Irish stars have expressed their sadness, as Dublin’s Savoy Cinema is planning on reducing the size of their legendary screen one.
According to the Herald, plans have been drawn up to “reduce the capacity of the theatre from 800 to 680 people” to accommodate two smaller-sized screens.
The decision has been described as a “sad day for Irish cinema”, as the auditorium, which once held 2,500 people, played host to plenty of Irish and International film premieres.
“I remember going to see my first James Bond movie there in 1985 and to see these plans is a sad day for Irish cinema,” RTÉ DJ Rick O’Shea said.
Sad day: Rick has attended and introduced plenty of film premieres in the Savoy over the years | VIPIRELAND.COM
“I’ve seen Superman and Silence of the Lambs there as well as introducing premieres over the years. The building has so much history.
“But I understand exactly where they are coming from. You’ve got Cineworld around the corner with a car park underneath so it’s much easier for them to attract people.”
Meanwhile, former Love/Hate star Lynn Rafferty said, “The biggest reason we went to the Savoy was for that screen so this just takes away from the cinema.”
“I have been to see countless movies in screen one – it’s a stunning screen to watch films on and there’s always a really nice old school feeling about it that adds to the experience. I get that the Savoy is a business in a competitive world but it would be really sad to see Ireland’s first widescreen go.”
A spokesperson for the Savoy said, “The plan is now with the board of directors and there is no date or timeline on the development.”
