Regent Theatre & Cinema

General information

The Regent Upstairs Cinema is community owned and staffed by a part time manager and a team of cinema-loving volunteers, situated in the upstairs auditorium of the Regent Theatre, Pahiatua, New Zealand.
The Regent was opened by Kerridge Theatres over 75 years ago on 23 February 1940, and has been owned by the Pahiatua Repertory Society Inc since 1977. Live theatre productions presented by the Pahiatua Repertory Society take place regularly in the 120 seat Downstairs auditorium. The 110 seat Regent Upstairs Cinema is one of only three cinemas operating in the Wairarapa/Tararua region.
We are the only cinema in the Tararua District and the only cinema between Masterton & Waipukurau in Hawkes Bay.
Proudly locally owned and operated and serving the whole of the Tararua District, we can screen fundraiser events and school screenings in addition to our weekly programmed titles. Private DVDs and PC laptop content can be screened via our digital projection system for private events or functions.
In August 2011 we launched a successful fundraising project to completely refurbish our cinema auditorium and to upgrade our projection system to digital. Donations and sponsorship from local residents enabled us to purchase and install comfortable new seats, insulate the auditorium ceiling and line the walls with acoustic panels and drapes which improved not only the appearance but also greatly improved the Dolby digital sound quality. Also, thanks to a very generous grant from the Waireka Community Trust we can now offer patrons with a disability or in a wheelchair or mobility scooter easy and safe access to our upstairs auditorium via a lift from the cinema foyer.
In December 2014 we were granted funding of $80,000 from the Central Energy Trust which enabled us to go ahead with the transition to a fully compliant DCP, 2D & 3D digital projection system. All screenings are now in DCP digital format and dolby digital 5.1 surround sound. Fundraising to complete the auditorium upgrade continues.