The big multiplex era arrived in Dundee with the opening of the Odeon at Stack Leisure Park in Lochee 30 years ago.
The newly built multi-million-pound cinema opened with a promise to “spark the imagination of a city which has always enjoyed a love affair with the movies”.
Also on offer to entertain the public at the opening weekend on June 19 and 20 1993 was a bouncy castle, stilt walkers, face painting, sumo wrestlers and bungee jumping.
The first movie shown at 2pm was Super Mario Brothers.
What were the prices?
Tickets cost £4.25 and £3.50 and films shown during the opening week included Dracula, Under Siege, Bodyguard, A Few Good Men, Strictly Ballroom and Hook.
A ticket was £3.35 or £2.50 for children and senior citizens.
Cashiers were operating computers at what was described as “this new-age Odeon”.
Cinema 1 held 574 seats and was the largest of the six with the others hosting 233, 221, 216, 210 and 192 with capacity for 1,646 people under one roof at the same time.
So what was it like walking through the doors of the cinema back in 1993?
An Evening Telegraph advertising feature said there was a feeling of “going to the movies in style” with fine surroundings “to enjoy the very best of modern filmmaking”.
It read: “Overhead, as you enter, a glance upward will reveal 1930s-style light fixtures which will certainly prove most evocative for older patrons, recalling the time when cinema was king and demanded more than one visit per week for anybody who cared about being well-entertained.
“At the ticket office, the ticket issue system is computerised so that each person receives a ticket for one particular seat, which saves you from going in and searching for a vacant one, as was done in the old days.
“Above this office is a splendid mural, painted by pupils of Menzieshill High School, featuring comic characters such as Dennis the Menace.
“In the foyer, there is a shop where hot dogs, popcorn, soft drinks, and other goodies are on sale.
“Opposite it is a self-service sweet shop, offering packaged chocolates, toffees and a selection of the other types of confectionary which make an evening at the cinema all the more enjoyable.
“Also in the spacious foyer is the Odeon Shop where posters, magazines, video cassettes and other movie merchandise can be purchased.”
The Moving Images Bar was a misty-eyed trip back to cinema’s glory days where you could relax in a director’s chair which featured a movie star’s name on the back.
Where else could a lad from Fintry sit nursing a pint in Clint Eastwood’s seat?
The advertising feature said: “The magnificent Moving Images Bar, fully licensed, has three-dimensional murals depicting a film crew in action, and around the room is archive material such as vintage filming equipment and equipment from old cinemas.
“The bar is for patrons only, and the management suggest you arrive sometime before the performance starts, and enjoy a drink before going in.
“Please note that this is the only place in the Odeon where smoking is permitted.”
How times change.
What was it like once you got to your seat?
The Evening Telegraph said: “Cinema 1 has digital sound, the first outwith London’s West End to have this equipment, while the others have Dolby SR, so that in all six cinemas the sound system is extremely effective.
“Seats on the raked floors are arranged in such a way that you are not staring into the back of the head of that tall person in the next row.
“The seats are very comfortable with plenty of legroom, as they are based on the requirements of a tall person.
“In each cinema there are rows of special luxury seats, which can booked, and these can be viewed in advance, so that specific seats can be chosen.
“The seats at each price are equally comfortable, it’s simply that the little bit extra secures a more distant look at the big screen, which has always been preferred by some movie fans.”
There was even a “chummy seat”.
The advertising feature suggested “veteran cinema-goers” would know what that was.
It read: “For the benefit of younger people, it was a pair of seats with no arm rest separating them, so that a courting couple could sit close together.”
Ooh matron!
Movies for all ages and tastes at the Odeon Dundee
The first week concluded on Friday June 24 1993 with the official opening where a showing of Cliffhanger followed the ribbon cutting by Taggart star Mark McManus.
Reality was suspended when the Evening Telegraph previewed the event and described the movie as “Sylvester Stallone’s latest, and some say his greatest, action-packed film”.
No doubt a few fans of Rocky and Rambo might disagree!
What else was on offer for Dundee cinema-goers that second week?
The psychosexual drama Boxing Helena was “for those seeking adult fare” while “handsome hero Don Johnson of Miami Vice fame” was starring in Born Yesterday.
Champions was “notable for a great performance by Emilio Estevez” while 3 Ninjas would “act like a magnet” for people who were “fascinated by the martial arts scene”.
Innocent Blood was apparently “not to be missed” while Nowhere to Run was described as starring “another favourite with the ladies, the rugged Jean-Claude Van Damme”.
What would you have watched after getting your pick and mix?
The Odeon employed more than 40 people and manager Roger Moon said he was confident the “superb programme of varied feature films” would appeal to the masses.
The Odeon would offer a movie experience where “you actually feel you are in the thick of it and accompanying the heroes and heroines through the perils they encounter”.
The Evening Telegraph said: “The present programme at the Odeon, makes full use of the six screens to provide variety, so that it would be surprising if you did not find at least one film showing which is of interest to you.
“It’s a far cry from the old days when there was plenty of cinemas in Dundee but they were scattered all over the town, so that you might be faced with quite a journey to get to the one which was showing a film you wanted to see.
“You can drop in at the Odeon without prior knowledge of the programme, make your choice, enjoy a drink at the Moving Image Bar, buy your chocolates at the cinema shop, and go in and enjoy the film.
“And all under the one roof.”
The bulldozers were the final act.
Initially hailed a success, the Stack Leisure Park boasted, at its height, the Odeon cinema, Megabowl bowling alley, the Venue nightclub, Buzz Bar pub, Fatty Arbuckle’s restaurant, a Tesco supermarket, a Gala Bingo hall and a petrol station.
But the developer’s vision of creating a lively, bustling centre for entertainment and dining quickly proved to be a pipe dream as business after business shut its doors.
The Odeon closed in March 2001 after suffering a drop in trade following the opening of the nine-screen UGC multiplex at the nearby Camperdown Leisure Park.
The final credits rolled on the blockbuster era but the final curtain didn’t fall until September 2022 when the “new-age Odeon” was demolished without ceremony.
