opening [ edit ] Gene Kelly’s classic musical, Singin’ in the Rain continues to mesmerise audiences – follow us on this whimsical journey into the dazzling spectacle of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

For many, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. This year it will come early with André Rieu’s cinema special White Christmas—a celebration you will never forget. Cinema of the People – Now Showing Near You" (PDF). St Albans Civic Society Newsletter. Spring 2015 . Retrieved 23 March 2018.

4DX

Our large single screen has 426 seats in total: 216 in the balcony and 210 in the downstairs seating area. Locally Listed Buildings: Area 5a: London Road" (PDF). St Albans City & District Council. p.164. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 March 2018 . Retrieved 23 March 2018.

Only available at Cineworld, 4DX offers customers the opportunity to experience the latest movies with high-tech motion seats, engineered to work in perfect synchronicity with the action on screen. Read More Related Articles Only available at Cineworld, 4DX offers customers the opportunity to experience the latest movies with high-tech motion seats, engineered to work in perfect synchronicity with the action on screen. Movie fans will be surrounded by special effects such as wind, fog, lightning, snow, bubbles, water, and scents. Available in both 2D and 3D formats, 4DX is one of the biggest innovations in cinematic technology. The new 4DX auditorium will house 172 specially designed seats. Movie fans will be surrounded by special effects such as wind, fog, lightning, snow, bubbles, water, and scents. Available in both 2D and 3D formats, 4DX is one of the biggest innovations in cinematic technology. The new 4DX auditorium will house 172 specially designed seats. On 30 October 1963, The Rolling Stones along with The Everly Brothers, Bo Diddley, Little Richard and Julie Grant appeared at the cinema. [7] Reluctant to lose the building to developers and falling for the comfort and style of The Rex, James Hannaway was the perfect local connection to revive the building.a b c d e "The Odyssey History". Odyssey Cinema St Albans. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018 . Retrieved 23 March 2018. Cooper wanted to establish a film theatre to present his productions to the paying public, and acquired a public hall building on London Road that had originally been designed for a social institute in 1903 by the local architect Percival Blow (1873–1939). On 27 July 1908, Cooper opened the Alpha Picture House, Hertfordshire's first permanent cinema. The building was fitted out with a restaurant, swimming pool and hairdressing salon as well as the 800 seat cinema. [3] The cinema failed inspection following the passing of the 1910 Cinematograph Act and was sold through liquidation to George Arthur Dawson the following year. The cinema continued to run as the Poly until 1926 and was destroyed by fire the following year. [4] [5] With stimulating effects like water, wind, scent and strobe lighting that are timed to enhance what’s happening on screen, you’ll be truly thrilled in your seat. And speaking of your seat – it moves. The high-tech motion programming means it moves in time with the film’s action, and along with vibrations and shaking, you’ll feel like you’re part of the car chase; standing in the eye of the storm or steering the boat right into a tidal wave. Fun on your own, better with friends – 4DX is Cineworld’s most exhilarating way to watch a film.

From the first jingled bell, you will be immersed in the incomparable Christmas atmosphere of André’s winter wonderland. Marvel at the magnificently decorated Christmas palace, complete with snow, two ice rinks, gorgeous winter scenes, romantic lighting, red carpet, countless lights, 150 beautiful chandeliers and over 50 Venetian candelabras. In 1934, a further refurb raised the seating capacity to a massive 1,728. Three years later in April 1937, the D.J. James circuit was bought by Eastern Cinemas, part of the General Cinema Finance (GCF) group. They offer Step-Free Access from our Lower Paxton Road entrance – please ring the doorbell and a member of staff will be with you as soon as possible, and we have an Induction Hearing Loop fitted to our speakers in the DOWNSTAIRS seating area. Please inform them when making a booking.

Saltburn

Exclusive to Cineworld in the UK and Ireland and rapidly expanding since its launch in 2015, 4DX adds extreme sensory thrills to your cinema experience.

Eyles, Allen; Skone, Keith (2002). Cinemas of Hertfordshire. Univ of Hertfordshire Press. p.98. ISBN 9780954218904 . Retrieved 23 March 2018. James Hannaway was chosen to front the project after the stunning success of the previously restored Art Deco cinema in Berkhamsted, The Rex, which reopened its doors in 2004 after 16 years of laying derelict. Arthur Melbourne Cooper was born in St Albans in 1874 at 99 London Road. As a teenager, he was inspired to go into the new art of moving photography when he became acquainted with Birt Acres, and he became a noted figure in the history of early cinema as a pioneering filmmaker. Cooper founded his Alpha Trading Company in 1906 to make short films, animations and newsreels. He set up the Alpha Production Works in Bedford Park Road, later moving to larger premises at Alma Road. Among the pioneering films he shot in St Albans was the animated fantasy, Dreams of Toyland (1908). [2] Lou Morris, who ran his own cinema chain, sold the Capitol in 1932 along with another St Albans cinema the Grand Palace on Stanhope Road to the D.J. James cinema circuit.

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A campaign was started to raise the money necessary to restore the cinema to its original 1930s state, as a viable private business.