Hoyts Tuggeranong Closing Down - Whither the Hyperdome?

Anna Key said :

And the things you find on youtube – Hyperdome Commercial from 1988.Apart from Toyworld, I don’t recall any of these when I moved here in the early 90s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gNsCbCBWKQ

The shops might have changed but the mullets haven’t.

And the things you find on youtube – Hyperdome Commercial from 1988.Apart from Toyworld, I don’t recall any of these when I moved here in the early 90s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gNsCbCBWKQ

I hope they do renovate and reopen the Tuggers cinemas. A ‘gold class’ or premium option would be fantastic too. I don’t think the Tuggers demographic is necessarily right for Dendy, but I’m sure that other providers could really make some money at tuggeranong if they get it right. Dendy’sI would actually prefer to go local and support the local industries (restaurants, movies) and if the cinema was up to par, I’d probably choose Tuggers over Woden, as it is a bit closer to home (and I’m lazy). My fingers are crossed that we have a fab new cinema at Tuggers one day soon.

Hang on, I see that’s pretty much what you were getting at too. One would assume that a movie theatre would get reduced rates surely but like you said, it would still be hard for them.

“I assume a cinema would not pay the fully going rate of ~$1200 per square meter at the shopping malls, but even at a fraction of that price its amazing they can survive…”

I was under the impression that supermarkets and department stores were heavily discounted per sqm in the malls because they are basically buying their sqm’s in bulk?

Or is that the decreased rate you are talking?

dommie said :

But geez … what are our kids going to do? The only legal youth activities left in the tuggeranong area seem to be the skate park (unsupervised and dangerous), ten pin bowling (rip off!) and the Youth Centre (no thanks!).

As with residential property the government has also helped drive up the price of commercial property by restricting land sales close to city centers, designing city centers to be too small to support many industries, and unquestioned support of closed retail malls. When land is released it is usually after the price has been driven up so substantially that only office and residential tenets can afford the rent.

The result is that most youth activities have been driven out of this town and will probably never return, or return at a reasonable price. You mentioned bowling, but when was the last time you saw a video arcade, indoor rock climbing or laser tag facility outside Belconnen?

I assume a cinema would not pay the fully going rate of ~$1200 per square meter at the shopping malls, but even at a fraction of that price its amazing they can survive…

bubzie said :

Bahaha.
How awkward..i was one of those tent people. Hi. 🙂

We werent protesting, we were..on a photo scavanger hunt 🙂

Hilarious 🙂 Hi bubzie. Sorry I got the wrong idea, I was halfway up the tunnel when someone else pointed it out. I hope it all went well then 😛

Well with the GDE expansion it will be quicker for residents to get between Woden and Belco. Maybe we get the Indoor Sports Stadium (and expanded Bruce sporting area) and all of Canberra will be following the Brumbies, Raiders, more soccer and AFL games rather than freezing our bits off looking for something to do in the middle of winter.

If you build it, they will come 😉

Agreed, Tuggeranong cinemas must go. Agreed, Tuggeranong in general needs a complete overhaul and some creativity. But geez … what are our kids going to do? The only legal youth activities left in the tuggeranong area seem to be the skate park (unsupervised and dangerous), ten pin bowling (rip off!) and the Youth Centre (no thanks!).

I am soooo glad I grew up in Canberra when I did, our kids have nothing to do. They are bored. Bored youth is usually not a good thing for communities. Aside from the increases in violence, binge drinking and basic hooliganism I would expect it is just another reason why our youth is leaving the city in droves once they have attained their intended level of education.

silvernitrate said :

an insider says its dendy

though i dont really trust her

If they do open up, i hope that they improve the entrance from anketell st among other things

I would be extremely surpised if Dendy purchased it, the area does not suit the demographic at which their cinemas are aimed (i.e. special interest/world movies and normally located in an area which is up-market). There was a story on 104.7 news tonight as I came home which said that Hoyts elected to close after an agreement with centre owners/management for the renewal of their lease could not be reached. They also quoted a Centro representative as saying the area would undergo a complete refurbishment before a new operator moved in.

