1975 – Opening
The Golden Twin Cinemas opened its doors to the public in December 1975, coinciding with the release of one of the biggest box office hits of all time, “Jaws.”
At that time, Bendigo had a population of around 30,000, and the only cinema in town was the Plaza Theatre, which closed in 1975 with its final screening of Bruce Lee’s “Fist of Fury.” The arrival of the Golden Twin Cinemas was a revolution for the local entertainment scene, capable of accommodating over 1,000 patrons at once.
At this time the cinema offered not only movies but live shows and had an impressive back stage area including change rooms. This area went on to become cinema 7.
1989 – New Ownership
In 1989 the biggest movie on the planet was Batman starring Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Kim Basinger and in 1989 Golden Twin Cinemas welcomed their new owners, the Sali family.
1993 – Triplex Opening & Name Change
On December 16, 1993, the Golden Twin Cinema in Bendigo officially became Bendigo Cinemas. This change marked the venue’s evolution into one of Australia’s pioneering triplex cinemas, with the introduction of a third screen that could hold 182 people.
This expansion increased the total seating capacity to 1382 across all three theatres.
As widescreen format was gaining traction, the cinema installed the Christie P35 projector, a cutting-edge upgrade that allowed films to be shown on one of the largest screens in the country. The installation was completed quickly, offering a widescreen viewing experience just in time for the Bendigo premiere of “Mrs. Doubtfire” in December, 1993.
1998 – Extension to a 7 plex
The best movie in 1998 was Titanic and that was the year we extended and added 4 more theatres, cinema 4, 5, 6 & 7 and the games arcade.
Cinema 1 & 2 had their seating reduced and this space along with the change rooms and back stage area became cinema 7 as it is today.
The land for cinema 4, 5 & 6 was purchased for the additional cinemas and the games arcade.
In the early months of 1999, a partnership was established between Bendigo Cinemas and the Village Cinemas chain and we became a joint venture.
2011 – Digital projection arrives
The change to digital projection from 35mm film was made. This was in line with most cinema operators making the change in 2010-2011.
2016 – Gold Class and refurbishment of Cinemas 1 and 2
In 2016, the cinema industry lost some greats—Alan Rickman, Gene Wilder, and Carrie Fisher, to name a few. However, that same year, Bendigo Cinemas introduced a Gold Class theatre, replacing the aging Cinema 3. Today, it remains our most popular venue.
A full refurbishment of the foyer areas, food & ticketing kiosk & cinema 1 & 2 was also completed the same year.
2023 – Refurbishment with premium seating for Cinemas 4, 5 and 6.
With refurbishments completed on Cinemas 1 and 2 in 2016, it was time to renew cinemas 4, 5, and 6. The capacity of each of these cinemas was reduced from 109 to 60 seats. This transformation created a premium experience, featuring shared tables and wider, more luxurious seating.
