Cinema operator Hoyts is set to move into the former Grand Cinemas in Currambine, Warwick and Joondalup.
In November last year, Perth family-owned Grand Cinemas called in administrators after failing to recover from crippling restrictions imposed during the height of the pandemic.
The independent cinema group was just shy of celebrating 100 years in business.
FTI Consulting was appointed as voluntary administrators and kept the Currambine, Warwick and Bunbury facilities open, while Joondalup and Armadale sites screened their final movies on November 21.
PerthNow can confirm that Joondalup is set to return very soon under Hoyts, while Armadale’s landlord has struck a deal with a different operator.
This week Hoyts rebranded its Currambine and Bunbury Facebook pages with the new name and logo, while Warwick’s changeover will happen in the next few days.
It includes a new menu and uniforms, marketing approaches and internal upgrades.
Session times also have the Hoyts branding on both its website and mobile app.
Hoyts area manager Alex Pickering said customers with a previous Grand Cinemas membership would be eligible for a Hoyts VIP rewards membership, with details to be sent via email soon.
Any previous Grand Cinemas vouchers and gift cards will be honoured in-store.
“All of the original team has also stayed on as well as more jobs will be created for those in the area,” Ms Pickering said.
One very important member includes location manager Ashley Andrews, who has been at the Currambine location for the past two decades.
The first half of his career at Grand Cinemas was spent as a projectionist before he took on a managerial role.
“It’s always been a very family-oriented company and everyone has been very close,” the now Hoyts Currambine manager said.
“The staff that start here, they are usually 15 to 16-year-olds. You get them while they are still kids at school, they finish school and then they go on to university. By then they’ve moved up ranks in the company as well.”
Mr Andrews hopes the industry makes a strong comeback this year and into the future.
“There’s nothing better than walking in, starting your shift and seeing it packed with kids all having fun and in a good mood,” he said.
“It’s about going to the show and going to the cinemas. You can’t beat the smell of the popcorn, the size of the screen and the quality of the seating.”
Carramar retired couple Michael and Jacqueline Wright visit the cinemas once a month and said they were really pleased when they heard Hoyts were keeping the doors at Currambine open.
“Today we are watching the John Wick film. My wife’s brought me along and she says I might not really enjoy it,” 73-year-old Mr Wright said.
“But it’s an afternoon out and it beats being in the garden, so it has definitely been a good excuse to come here.”
The Currambine centre is anticipating strong numbers in next month’s school holidays, with The Super Mario Bros. Movie out next Wednesday.
Hoyts has more than 400 screens and over 50,000 seats across Australia and New Zealand.
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