Embassy Theatre

At the end of Courtenay Place, the building that dominates is the Embassy Theatre. Sitting to one side of its entrance is the DeLuxe Café, which preserves the original name for the Embassy, a cinema that has been refurbished to reflect its former glory.

The Australasian Premiere of "The Fellowship of the Ring" was held here on December 19, 2001. "The Two Towers" premiered a year later. Then in 2003 the Embassy was the venue for the World Premiere of "The Return of the King". The New Zealand premiere of "King Kong" followed on December 14 2005. The World Premiere of "The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey" took place on November 28 2012. The Embassy is one of the venues for the New Zealand International Film Festival normally held in July. Within the Embassy on the first floor, Blondini's Café and Jazz Lounge offers coffee and cakes and an outstanding Art Deco visual experience. In 2012 the old orchestra pit was converted into a bar and lounge by Designgroup Stapleton Elliott in association with Indyk Architects. It has "the glamour of the 1920s film era apparent in the colour, texture and pattern of the fabrics, light fittings and wall treatments."

The Embassy is now owned by Wellington City Council. The theatre is a recognized place of historic value by Heritage New Zealand. It is the only custom-built 1920s cinema still in use in New Zealand today.

**Listen to the audio guide **(see link above) or read on for its history and Peter Jackson's involvement.

Born in the days of silent cinema, the DeLuxe opened in 1924. It boasted 1749 seats and a huge screen. Musical accompaniment came from a Wurlitzer organ or a full orchestra. Llewellyn Williams, the theatre’s architect designed several other theatres for this golden age of cinema but the Embassy is the sole survivor. It nearly didn’t survive.

As cinema lost its audience to television the Embassy was “modernised” several times and the size of the auditorium reduced. Many of its features were destroyed or hidden behind modifications. But it made an impression on one young cinemagoer in particular.

Peter Jackson recalled “Throughout my early years in Wellington, the Embassy Theatre was, to me, that single word “Embassy”, in red neon, angling irresistible skywards. I was spellbound by the way those carefree italics shone out over Courtenay Place. To my young eyes, that sign and its grand building held the promise of something thrilling. I still remember the first movie I ever saw at the Embassy. I remember the cinema making as big an impression on me as the film. I was in awe of the place, from the sweep of the identical staircases that took you away from the street, to the immense scale of the screen and auditorium. I marvelled at how anyone could ever make curtains that size.”

An Embassy Theatre Trust with Jackson as a member was formed; it bought the cinema in 1997. Now seating 800 the cinema was refurbished in time to host the world premiere of Jackson's film The Return of the King. The refurbishment included a new; giant cinemascope screen and state-of-the-art sound system, luxury seating, stylish environs and a restoration that is faithful to its origins making this the ultimate cinema experience.