Embassy Theatre

The Embassy opened in 1924 as the De Luxe, seating around 1,500 in the grand manner of the period, and survived the long decline of single-screen cinemas partly because Wellington kept using it. It was restored in the 1990s and again before December 2003, when The Return of the King had its world premiere there - Peter Jackson's production base being a few kilometres away in Miramar - with a parade of a hundred thousand people down Courtenay Place. The Hobbit films premiered there too. The main auditorium has a large screen, a proper balcony and one of the better sound installations in the country, and it remains a working cinema rather than a heritage exhibit: it screens current releases, runs the New Zealand International Film Festival, and hosts occasional live events. Seeing something in the main room is the way to experience it; there is nothing to tour by day.

What you actually see

• The 1924 auditorium - around 1,500 seats with a full balcony.
• The premiere history - The Return of the King and the Hobbit films.
• The working programme - current releases and the film festival.
• The Courtenay Place setting - the theatre at the head of the strip.

When to go

Any evening with something on in the main auditorium - that is the point, and the smaller screens are ordinary. The film festival in July and August is the peak.

Honest expectations

There is no daytime tour - it is a cinema, and you see it by buying a ticket. Check that your session is in the main auditorium rather than one of the small screens.

Nearby

Courtenay Place and Cuba Street are adjacent; Te Papa is a short walk.