I’m guessing Centro were asking for a rediculous amount of rent and a commitment from Hoyts to refurbish the cinemas, which they didn’t want to do. It does sound like a new operator has been found, but why Centro would be doing the refurbishment is slightly puzzling, though it may be a mis-translation.

reepy said :

There was a protest tonight (Tuesday) at the entrance to the cinema. A few people sitting in a tent. It didn’t really accomplish much, but good on them.

Bahaha.
How awkward..i was one of those tent people. Hi. 🙂

We werent protesting, we were..on a photo scavanger hunt 🙂

WIN News said that the new owner will refurbish the joint (including the seating) and install a digital sound system before reopening.

They didn’t name the new owner, but said a formal announcement would come out in a few weeks.

an insider says its dendy

though i dont really trust her

If they do open up, i hope that they improve the entrance from anketell st among other things

an update for tonight’s WIN News just mentioned a new operator has been found for the cinema.

There was a protest tonight (Tuesday) at the entrance to the cinema. A few people sitting in a tent. It didn’t really accomplish much, but good on them.

I went to see one last movie, “Funny People” and the film had three vertical scratches through it for the whole movie! Kind of sums it up really.

no movies = more time to fire bomb cars and poison dogs
Tuggers has so much going for it. poke 😉

watto23 said :

i remember when there was a Sizzler there, but not sure if the cinemas where there then, or the sizzler closed and the cinemas were built over the old sizzler.

Sizzler sat just past where EB Games is located now, which is where the Centre used to end. Walking out those doors, Sizzler was on the right and Hoyts was on the left.

Good tip Miss Pris! Almost worth the drive to Goulbourn if you are taking the whole family to the flicks (almost…) and they have that amazing bakery! I agree toadstool; if the tix were cheaper, we would go a lot more often. Turnover people, turnover!

$15 is too much for a movie. I visted my sister in Brisbane recently and all the cinemas charge $7-8 per adult as standard. I believe less and less people are prepared to pay $15 to see a movie these days so buy or rent DVDs to watch on their 50 inch plasmas. Maybe if adult tickets were half that price you might see an increase in patronage.

deezagood said :

I still don’t understand why they charge so much for a movie in this country … it is probably just too expensive for the prime suburban movie audiences (kids) to go any more. In the USA, our local cinema charged $7.00 a movie (4.00 on Tuesdays), and it was packed every night of the week – sometimes we even saw the same movie twice because it was such a cheap night out. I wish cinemas would try the lower-price/higher volume model before closing their doors. Not having a cinema is bad news for Tuggers – very bad indeed.

Hey Deez, if you’re ever passing by Goulburn and the timing is right it’s worth going to the movies there just because it’s so cheap. Adults $7 and kids $6. It’s not the most luxurious cinema in the world but at that price who cares! I’d have forgiven Tuggeranong Hoyts the ass numbing seats if the tickets had been half the price.

Pris

Like everyone else it doesn’t surprise me. i remember when there was a Sizzler there, but not sure if the cinemas where there then, or the sizzler closed and the cinemas were built over the old sizzler.

I go to the movies occasionally, but these days for less than $30 i can get a DVD for less than 2 movie tickets. Sit in a comfortable lounge and watch the movie on a reasonably large TV screen.

Due to the run down nature of Hoyts Tugg, i’d typically go to Woden. i think Civic was suffering just as much until Dendy came in.

busgirl said :

Addison said :

busgirl said :

Doesn’t suprise me that Tuggers Hoyts is closing. Why would anyone want to go to a cinema via the mall food hall…how tackarama.

Gee, your majesty to the cinema through the food court?

Imagine that!

