ODEON Birmingham New Street - the second oldest cinema in the City Centre, used to be the Paramount Theatre
.jpg)
There has been a cinema / theatre on New Street in Birmingham for around 85 years. Originally the Paramount Theatre from 1937 to 1942. And then ODEON for the last 80 years and counting. The brick building has survived on the railway side from Birmingham New Street Station. Now has around 9 screens and a Costa Coffee. Built on the former site of King Edward VI High School for Girls.
The Paramount Theatre
After King Edward VI High School for Girls relocated to Edgbaston Park Road, vacating their former New Street premises in the mid 1930s (following the boys school - King Edward's School). The site was cleared and a theatre was built on the site, designed in the Art Deco style by Frank Verity & Samuel Beverley, and built from 1936 to 1937. The distinctive brick building at the back can still be seen from Birmingham New Street Station (either at road level or platform level).
The Paramount Theatre opened on the 4th September 1937. It was one of seven Paramount Theatres built in major UK cities by the American owned Paramount Theatres chain. It used to have a Compton 4 Manual / 10 Rank theatre organ. The Paramount had a large stage, dressing rooms and a café / restaurant.
ODEON
On the 25th August 1942 it was sold to Oscar Deutsch's Odeon Theatres Ltd (about 9 months after his death). It was renamed to Odeon on the 29th November 1942. In the 1960's the Odeon was used for many 'One Night' concerts by pop groups, including The Beatles. In April 1965 the cinema was closed for a major modernisation, removing most of the original Art Deco style decorations, it reopened on the 24th June 1965.
The Odeon closed on 25th May 1988 for a conversion into a six screen cinema, it re-opened by August 1988. But at this point the Compton organ was dismantled and sold. In 1991 two extra screens were opened in the former restaurant area and in a former bar in the basement. The last major refurbishment was carried out in 1998 when another screen was added. Costa Coffee opened up at Odeon in the foyer in the summer of 2015.
Tickets can be purchased now either at the Minibar, or online via the website or app. You could collect you tickets at the Automatic Ticket Machines (using your card). As of 2021 onwards, you can present an E-ticket on your smartphone in the app, or in your email.
ODEON from New Street
Views of the main entrance to ODEON on New Street, seen at the end of December 2009. The Art Deco column above used to have PARAMOUNT on it from 1937 to 1942. But has had the ODEON name since November 1942 onwards. The phrase "Fanatical About Film" is still there now.
dndimg alt="Odeon New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Dec 2009) (3).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
dndimg alt="Odeon New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Dec 2009) (4).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
dndimg alt="Odeon New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Dec 2009) (5).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
dndimg alt="Odeon New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Dec 2009) (6).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
dndimg alt="Odeon New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Dec 2009) (7).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
The (then) new Costa Coffee, opened up on the left hand side of the foyer of ODEON Birmingham New Street by August 2015. In the years since, I have been to this Costa, if I'm seeing a film at this cinema. Also somewhere to sit if you arrive to early for your film, as there is no seats outside of the screens.
dndimg alt="Odeon New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Costa Odeon New St (Aug 2015).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />
View of the ODEON Minibar from Costa Coffee, during January 2017. This was where you used to be able to buy tickets, as well as snacks. The ATM's for collecting or buying tickets are on the far right (close to the exit doors to New Street). After all the lockdown closures and reopening, by mid 2021, the ODEON app had changed, and you can now have an E-Ticket with QR code to present to staff instead (of putting your card into the ATM to print off your paper ticket). Although I've only experienced this at ODEON LUXE Birmingham Broadway Plaza in Ladywood a couple of times in 2021. And I've been mostly going to Cineworld (Broad Street or Solihull) and using my E-Ticket (in the app or email) in recent years.
dndimg alt="Odeon New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon Minibar New St (Jan 2017).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
Zemeckis Cube standee from Ready Player One, seen at the top of the stairs from the foyer, taken while I was in Costa Coffee during March 2018. Up the stairs is screens 3, 4, 5 and 6. The layout of the cinema is a bit weird with all the corridors, and stairs. Probably a relic of the layout from the Paramount Theatre. The screens as they are now are a bit small. And the lights go up during the end credits, so maybe a bit hard to see any mid or post credits scenes here. One year I watched the Tolkien biopic here, thinking that J.R.R. Tolkien went to King Edward's School close to where the cinema is now (the site that is now King Edward House). Ready Player One itself was filmed around Birmingham in places such as Digbeth and the Jewellery Quarter back in 2016.
dndimg alt="ODEON New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Zemeckis Cube Odeon New St (Mar 2018).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
When Covid hit, ODEON like other cinemas in the country closed shortly before the start of the first National lockdown in March 2020. Costa was closed as well. Birds of Prey was one of the last movies I saw in this cinema around February 2020 (I think).
dndimg alt="Odeon New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Mar 2020).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
ODEON, like other national chains reopened in July 2020. But there wasn't many new films on. So they showed previously released films. And when No Time to Die was postponed into 2021, ODEON once again closed by the middle of October 2020. This was the view of ODEON on New Street during the second lockdown in England (I was heading to work at the time) in December 2020.
