Hoyts wants competition barred from Port Cinema

by Rebecca Robbins

May 13, 2008

A HOYTS proposal to lock competitors out of the underused Port cinema complex has been opposed by independent movie houses nearby.

In a proposal to Fremantle council, Hoyts wants to surrender its lease over the council-owned cinema in Adelaide Street. In doing so, the cinema giant has asked the city not to allow any other movie house to use the purpose-built theatre.

Jamie Helmer, assistant manager at the independently-owned Luna Essex cinema in Fremantle said Luna would be unlikely to express interest in Port cinema. Stressing his comments were not the views of Luna’s owners, Mr Helmer said Hoyts should not be allowed to lock out competitors.

“It is frustrating for everyone else,” he said.   “It should be used as a functioning cinema.

“This city doesn’t have enough art or money put into that area so I would encourage anything that gets more people interested.  It would be great.”

According to a Fremantle council staffers’ report, Hoyts took a 20-year lease on Port Cinema on June 1, 1990 in order to “avoid any competition taking hold at this site”.

John Cope, from the Film and Television Institute, located next door to Port Cinema, said FTI may have expressed interest in the site, if the council had notified FTI of Hoyts’ intension to vacate. Although FTI already has a 120-seat cinema of its own, on a few occasions it has wanted to do bigger events, Mr Cope said.

“From our perspective, we aren’t interested in winning a commercial complex and we have never seen ourselves in competition with Hoyts,” he added.  “We would be interested in using it for community events such as for not-for-profit organisations or independent screenings.”

The proposal was set to be debated on May 15 by the council’s Strategic and General Services Committee.

Committee chair Georgie Adeane said she’d like to see the cinema remain, possibly as a live theatre which she said Fremantle lacked.

Hoyts has also asked to retain its lease over the council-owned Queensgate cinema when that lease expires in May 2010.  Hoyts hopes to reduce its annual rent to offset the $350,000 loss it says Queensgate is making each year.

The company currently pays the council $616,820 each year in rent.  A recommendation put by council staffers to Ms Adeane’s committee suggests $430,000 per year would be more appropriate given Hoyts’ plans to undertake a $500,000 cinema upgrade.

“It is in our interest to help Hoyts’ revival,” Cr Adeane said. “I think it is quite a good deal to accept their offer.

“It is in the community interest to try to keep Hoyts.”