Addison, if you don’t mind…we prefer Princess Busgirl – Bogan of Kambah

For me, going to the flicks is all about the experience…if you’re happy getting there via the food hall then knock yourself out. Hell, just come round to my place…I’ll let you leave your money on the fridge as you make your way via my kitchen to the big screen in the lounge room…and for half the price too 🙂

How did you know I’m a closet bogan? I’ll bring the chardie…

Thelozenger is possibly close to the mark, over the last couple of months Woden Hoyts have been conducting a survey when you buy your ticket.

They’d ask “Can I please have your postcode?” and I’d respond “It’s 2904 and yes I hate Tuggeranong Hoyts”.

Looks like someone finally listened to old hk0reduck! 🙂

As deye mentioned in #6 above, when Greater Union vacated the Civic site, it was snapped up for ActewAGL’s new 5-star showcase offices. Nice little earner and of course Dendy would have been part of the grand plans for Civic Centre as a whole.

Not sure whether the same enticement exists for the to-be-vacant site at Tuggeranong Hyperdome. I don’t exactly see hordes of businesses queueing up for space down there. Shame, but reality.

I spend most of my time heading to Tuggeranong vs. Woden but the last time I saw a movie was Quantum of Solace around Christmas time. The projector failed about 45 mins (half way) in to the movie. There were no staff around for 10 minutes or more until another punter shouted out in the main entrance hall and someone surfaced, shaken. They refunded us all when deeming it was beyond repair. Was a terrible experience and unfortunately a sign that they were running things down at least 9 months ago.

Reprobate said :

… Not sure whether that means a chain like Birch and Carrol or Greater Union, or whether it will be a non-cinema space. But clearly Hoyts have been running down the complex for a while now, it was really getting pretty skanky there…

Either way, the timing of the Hoyts closure struck me as odd, given that this Wednesday is just before the start of the school holidays.

BTW Birch, Carrol and Coyle and Greater Union are the same company. They use BC&C up north (mostly QLD/NT) and Greater Union elsewhere.

thelozenger said :

Punter said :

I can see two possibilities arising from this. Either the cinema is closed and that’s that or another cinema chain will pick up in the existing facility. I wonder what Hyperdome has planned for the space if it won’t remain a cinema once Hoyts vacate?

A friend of mine is a manager at Tuggeranong Hoyts. Apparently Hoyts have been planning this for a while. I was told six months ago that it would be closing soon. Greater Union was on the cards to buy it, but then changed their mind. From what they were told, Centro is looking at closing half the Hyperdome down, and then refurbishing it as offices, then selling them.
But don’t know how accurate that is, just what the staff heard!

the area designated for office space was in the old tuggeranong markets, now the lifestyle centre. ever wondered why there seems to be low ceilings in the old market area, but from the outside it looks a far bigger space? Centro, as i have already mentioned need to get the co-owner to agree to radical changes. losing a cinema is not what Leda want for the site.

Watch the DVD instead – simple

Punter said :

I can see two possibilities arising from this. Either the cinema is closed and that’s that or another cinema chain will pick up in the existing facility. I wonder what Hyperdome has planned for the space if it won’t remain a cinema once Hoyts vacate?

A friend of mine is a manager at Tuggeranong Hoyts. Apparently Hoyts have been planning this for a while. I was told six months ago that it would be closing soon. Greater Union was on the cards to buy it, but then changed their mind. From what they were told, Centro is looking at closing half the Hyperdome down, and then refurbishing it as offices, then selling them.
But don’t know how accurate that is, just what the staff heard!

Access to Tuggeranong Hoyts is a problem – too far from carparks, miles through empty shopping centre, tacky food court. We live in Tuggeranong but prefer to go to Manuka, Civic of Woden for a night out at the cinemas where dressing up in finery and having dinner at a nice cafe or restaurant beforehand becomes part of the package.

