The Piccadilly Reveals 35mm Reel Revival Program
This is your chance to watch classic movies such as A Clockwork Orange, Sunset Boulevard and Batman Returns on the big screen.
Ever wanted to experience Stanley Kubrick’s classic A Clockwork Orange on the big screen or scare yourself silly with fellow horror lovers in a packed cinema watching The Blair Witch Project? Well, now you can thanks to The Piccadilly’s 35mm Reel Revival program.
A curated lineup of 13 cult classics, Hollywood blockbusters and cinematic masterpieces will screen at Adelaide’s iconic Piccadilly cinema from June to December.
The packed program kicks off this Saturday 14 June with My Own Private Idaho, Gus Van Sant’s independent drama starring River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves as buddies who embark on a life-changing journey in search of Phoenix’s mum.
The award-winning film helped spearhead queer indemepent filmmaking and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2024 for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
The eclectic program also includes films such as the 1999 indie horror masterpiece The Blair Witch Project, dystopian manga classic Akira, Oscar-winning film noir Sunset Boulevard and Michael Keaton’s superhero sequel Batman Returns.
Sessions and tickets for all films are available via wallis.com.au.
Opened in 1940, The Piccadilly in North Adelaide is one of the state’s most recognised buildings. Famous for its Art Deco design, created by Adelaide architects Evans, Bruer & Hall, in association with prominent Sydney cinema architect Guy Crick, The Piccadilly was named after London’s famed Piccadilly Circus.
Originally operated by Dan Clifford, the managing director of D. Clifford Theatre Ltd., Greater Union Cinemas took over after Clifford passed in 1942. By the ‘80s, The Piccadilly was on its last legs in 1983 and on the verge of demolition until Bob Wallis of Wallis Cinemas stepped in. He converted the building from a single-screen cinema to a three-screen cinema and helped revitalise the North end of the city.
After a massive refurbishment in 2021, rumoured to have cost close to $2 million, the cinema shut down for an extended period of time before reopening in 2022.
Since then, The Piccadilly has become revered as not only one of SA’s most treasured buildings, but one of Australia’s great cinemas, showcasing the latest blockbusters alongside classic cinematic masterpieces.
The Piccadilly’s 35mm Reel Revival Program runs from June to December. Check out the full lineup of films and purchase tickets via wallis.com.au.
