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The Empire Theatre opened in 1915 as a two-tiered cinema
with 946 seats. In those days the 'moving pictures' were a very new
phenomenon, and that Bowral had an audience to support such a grand
theatre tells a lot about the vibrancy of the town at the time. Most
of the great 'motion picture palaces' of Australia were only built
in the 1920s and 30s.
 The Empire Theatre was an important
social and entertainment hub of the community. On nights when films
weren’t being screened, all of the wooden collapsible chairs
were folded away and the floor of the theatre was used as a roller
skating rink. The theatre was also used for other community events,
including Bowral Public School's annual fancy dress pageant and was
the venue for a celebrated Conscription Debate in 1917 with the then
South Australian Premier as the proponent. The Empire was also the
venue for the civic farewell to Don Bradman on his 1930 Ashes tour.
Over the years, The Empire Theatre
saw the advent - first of talkies in the 1930s, colour in the 1940s
- then Cinemascope in the early 1950s. In 1973 the stalls were removed
to accommodate shops and office space.
A new cinema auditorium was formed from the old dress circle and seating reduced
to 350 seats. Twenty years later the Empire was converted to a modern twin
cinema. Cinema One with 253 seats, and Cinema Two 125 seats. In 1994 Dolby
Digital Sound was introduced to Cinema One and later to Cinema Two.
The Empire Twin Cinema was awarded
the Best Independent Country Cinema at the 2003 Australian Movie Convention.
Today, after 90 years, The Empire Cinema - the Southern Highlands own
cinema - continues the tradition of showing fine films. Comfortable
and fully air-conditioned, with screenings of the latest movies throughout
the week, the Empire Cinema remains a focal point of entertainment
for adults and children alike in the Southern Highlands. With the extension
of The Empire Twin Cinema to a modern four cinema complex which opened
on March 17th, 2005. Cinema Three has 65 seats while Cinema Four has
144 bringing the total capacity for all four cinemas to 587.
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