dndimg alt="Odeon New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Dec 2020).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />
Most cinema chains reopened by the Spring of 2021, this included ODEON. In August 2021, there was a photography exhibition around the City Centre. It was called "Celebrating Britain 70 Amazing Years", for the Queen's up and coming 70th Anniversary in 2022. The Beatles performed a concert at the ODEON on New Street in the mid 1960s. So this photo was of The Beatles posing with local policemen, wearing their helmets. Seen on the morning walk up to the office.
dndimg alt="ODEON New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Aug 2021).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
ODEON from Birmingham New Street Station
Before the redevelopment of Birmingham New Street, I got these views of the back of ODEON near St Martin's Queensway, at the end of December 2009. You could still see the old Victorian dark brown brick railway wall below the cinema.
dndimg alt="Odeon New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Dec 2009) (1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
dndimg alt="Odeon New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Dec 2009) (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
View of the back of ODEON take during October 2010. Scaffolding had gone up the brickwork, and early signs of building the Moor Street Link Bridge. The redevelopment of Birmingham New Street Station had begun.
dndimg alt="Odeon New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Oct 2010) (1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
dndimg alt="Odeon New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Oct 2010) (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
dndimg alt="Odeon New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Oct 2010) (3).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
In March 2012, on a train for a day out in Tamworth. A view of the back of ODEON, with scaffolding for the building of the Moor Street Link Bridge. While another photographer was on a platform that is my spitting image (but is not me of course).
dndimg alt="ODEON New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Mar 2012).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
During September 2012 at Birmingham New Street Station. The Moor Street Link Bridge was forming under ODEON. I was getting a train to Witton (for more photos around Villa Park in Aston at the time).
dndimg alt="ODEON New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Sep 2012) (1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
dndimg alt="ODEON New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Sep 2012) (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
The Moor Street Link Bridge was more or less almost complete by February 2013, in these views of it below ODEON, from St Martin's Queensway. The Pallasades wouldn't become Grand Central for another two years at least.
dndimg alt="ODEON New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Feb 2013) (1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
dndimg alt="ODEON New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Feb 2013) (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
By April 2013, the Moor Street Link Bridge (below ODEON) was almost ready to open to the public. Half Time Switchover took place at Birmingham New Street at the end of the month, where half of the new station opened, while the other half, yet to be rebuilt closed to the public. This included opening up the Moor Street Link Bridge between Birmingham New Street and Birmingham Moor Street station's for the first time.
dndimg alt="ODEON New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Apr 2013) (1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
dndimg alt="ODEON New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Apr 2013) (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
It is now August 2013, and ODEON had their own billboard in use above the Birmingham New Street Living Wall. Back when Orange Wednesday's still existed. They also had Film Fan Monday and Bargin Tuesday at the time.
dndimg alt="ODEON New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Aug 2013).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
dndimg alt="ODEON New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Aug 2013) (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
dndimg alt="ODEON New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Aug 2013) (3).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
On the train during April 2014, leaving Birmingham New Street for a day out in Coventry with my camera. Views out of the train window of ODEON and the Moor Street Link Bridge from below.
dndimg alt="ODEON New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Apr 2014) (1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
dndimg alt="ODEON New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Apr 2014) (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
In May 2014, returning to Birmingham New Street from Erdington on the train. Above view of the Moor Street Link Bridge and ODEON.
dndimg alt="ODEON New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (May 2014).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
Around September 2015, from the Bullring link bridge (later Link Street). A view of ODEON and the Moor Street Link Bridge. This was the last few weeks before Birmingham New Street Station would fully reopen. This view would later go when they installed the pop-up shop retail units on the bridge, so it's no longer possible to get this view.
dndimg alt="ODEON New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Sep 2015).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
View of ODEON from Grand Central Square taken during April 2016. The billboard on the right had been taken over by Costa Coffee.
dndimg alt="ODEON New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Apr 2016).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
A September 2017 view to ODEON and the Moor Street Link Bridge, with a London Midland Class 323 train. I was on the Cross City Line at the time on another Class 323 heading towards Aston, to attend the Civil War Siege event at Aston Hall, during Birmingham Heritage Week. The London Midland franchise ended in December 2017, being taken over by West Midlands Trains (West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway).
dndimg alt="ODEON New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Sep 2017).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
An October 2021 view towards ODEON from Grand Central Square in the rain. The Birmingham New Street Station sign on the wall had been changed into Birmingham Pride colours.
dndimg alt="ODEON New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St (Oct 2021).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
A look at ODEON on Boxing Day, December 2021. Near the end of the year it had been quite foggy / misty. This view taken from St Martin's Queensway.
dndimg alt="Odeon New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St 26122021.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />
A late January 2022 view of the back of ODEON from near Grand Central Square, in this view with the Rotunda, Living Wall and Moor Street Link Bridge. The red brick reflecting the sunlight, the sunshine even bounced off the ODEON sign.
dndimg alt="Odeon New Street" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Odeon New St 27012022.JPG" style="width: 100%;" />
Photos taken by Elliott Brown can also be found on Twitter: ellrbrown