Academy Gold Cinema is a three-screen, purpose-built art house cinema at The Colombo, a former mall at 363 Colombo Street in Sydenham that has become one of Christchurch's most interesting shopping precincts. It is the work of the Cook family, who previously ran three much-loved CBD cinemas — Metro Gold, the Academy and the Cloisters — all lost to the 2011 earthquake. With Academy Gold, the family has now been providing quality film-going in Christchurch for close to four decades.
The three auditoriums are deliberately intimate: the Academy seats 65, the Metro takes 48 and the Odeon holds just 25. Every screen features luxury Fuzi-brand armchairs, air conditioning, top-of-the-line QSC sound, and DCP projection with occasional e-cinema and 3D capability. The building was constructed to the highest strengthening standards — something post-earthquake Christchurch audiences appreciate knowing.
The programme centres on a wide range of recent art house releases, balanced with school holiday films for families, while Cheap Tuesdays make a visit easy on the wallet. The cafe snackbar holds a full liquor licence — fitting, given that the old Academy in the Arts Centre was the first cinema in New Zealand to have one.
Practicalities are well sorted: free parking for more than 500 cars in the adjacent Elgin Street car park, level access to all screens, and a friendly team on hand — Darren is the contact person, reachable on 03 377 9911 or 03 377 9913, or via [email protected].
When the 2011 earthquake reshaped central Christchurch, it took with it three much-loved cinemas — Metro Gold, the Academy and the Cloisters — all owned and operated by the Cook family in the CBD. In many cities that would have been the end of the story. In Christchurch, it was a new beginning. The family found a fresh site at The Colombo, a former mall at 363 Colombo Street in Sydenham that has since grown into one of the south city's most interesting shopping precincts, and there they built Academy Gold: a three-screen, purpose-built art cinema complex.
The precinct carries extra reassurance for locals: the building was constructed to the highest strengthening standards, something post-earthquake Christchurch takes seriously. And while many entertainment venues moved south after the earthquakes into areas like Sydenham that were once rather neglected, Academy Gold has helped turn the area into a genuine destination — for film, for coffee, and for a night out.
Academy Gold keeps things boutique. The largest auditorium, the Academy, seats 65; the Metro takes 48; and the Odeon is an intimate 25-seat room where even a mid-week session can feel like a private hire. Every screen is fitted with luxury Fuzi-brand armchairs and air conditioning, the sound is top-of-the-line QSC, and projection runs on DCP with occasional e-cinema — with 3D capability for films that call for it.
That small scale is deliberate. This is a cinema built around the art house experience: recent releases you might not find at a multiplex, shown in rooms where the audience feels connected to the film and to each other.
The programme leans towards a wide range of recent art house releases, balanced with school holiday films so families have a reason to come through the door too. Cheap Tuesdays have become a fixture, with tickets listed at $12, making a night at the pictures one of the most affordable outings in the city.
The cafe snackbar is another point of difference. Academy Gold holds a full liquor licence — fitting, given that the old Academy cinema in the Arts Centre was the first cinema in New Zealand to have one. A coffee or a glass of wine alongside your film is very much part of the experience here.
Finding the cinema is simple: it sits inside The Colombo at 363 Colombo Street, and parking is no problem — the adjacent Elgin Street car park is free and can accommodate more than 500 cars. Level access to all three screens means the cinema welcomes everyone, and the air-conditioned auditoriums keep summer sessions comfortable.
Questions about what's on can be answered by the team — Darren is the contact person — on 03 377 9911 or 03 377 9913, or via the cinema's website, artfilms.co.nz.
Christchurch audiences have proven themselves particularly cinema literate, and although some drifted away from the big screen in the wake of the earthquakes, locals have returned in earnest — encouraged by the addition of venues like Academy Gold. That continuity comes down to the Cook family: Annette, Darren, Glenn and Rebecca, who have carried on the legacy of husband and father Rodney Cook by providing quality film-going in Christchurch for close to four decades.
Whether you're a devoted art house fan catching the latest release, a parent looking for school holiday entertainment, or simply someone who believes that watching a film in the company of strangers in a dedicated place is still a special experience, Academy Gold delivers it with warmth, comfort and a well-poured drink.