Hollywood Cinema

The Hollywood Cinema, also known as the Hollywood or the Hollywood Avondale, is a cinema and performing arts theatre in the suburb of Avondale, Auckland, New Zealand. Under different names and management, the business and the building evolved from the council-administrated Avondale Public Hall built in 1867. Following a name change and installation of a new frontage in 1915, the Hall was leased to Harry Empson, who showed movies in the venue from 1916 to August 1927 when he sold the business to Frederick William. In 1923, the original building was moved to the adjacent lot and a new venue constructed behind the frontage. Notwithstanding the challenges of providing talkie movies and competing cinemas in neighbouring suburbs, a succession of managers, including the family of Rudall Hayward, ran the picture theatre until 1966 when the business was acquired by Jan Grefstad, who named it the Hollywood Cinema. During Grefstad's time, the Hollywood was known for the weekly midnight showings of the Rocky Horror Picture Show and the installation of a Wurlitzer Organ. After Grefstad died in 2001, the business was managed by a family trust before being sold on the open market in 2015. As of 2024 it continues to host classic, cult, revival and marathon screenings as well as selected concerts and events.