Academy Gold Cinema

The arthouse theatre was the dream of Rodney Cook, who was well-known for his work in Christchurch's cinema industry. Cook lost the Metro Gold cinema near Cathedral Square in the February 2011 earthquake and was evicted from the Academy and Cloisters cinemas at the Christchurch Arts Centre which was damaged in the quakes. After the quakes, he was desperate to get cinemas running again so started planning a new cinema in Sydenham's former Spotlight mall. However, he died in January this year before it could be completed. His family carried on the business and it is now a popular Christchurch attraction.