Carlton Cinema

The Carlton Cinema was a former cinema located on the west side of Upper O'Connell Street in Dublin, Ireland, directly opposite the Savoy Cinema. It opened on 16 April 1938 with a screening of The Awful Truth and closed on 20 October 1994. The building was designed by the architectural firm Robinson & Keefe in the Art Deco style, and its interior decoration relied principally on paint and lighting, with two large displays featuring a musical instrument motif formed by twenty panels on either side of the screen. The auditorium seated 1,500 in the stalls and 500 in the circle, and the design also included a stage and dressing room. The cinema was built on the site of the first Carlton Cinema, which operated from 1915 to 1936. In 1956 it hosted the European premiere of Rock Around the Clock, which played to packed houses for three weeks. It earned the nickname "the House of Horror" because of the large number of horror films shown there. In 1959 it was taken over by Associated British Cinemas (ABC), and in the late 1960s it was taken over by EMI. During the 1970s many concerts were held on its stage, featuring performers such as Duke Ellington, Cleo Laine, Johnny Cash, James Last, Fats Domino, Nana Mouskouri, Rory Gallagher, Marlene Dietrich, and Don McLean. The cinema was last taken over by MGM and was subdivided into three screens, with a fourth screen later added in the space where the cinema restaurant had been. It closed on 20 October 1994; two of the final films screened were Singin' in the Rain and Rock Around the Clock. Since then the site has been the subject of court battles over redevelopment, and in 2003 it was compulsorily purchased by the city council to facilitate a new project on the site and an adjoining area that had been vacant since 1976. The ground floor of the cinema is in use by the adjoining Dr Quirkey's Goodtime Emporium. The site of the former cinema was owned by Hammerson and formed part of a larger redevelopment plan for the area prior to July 2026, when it was acquired by Transport Infrastructure Ireland for use as the MetroLink station on O'Connell Street.

The Carlton Cinema opened on 16 April 1938 on the west side of Upper O'Connell Street in Dublin, Ireland, opposite the Savoy Cinema. Its first film was The Awful Truth. It was built on the site of the first Carlton Cinema, which had operated from 1915 to 1936, and was designed by architects Robinson & Keefe. The building was constructed in the Art Deco style. Inside, the decoration relied principally on the use of paint and lighting, but two large displays with a musical instrument motif were formed by twenty panels on either side of the screen. There was seating for 1,500 in the stalls and 500 in the circle, and a stage and dressing room were also included in the design. In 1956, the cinema held the European premiere of Rock Around the Clock, which played to packed houses for three weeks. The cinema received the nickname "the House of Horror" due to the number of horror films shown there. In 1959, it was taken over by Associated British Cinemas (ABC), and in the late 1960s it was taken over by EMI. Many concerts were held on the stage in the 1970s, from performers such as Duke Ellington, Cleo Laine, Johnny Cash, James Last, Fats Domino, Nana Mouskouri, Rory Gallagher, Marlene Dietrich, and Don McLean. The cinema was last taken over by MGM, and was subdivided into three screens, and later a fourth screen was added where the cinema restaurant was. It closed on 20 October 1994; two of the final films screened were Singin' in the Rain and Rock Around the Clock. Since then, it has been the subject of court battles to redevelop the site and in 2003 was compulsorily purchased by the city council to facilitate a new project on the site, and an adjoining area, which has been vacant since 1976. It is proposed the site be incorporated into the redevelopment of the O'Connell and Moore Street areas. The ground floor of the cinema is in use by the adjoining Dr Quirkey's Goodtime Emporium. The site of the former cinema was owned by Hammerson and part of a larger redevelopment plan for the area prior to July 2026, when it was acquired by Transport Infrastructure Ireland for use as the MetroLink station on O'Connell Street.

• 2026

  Site acquired by Transport Infrastructure Ireland for the MetroLink station on O'Connell Street.

• 2003

  Compulsorily purchased by the city council for redevelopment.

• 1994

  Cinema closes on 20 October; final films include Singin' in the Rain and Rock Around the Clock.

• 1970

  1970s: concerts held on stage by Duke Ellington, Johnny Cash, Marlene Dietrich and others.

• 1960

  Late 1960s: taken over by EMI.

• 1959

  Taken over by Associated British Cinemas (ABC).

• 1956

  European premiere of Rock Around the Clock plays to packed houses for three weeks.

• 1938

  Second Carlton Cinema opens on 16 April with The Awful Truth.

• 1936

  First Carlton Cinema closes.

• 1915

  First Carlton Cinema opens on the site.

A major Dublin city-centre cinema and entertainment venue, known for its Art Deco architecture, horror film programming, and 1970s concert stage.

• Cinema screenings

• Live concerts and stage performances

1. 1Carlton Cinema, Dublin - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Carlton Cinema - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Home | Picturedrome - Bognor Regisbognor-regis.picturedromecinemas.co.uk
4. 4About Us | Picturedrome - Bognor Regisbognor-regis.picturedromecinemas.co.uk