Starlight prepares to shine again
Tammy Prince checks progress on the new cinema fit-out. Photo: Dan Hutchinson
Taupō’s new cinema is taking shape and could be ready in as little as three months.
By Dan Hutchinson
The former Taupō Vet Centre premises at 3 Oruanui St is now being fitted out as a cinema with three screens in 50-seat, 40-seat and 30-seat theatres.
Owners Tammy and Charlie Prince had a long hunt for the perfect premises but now have the necessary resource consents in place and the building work is well underway.
Tammy says they might also have a small lounge cinema at some stage but will start off with the three theatres.
The building is actually one of the first they looked at but they initially wanted space for more and larger theatres.
“Towards the end, we realised we didn't need that many seats. We had 600 seats in the last place, and we didn't need that much room.
“Our biggest cinema, there was 188 seats, and sometimes we had three people in there.”
Very little of the old cinema is coming to the new premises, although the popcorn machine is getting a makeover and will make a return.
Screens, audio equipment and the seats are all new.
“The seats are awesome. Much better than what we had, which people will love to hear.
“They are not like a big lazy boy, I'm hoping we can do that for the lounge eventually, but they're beautiful seats.”
The new cinema will also be stocking lots of American treats, which is something they had started doing at the old premises before it was closed for demolition.
“My husband (Charlie) is American, and I think our point of difference is going to be the candy. He wants to get all the American candy in. I was talking to a friend this morning, and he wants the Swedish candy in. So, I'm going to look at all of that.
“But it was such a hit. People came in, not even going to a movie, would come in and buy that candy.”
Another feature of the new cinema will be the ability to buy tickets online, rather than having to dash down to the old Starlight Arcade and buy them in advance or turn up and try your luck.
Tammy says the whole process has been quite “daunting” with lots of decisions to be made and breaking her foot a few weeks ago hadn’t helped much.
But she still has the same passion for cinema.
“I've loved movies my entire life. This is such a dream. I'm very excited.”
The couple purchased Starlight Cinema off former owner Peter Smith who had worked there since 1979 and owned it since 1981.
Tammy’s dad Tom owned a cleaning company that had the contract for Starlight Cinema when she was growing up, she told Taupō & Tūrangi News back in 2022.
“I worked in Dad's company in the holidays. The cinema would be my babysitter. In 1993 when The Lion King came out, I watched it 19 times over 14 days. I saw Titanic 22 times, I love movies."
They knew then that the cinema building was nearing the end of its life but finding a new premises has been quite difficult, because it needs to have really high ceilings.
The work is due to be finished in about three months, but Tammy says delays are to be expected in a project like this.
Starlight Cinema owners Tammy and Charlie Prince with former owner Peter Smith back in 2022.
She hopes they will get a similar boost to what they got after all the Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions.
They will be able to put on all the great movies that people have missed out on over the last two years, in addition to all the new releases.
She is still deciding what the first movie should be in the new cinema.
“I don't know what will be the first one, but I will make it iconic. I'll make it a cool one.
“I actually looked into the very first movie that was played at the last cinema in 1960 and it was like a random movie, like a cowboy movie about a donkey. It was so weird.”
She says parking will be no different to when they were in the middle of the CBD, and their busiest times were outside of work hours and on the weekends.