Odeon Cinema, Manchester

The location of the theatre was originally developed near the end of the 18th century. By the 1830s it had been fully developed into a mix of commercial and residential properties. By the start of the 20th century, it was used entirely for commercial purposes, including two pubs. It was cleared by 1930 for the construction of the Paramount Theatre.

The Paramount Theatre on Oxford Street opened on 6 October 1930, showing The Love Parade, and featuring a variety show on stage. The theatre was built for the Paramount Film Company of America, and was designed by Frank Verity and S. Beverley (now known as Verity & Beverley), who had also built the Plaza Theatre in London. It was one of 50 proposed Paramount Theatres, and was one of the first open, and the first in the UK to bear the company's name; others included Paramount Leeds, Paramount Newcastle upon Tyne, Paramount Glasgow, Paramount Liverpool, Paramount Birmingham and Paramount Tottenham Court Road, London. A single-screen cinema, it was capable of seating 2,920 people on two levels…