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The Kings cinema exhibition is an art deco style cinema like those of the 1930s. On a computer in the foyer you can test your knowledge of the movies and glamorous stars of this era. In the theatre you can watch Australian newsreels and films from the 1920s and 1930s and hear the magical sounds of our Fotoplayer, a mechanical musicmaker used to provide the accompaniment for silent films.
The cinema has been built to look like the original theatres of the famous Kings cinema chain. Kings built many art deco cinemas in Sydney’s suburbs in the 1930s. Sadly this exhibition is only possible because so many of our old buildings have been demolished. The foyer includes interior fittings from the Queen Victoria Building. The seats are from the Manly Odeon, built in 1932 and demolished in 1985.
Education materials
Teachers notes
Powerhouse publications
Kings cinema: going to the pictures



The Fotoplayer made music and sound for silent films until the 1930s, when the talkies took over. The Fotoplayer can be heard daily in the Kings Cinema.