I was chatting with one of the HyperD’s (cringe) smaller tenants on Saturday – they said centre management had unoffically flagged a couple of months ago that Hoyts may be leaving the centre and that a new tenant was looking to move into the space. Not sure whether that means a chain like Birch and Carrol or Greater Union, or whether it will be a non-cinema space. But clearly Hoyts have been running down the complex for a while now, it was really getting pretty skanky there…

Either way, the timing of the Hoyts closure struck me as odd, given that this Wednesday is just before the start of the school holidays.

guruman said :

the news on Hoyts Tuggeranong Closing is that centro kicked them out, gave them one week to evacuate all equipment, Centro is the tru cultprit

rubbish. the leasing manager, if they were worth their salt, would have had the contracts re-drawn 6-months prior to lease end. Centro is not the only owner of the Hyperdome, they cannot sell to westfield unless Leda agrees. The fact that the cinema area will most likely be left with the fitout for a cinema after Hoyts depart means that another cinema group could easily and quickly move in. Perhaps Dendy may be interested in capturing the market at both ends?

The reason for lease closures in most part is the level of rent charged for the spaces, the actions of the leasing manager and the marketing team. If the rent is too high, there is little or no flow to the site and the advertising is poor and lack-lustre, shops will move to where there is a better return on investment. It is a shame, but a fact of life. The Hyperdome management need to look at where stores are going, try to group like stores together and improve the exposure of these areas. I cannot see this happen.

I went to the movies with some mates on Friday night. We first had dinner in Tuggers, and then drove to Woden for the movie itself. I think that says it all really.

The problem with Hoyts at the Hyperdome is simple. Yes they have 8 screens, but unless your planning on watching something really big or recent (where your placed into one of the “cinimax chairs”) you have to put up with something that it old, hard and uncomfortable, and yet they are still legally allowed to call it a chair.

Considering that I also have a nice sized TV at home, and comfy chairs, why would I pay $15 or more per person to sit in a cinema which makes economy air travel seem comfortable?

p.s dendy and electric shadows made a merger, all electric shadows staff and admin moved to dendy as per an agreement with shop owners as electic shadows could not afford a referb. Hence dendy offered a new cinema for the same demographic

Addison said :

busgirl said :

Doesn’t suprise me that Tuggers Hoyts is closing. Why would anyone want to go to a cinema via the mall food hall…how tackarama.

Gee, your majesty to the cinema through the food court?

Imagine that!

Addison, if you don’t mind…we prefer Princess Busgirl – Bogan of Kambah

For me, going to the flicks is all about the experience…if you’re happy getting there via the food hall then knock yourself out. Hell, just come round to my place…I’ll let you leave your money on the fridge as you make your way via my kitchen to the big screen in the lounge room…and for half the price too 🙂

the news on Hoyts Tuggeranong Closing is that centro kicked them out, gave them one week to evacuate all equipment, Centro is the tru cultprit

I’m sure I read/heard something many years ago that the Pac 6 cinemas were the most expensive in Australia. Maybe that’s something that never changed which wouldn’t have helped the cause?

Wellington Sludge said :

This would now have to make Tuggeranong an official ghetto – a city without a cinema is a city without a vibrant life!

Good grief! You don’t expect much!

Tuggeranong isn’t a city, it’s a part of one. It’s too close to Woden for another cinema of the same chain, especially when it happens to be the chain who never bother to bring the interesting films to town. But more importantly, Tuggeranong, unlike Woden, has a growing theatre.

So Woden will have a Hoyts, and Tuggeranong will have a theatre. Sounds vibrant enough to me. And when you want to see a good film you can go to Dendy in Civic or GU in Manuka (which are also part of the same city, too, BTW).

Why do we have this obsession with replicating the same range of businesses in every town centre, anyway? I like the idea of having a supermarket or a department store in every suburb, but for things that matter (like films, plays, musicals, galleries, etc), I will go wherever there is something that takes my fancy!

So, good riddance to another Hoyts. Hopefully the other two will be taken over by a mob with more vision eventually too.

The closure explains the lack of maintenance of the theatre systems – every movie I have been to in the last 12 months in Tugg has had technical issues – sound dissapearing or significantly reducing about 3/4 through a movie. But there are always plenty of seats – apart from blockbusters it would average no more than 6-8 people in the sittings I have been to. it is sad to see it go, and what a weird date to choose – surely you would try to negotiate to stay through the holidays at least?

