The Regent rose from the ashes as the Capitol cinema on London Road and was based on a series of plans for a new cinema designed in 1928. The Capitol opened for business on 3 December 1931. To celebrate the opening of the new cinema, Cineworld held an opening gala, where guests were treated to food, drinks, and a chance to try out all of the new experiences available at Cineworld Belfast including 4DX, ScreenX, and IMAX. a b c "Odyssey Cinema in St. Albans, GB – Cinema Treasures". cinematreasures.org. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018 . Retrieved 23 March 2018. A campaign was started to raise the money necessary to restore the cinema to its original 1930s state, as a viable private business.

a b c d e "The Odyssey History". Odyssey Cinema St Albans. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018 . Retrieved 23 March 2018. Winning big at the Oscars (seventeen awards in total, including best picture for Return of the King!) and the box office, it did so for a good reason: it’s utterly epic! Movie fans will be surrounded by special effects such as wind, fog, lightning, snow, bubbles, water, and scents. Available in both 2D and 3D formats, 4DX is one of the biggest innovations in cinematic technology. The new 4DX auditorium will house 172 specially designed seats.

Shauna Royle, Cineworld Belfast’s General Manager, commented: “We are delighted to finally open our doors to movie fans! We have a great variety of screening formats, offering the most immersive cinema experience in Belfast. We look forward to sharing our love of film with Belfast soon”. Restored art-deco cinema reopens". BBC News. 13 December 2014. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018 . Retrieved 23 March 2018.

By the 1990s, cinema chains had shifted their focus to large, out-of-town multiplexes and divested themselves of smaller town cinemas. With the opening of the new cinema complex at Jarman Park in Hemel Hempstead in 1995, Rank decided to close the St Albans Odeon. Despite the efforts of a local campaign to save the cinema, it closed to the public on 20 August 1995. The last film screened was Waterworld. After closure, the building was stripped of its fixtures and fittings. [1] [8] Re-opening [ edit ] Great for action-adventures and films you want to feel truly part of. Available in 2D and 3D formats. In 1932, the Capitol was sold again, this time to the D.J. James Cinema Circuit, and in 1934 the cinema underwent a major extension and refurbishment by the architect firm Kemp & Tasker, expanding the seating capacity to 1,728. The cinema changed hands again in 1937, when D.J. James was bought by Eastern Cinemas, part of the General Cinema Finance (GCF) group, and in 1943, GCF was in turn taken over by the Rank Organisation, who rebranded the Capitol under their Odeon Cinema Circuit name on 1 January 1945. [1] [6]With stimulating effects like water, wind, scent and strobe lighting that are timed to enhance what’s happening on screen, you’ll be truly thrilled in your seat. And speaking of your seat – it moves. The high-tech motion programming means it moves in time with the film’s action, and along with vibrations and shaking, you’ll feel like you’re part of the car chase; standing in the eye of the storm or steering the boat right into a tidal wave. Fun on your own, better with friends – 4DX is Cineworld’s most exhilarating way to watch a film. Our large single screen has 426 seats in total: 216 in the balcony and 210 in the downstairs seating area. Cineworld Belfast will also feature the multi-projection cinema technology, ScreenX, using extra footage to expand the traditional cinema screen out onto the side auditorium walls, creating a 270-degree viewing experience that will surround you in your seat. The innovative technology uses an array of projectors with proprietary ScreenX software, blending multiple images into one seamless picture. ScreenX walls are installed with a fabric to ensure brightness and colour closely match the content on the main screen and extend the length of the auditorium. Strategically placed audio systems and speakers ensure that sound does not compromise the immersive viewing experience. Cinema of the People – Now Showing Near You" (PDF). St Albans Civic Society Newsletter. Spring 2015 . Retrieved 23 March 2018.

In 1934, a further refurb raised the seating capacity to a massive 1,728. Three years later in April 1937, the D.J. James circuit was bought by Eastern Cinemas, part of the General Cinema Finance (GCF) group.They offer Step-Free Access from our Lower Paxton Road entrance – please ring the doorbell and a member of staff will be with you as soon as possible, and we have an Induction Hearing Loop fitted to our speakers in the DOWNSTAIRS seating area. Please inform them when making a booking. Arthur Melbourne Cooper was born in St Albans in 1874 at 99 London Road. As a teenager, he was inspired to go into the new art of moving photography when he became acquainted with Birt Acres, and he became a noted figure in the history of early cinema as a pioneering filmmaker. Cooper founded his Alpha Trading Company in 1906 to make short films, animations and newsreels. He set up the Alpha Production Works in Bedford Park Road, later moving to larger premises at Alma Road. Among the pioneering films he shot in St Albans was the animated fantasy, Dreams of Toyland (1908). [2] Unlike the former Alpha, the Capitol was built long-ways to London Road and access was at balcony level with stalls on the level below. In this incarnation the seating capacity was enlarged to 452 seats in the balcony and 1168 in the stalls. Underneath there were dressing rooms, a deep stage, a formal restaurant, and a Compton organ.