Glasgow's Cinemas of the Past

So what was Glasgow like before the technology we have today, with the likes of the IMAX, 3D movies and DBox. Glasgow is full of Cinema complexes from Cineworld, to The Grosvenor to the IMAX complex. Glasgow is full of variety. So what was it like before?

02 ABC Academy/ABC Regal - Many of us now know the 02 ABC as Jellybaby or Propaganda depending on whether you go on a Thursday or Friday.It has cheap drinks, massive dance floor and good music, what else can you ask for? It was not always a popular club though. It was once a cinema and opened in November 1929 as ABC's Flagship Cinema. It is situated on Sauchiehall Street which is one of Glasgow's busiest both during the day for shopping and at night for the night life. When it open in 1929 as a cinema, it had the main auditorium above the car park. The interior was modernised in 1955 and then renamed in October 1967 with the main building named ABC1 and the second screen imaginatively named as ABC2.It was first new cinema to open in Scotland since the war and it was designed to be up to date in newly modern designs and also had a fully licensed bar. Weekly reported the opening of the £250,000 building as being "one of the biggest showmanship events in Glasgow's history."

Paramount Theatre/Odeon - The theatre opened on Reinfield Street on the 31st December 1934 and was one of the later cinemas built in the Paramount chain including Newcastle and Manchester. In 1939 the cinema like other paramount cinemas was sold to Odeon. Under this name, it continued successfully until 1970, with live shows being more popular than the film presentations. Most famously, both the Rolling Stones and the Beatles played at the Glasgow Odeon. The building was sold in March 2003 along with Odeon Edinburgh, and was taken over by Historic Scotland and gave it B-list status. 

The Grosvenor

So you're at the cinema and half way through the movie and your bum begins to get numb. We've all been there. And no matter how much you try and get comfy again, you just can't! Well that is where the Grosvenor comes in, yes it is more expensive but soooo worth it.

The comfy seats and the more modern exterior makes the Grosvenor cinema the perfect place to go. They also have a 'Diner and Movie' deal if you fancy making a day out of it. The Grosvenor is located on Ashton Lane in Glasgow's west end. It is a lot smaller than the likes of Cineworld (Did I mention it is tallest cinema in the world!!?) it only has 2 screens compared to Cineworld's 18 screens. This means movies and times are limited, however the Grosvenor still offers most up to date movies as well as some classic ones. If I have persuaded you to go (fingers crossed) take a look at the Grosvenor's brochure for March and April here

Lets Go to the Movies

So you many not realise but Glasgow Cineworld on Renfrew Street is actually the tallest cinema in the world. It has 18 screens spread over 6 floors with capacities which seat up to 663 people. And for all us 18+ people out there, yes the cinema does have a licensed bar - Result. With the amount of screens the cinema has, it can accommodate to majority of people's needs and they have a vast amount of show times particularly for new releases.

Glasgow Cineworld was also in the media particularly in 2009 when Scottish heartthrob Gerard Butler brought his film 'Law Abiding Citizen' to the cinema complex with many screaming fans waiting for him. If the girls were not excited enough, the actor turned up in a traditional Scottish kilt and spent his time taking photos with fans and signing autographs. Looks like it doesn't matter how famous you get, Gerard still decided to go back to his roots to launch his movie. Not like we are complaining.