Re the food court, apart from the rents maybe being large, the food places are not lacking turnover, there are always plenty of people eating there at peak times (not sure about weekdays). The mall has definitely gone down hill since Centro has taken over, lots of shops are suffering or have left. With a large resident population and plenty of people who would want to stay there rather than go to Woden or Civic where parking is painful and/or expensive There is no reason why the shops shouldn’t be popular and profitable.

deezagood said :

I still don’t understand why they charge so much for a movie in this country … it is probably just too expensive for the prime suburban movie audiences (kids) to go any more. Not having a cinema is bad news for Tuggers – very bad indeed.

It seems like a reasonably competitive industry, I am not sure why you assume it is overpriced. Movie tickets don’t seem any less affordable today than ever before. If memory serves me correctly, children’s tickets are about $11 each, which is still less than the minimum hourly wage.

Of course, the cinema’s wont be making that much with the huge royalties (up to 90% ?) and the huge rents that result from the market demanding they be located in or near shopping malls (see: Tuggers / Woden / Belconnen / Civic)

I sincerely doubt Tuggeranong will be without a cinema for long. Expect to see a competitor take over the lease, or a stand alone facility to be constructed nearby.

http://www.kentmccoy.com/TUGGERANONG.htm

Found this little jem shows the plan for tuggeranong till 2025.. Shows the planning of west tuggeranong!

The Woden interchange can’t be demolished soon enough. That entire end of Woden plaza has been downright depressing to be in for nearly two decades.

grunge_hippy said :

what, start building houses up in the hills and over the river? i’m not sure exactly where you propose they start building so that the hyperdome is ‘centre’

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tuggernong_Murrumidgee.jpg

I’m fairly sure that tuggeranong was going to be in the centre but they decided not to build in the corridor between the mountains and the river for a nature reserve or something simiar.. had they known they werent going to build there tuggeranong TC wouldnt be where is it today!

Anna Key said :

But any details on the Woden expansion? All I could find was a link on the ACTPLA site via google. I assume it means even less parking, which is at least one thing in the Hyperdome’s favour

http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/8433/attachmentg.pdf

I was going off that same document. From what I understand, the old Woden Police Station & Woden Interchange will be demolished. With Target, other stores & a new bus station being incorporated in that space. A study is currently being conducted, the main test will be to see how the new Westfield Belconnen Bus Station works. But by going how the low lives aren’t hanging around the Belconnen Bus Stations (since Belconnen Interchange closure). ACTION is quite in favor of a change at Woden, with changes likely to occur in Tuggeranong in 5 to 10 years (when Centro sells the Hyperdome to Westfield or QIC).

Myer in tuggers doesn’t look too good either these days

I find the Hyperdome incredibly convenient. I’ve only been the cinemas there a few times and sadly, they are in a terrible state. So overpriced and underserviced! I wish there was a decent Birch, Carroll and Coyle Megaplex here. Comfy seats, surround sound, bigger screen and decent prices.

coles and kmart were one big ‘super’ store. then they put the wall in and separated it. it has always been there. there has been no extension that i can remember, its always been that way. it may have ended at coles and the travellator, and hot dollar etc where put in when they built the multi story carpark, the same time they did the extension of target etc, then it changed slightly in looks. that side of the ‘dome used to end at hungry jacks and had a sizzler out the front.

the food court used to have an entrance where the asian takeaway and the oz food store place (cant remember the name) it also used to have a bar where the now closed italian place is!

I still don’t understand why they charge so much for a movie in this country … it is probably just too expensive for the prime suburban movie audiences (kids) to go any more. In the USA, our local cinema charged $7.00 a movie (4.00 on Tuesdays), and it was packed every night of the week – sometimes we even saw the same movie twice because it was such a cheap night out. I wish cinemas would try the lower-price/higher volume model before closing their doors. Not having a cinema is bad news for Tuggers – very bad indeed.

