​ABOUT US

​The Regent Upstairs Cinema is community owned and situated in the upstairs auditorium of the
Pahiatua Regent Theatre.
We are staffed by a part time manager and a team of cinema-loving volunteers.
Built by Kerridge Theatres and opened on 23 February 1940 (to replace the previous building the King's Theatre built in 1897), and owned by the Pahiatua Repertory Society Inc since 1977, the Regent Upstairs Cinema is one of only four cinemas operating in the Wairarapa/Tararua region. 
Proudly locally owned and serving the whole of the Tararua District, in addition to our weekly programmed sessions we are available for charity fundraiser events, private screenings and school or special interest-group sessions. 

​BY THE COMMUNITY, FOR THE COMMUNITY

When the Regent Theatre was first purchased from Kerridge-Odeon in 1977, the new owners, the Pahiatua Repertory Society raised debentures and donations to finance the re-developement of the theatre by dividing the original single, 600 seat auditorium into two separate auditoria: a 220 seat theatre for live performances downstairs in the former stalls area and a 230 cinema upstairs in the former circle area. The existing Erneman 5 projection system was a two-projector change-over system (ex the Regent Theatre Palmerston North, ex the St James' Theatre, Queen St Auckland) with Kaylee carbon-arc lamps. Sound was a mono Western Electric valve double amplifier system.  Extensive alterations  were made to the stage area with the addition of changing rooms, a make-up room, a green-room as well as wardrobe and property storage facilities.

In the 1980s the old valve sound amplifiers were replaced with a solid state system and a new electric fan-heating system was installed in the auditorium.

In the late 1990s, the  rows of fixed seats in the downstairs auditorium (originally from the Odeon (formerly the Mayfair) Theatre in Palmerston North) were removed, the floor level was raised  and the raked floor  was changed to a stepped configuration to allow for tables and chairs on two levels and a flat area at the front to allow for dancing, part of which could be removed during stage productions to access an orchestra pit.

In 2000, with the help of local donations and sponsorship and with a grant from the Eastern & Central Community Trust we were able to restore the theatre façade, the main entrance and foyer, including restoring the foyer layout to the original design, new art-deco-pattern carpet, a replica Regent neon sign on the canopy, a spotlight on the facade and restore the decorative neon in the foyer. A new 35mm fully automated 3 tier platter projection system replaced the 65 year old 2 projector manual system which had become incompatible with the new cyan-dye optical film soundtracks  and a USL digital sound system replaced the inadequate  analogue sound system.

In August 2011 we launched a fundraising project to completely refurbish our cinema auditorium and to upgrade our projection system to digital. Donations and sponsorship from local residents and community groups enabled us to purchase and install comfortable new seats, insulate the auditorium ceiling and line the walls with acoustic panels and drapes which improved not only the appearance but also greatly improved the digital sound quality. Also, thanks to a very generous grant from the Waireka Community Trust we can now offer patrons with a disability or in a wheelchair or mobility scooter easy and safe access to our upstairs auditorium via a lift from the street-level cinema foyer.

A cheque for $1100 towards the auditorium up-grade, presented to Cinema Society president Eleanor Bridge (left) by Beccy Anderson, president of Friends of St Anthony's School. The money was raised by St Anthony's school students selling potted daffodils.

Tony Simpson & family visit for a Q+A session for KIWI FLYER Oct 2012

Red carpet welcome for guests arriving by limousine for the Tararua Distrct Premiere of THE HOBBIT . 12/12/12

​In December 2014 we were extremely grateful to receive funding of $80,000 from the Central Energy Trust which enabled us to go ahead with the transition to a fully compliant digital projection system. 75 years almost to the day, after the theatre opened on 23 February 1940, Hoyts Cinema Technology Group ushered us into  the digital cinema era where the position of "projectionist" became redundant as the 'computer operator" took control of getting the movie on screen. No more reels of 35mm film to haul up the stairs, thread up onto the projector and then re-wind the 5-10 reels; the "film" is now a "digital file" which arrives on an encoded portable hard drive. All screenings are in internationally compliant DCP format, in 1080p 2K high definition 2D or 3D. Our Dolby Digital surround sound system has also been re-calibrated and set to the highest international standard and calculated to fit the exact shape and acoustics of our re-furbished auditorium.
​In May 2015 a new energy-efficient heat-transfer system was installed and in August 2015 hand-rails were installed on all stairways.

​The process of fund-raising for up-grading the auditorium is continuing.  Stairway lighting is planned as well as repairing the ceiling and repairing the floor, replacing floor coverings and new led auditorium and screen lighting installed.
If you would like to find out more about our on-going up-grade project or you would like to support this project, or join our volunteer staff group please email us at: regentpahiatua@xtra.co.nz or phone the manager on 06 376 8441.

​OUR FACILITIES

​The Community owned and operated Regent Upstairs Cinema offers the people of Pahiatua and the Tararua district a diverse programme of top quality digital cinema entertainment at family-affordable prices. 

Our cinema features include:
 DCP compliant digital movie projection with Dolby Digital surround sound and full CinemaScope screen.
Seating for 100 with stadium style seating including 4 wheelchair spaces.
Air-conditioned auditorium
DVD/Blu-ray Disc, PC hard drive compatible
Disabled persons conveniences plus wheelchair lift access from foyer to cinema auditorium
Assistive Listening stereo wireless headphones available.
We also have a wide array of snack items at our Candy bar, serving popcorn, ice-cream, drinks and confectionery. 
For  that special occasion, we offer Regent Gift Vouchers .. 

Technical specifications - Our equipment includes: 
One 8.5 metre full CinemaScope screen with side masking
Christie Solaria CP2215 Digital projector with a Doremi Showvault server holding 3 Terabytes of storage. 
Pennywise DA22 Automation system 
Screening facilities for DVD/Blu-ray formats or via a laptop Hdmi connection.
Volfoni Edge-2 Infra-red 3D system with active shutter 3D glasses
High quality QSC Amplifiers and speakers
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound processor with assistive listening via wireless stereo headphones
for patrons with impaired hearing.
Our projection & sound system is maintained to the highest industry standards by Hoyts Cinema Technology Group