Ryan said :

Primal said :

Having the cinemas buried in the food court always seemed like an odd choice. Woden has a fantastic position by comparison, and Belconnen at least has EB and a couple of other shops to draw people its way.

Thinking back to my very young years, the food court was once just a straight ‘mall’ from kmart up to where the escalators are (although i think it used to be stairs), with another one running roughly from where hungry jacks is through to where the pet shop is. They then closed that one up, whacked Pacfic 6 in between and opened up the other section to make it into the food court.

That would mean that the cinema wasn’t actually planned for the hyperdome and was put in after a bit of a renovation.

All of that end of the centre from where Kmart currently stands was added as part of a few extensions, I was very young when the cinemas and the extension that separated kmart and coles was added. The Woolies lives in its current early 90s conditions due to the lease it entered into when it first opened and did massive business and the quick contraction as the various other woolworths stores in the area that have opened over the years. The high rent has basically made woolies not want to refurbish and I’ve heard rumors of their desire to open elsewhere with a Big W included..

Anyway, I’m somewhat surprised that Hoyts will shut. But lack of investment in the complex since it went from 6 to 8 cinemas probably hasn’t helped. I’m expecting there will be a lot more kids wandering the streets of the valley if another operator doesn’t pick up the lease. But given the cinema industry is contracting and most other operators have exited the Canberra market, it doesn’t look promising.

gooterz said :

From the inital plans wasnt tuggeranong meant to be in the centre of the town.. not at the edge.. isnt it time we started developing closer to town rahter than closer to cooma?

what, start building houses up in the hills and over the river? i’m not sure exactly where you propose they start building so that the hyperdome is ‘centre’

busgirl said :

Doesn’t suprise me that Tuggers Hoyts is closing. Why would anyone want to go to a cinema via the mall food hall…how tackarama.

Gee, your majesty to the cinema through the food court? Imagine that!

Primal said :

Having the cinemas buried in the food court always seemed like an odd choice. Woden has a fantastic position by comparison, and Belconnen at least has EB and a couple of other shops to draw people its way.

Thinking back to my very young years, the food court was once just a straight ‘mall’ from kmart up to where the escalators are (although i think it used to be stairs), with another one running roughly from where hungry jacks is through to where the pet shop is. They then closed that one up, whacked Pacfic 6 in between and opened up the other section to make it into the food court.

That would mean that the cinema wasn’t actually planned for the hyperdome and was put in after a bit of a renovation.

gooterz said :

The budgets of TV series now equal the big blockbusters too. Why pay for somethingyou can get for free.

If you took the aired footage of a prime-time popular (i.e. American) TV serial, multiplied the cost per episode so that it would equate to roughly the length of a feature film (120-160min) and compared the costs, then TV shows are still cheaper to produce than blockbuster films- and often provide a completely different experience.

I think the crux of the problem is that the Hyperdome just not ‘in’ nor has been for quite some time. Civic is bright and new, Woden is somewhat still there. Both not a huge distance away from Tugghetto. If you were meeting friends why wouldn’t you choose to meet them where you can actually be a proper mall rat?

Having the cinemas buried in the food court always seemed like an odd choice. Woden has a fantastic position by comparison, and Belconnen at least has EB and a couple of other shops to draw people its way.

TP 3000 said :

I wouldn’t put it past Hots to leave as Centro has put the rents up to bring themselves back into profit & it wasn’t viable. Others stores are slowing shutting at in the Hyperdome. Well it was said while the DFO & Airport Group legal battle was going on that Canberra didn’t have the population for too many shopping centers & the Hyperdome may be the first casualty. This will become more evident in a few years time when Westfield Woden expands & Target is incorporated in it. Coles Group will most likely shut Target in Tuggeranong & just have the one store in Woden. Unless things pick up at Kmart, Coles Group may just close Kmart all together.

The whole centre looks very run down. But any details on the Woden expansion? All I could find was a link on the ACTPLA site via google. I assume it means even less parking, which is at least one thing in the Hyperdome’s favour

http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/8433/attachmentg.pdf

One of the problems theses days, is that people espicalally younger people are spending more time on the internet, facebook etc. Back when we were kids the movies was one of the places that we got to see our friends, now its kind of redundant. The budgets of TV series now equal the big blockbusters too. Why pay for somethingyou can get for free.

Another problem with hoyts tuggeranong is the staffing, sure they saved a bit of cash.. by not employing as many people, but when pay $15 to see a movie and in your whole experience only see one employee(the one who sells you the ticket), you see rotting popcorn all over the cinemas and no one is there to check ur ticket, you tend to think your money is better spent up the road.

From the inital plans wasnt tuggeranong meant to be in the centre of the town.. not at the edge.. isnt it time we started developing closer to town rahter than closer to cooma?

ALSO a light rail network between town centres will quickly overcome the problem of having tuggeranong as a ghetto!

Doesn’t suprise me that Tuggers Hoyts is closing. Why would anyone want to go to a cinema via the mall food hall…how tackarama.

I have lived in the Lanyon Valley for years, and despite frequenting Hoyts – I haven’t been to Hoyts Tuggeranong in over a decade.

Wonder what will happen with all of the space.

Wellington Sludge said :

Civic closed because it couldn’t compete with the newly opened Dendy.

I’m pretty sure Civic would have closed regardless of Dendy turning up. It was obviously being run down long before Dendy was announced. I suspect the building owners had been eyeing off the real estate potential for the site and were just waiting for the right time.

I was there a few weeks back, it looked like a dump back then. If you look at how Hots Tuggeranong & Woden are set out, it might explain a bit.

Tuggeranong-At night you have to walk through long empty corridors somewhere to a carpark.
Woden-The carpark is right in front of you.

I wouldn’t put it past Hots to leave as Centro has put the rents up to bring themselves back into profit & it wasn’t viable. Others stores are slowing shutting at in the Hyperdome. Well it was said while the DFO & Airport Group legal battle was going on that Canberra didn’t have the population for too many shopping centers & the Hyperdome may be the first casualty. This will become more evident in a few years time when Westfield Woden expands & Target is incorporated in it. Coles Group will most likely shut Target in Tuggeranong & just have the one store in Woden. Unless things pick up at Kmart, Coles Group may just close Kmart all together.

Over the next few months I suspect some shops will leave the food court at Tuggeranong

simple. tuggeranong cinema sucks. if i go to the movies, which is rare, i go to woden or splurge on dendy premium.

only impact i can see is during school holidays, it seems popular then.

I can see two possibilities arising from this. Either the cinema is closed and that’s that or another cinema chain will pick up in the existing facility. I wonder what Hyperdome has planned for the space if it won’t remain a cinema once Hoyts vacate?

Well, there is also distance considerations to the nearest cinema. It’s rare to build a new one within 10km of an existing one.

Dendy was a frontal attack on a weak incumbent (which succeeded).

But to have no cinema in the whole of tuggeranong does seem strange. They must be engaging in truly heroic movie piracy down there.

One other possibility worth considering is that the cinema there wasn’t built as a full ‘plex. It was more of a large metro-plex, a much less successful concept, and built as an indy rather than a proper big box hoyts.

The screens down there really aren’t a great deal better than a top notch home cinema system.

I’m guessing hoyts are either planning to build a proper big box or caught wind that someone else is about to.

This would now have to make Tuggeranong an official ghetto – a city without a cinema is a city without a vibrant life!

This is bizarre – Cosmopolitan, Center and Electric Shadows cinemas closed because of the (sad) changing face of cinemas from small alternative to big multiplex, and Civic closed because it couldn’t compete with the newly opened Dendy. Why didn’t Tuggeranong Hoyts work? Usually, the rule of thumb for constructing and running a cinema is “If you build (and work) it, they will come”.