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Aberdeen Cinemas: News Cinema / Curzon / Cosmo 2
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Aberdeen Cinemas: News Cinema / Curzon / Cosmo 2

Historic Photographs
David Oswald
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Aberdeen Cinemas: News Cinema / Curzon / Cosmo 2
Historic Photographs
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Aberdeen Cinemas: News Cinema / Curzon / Cosmo 2
An Aberdeen Journals Archive photograph of the Cosmo 2 at 15 Diamond Street in 1977.

The Cosmo 2 was on the site of Aberdeen's News Cinema that had opened 1936. In 1959 it had become the Curzon. In 1963 the Curzon was sold to Singleton Cinemas, a Glasgow based cinema operating firm that had been in the business since 1911.

The venue was renovated and re-opened on 22nd January 1964 as the Cosmo 2. The Cosmo 1 was the former King's cinema in Glasgow, owned by Singleton Cinemas, that is now the Glasgow Film Theatre. The inaugural film at the Cosmo 2 was the Italian film Il Posto directed by Ermanno Olmi.

The Cosmo 2 showed quality British and foreign films that might not have been shown at other cinemas. Michael Thomson likened this valuable role to that of the old La Scala long before. It could also be likened to the role of the Belmont in more recent times.

The Cosmo 2 sadly closed down in August 1977. The closure was credited to a dearth of attractive foreign language films coupled with the now tripled major circuit venues taking a wider range of pictures.

There was much discussion if the venue could be carried on by another party with the Scottish Film Council suggested as a possibility. The smallness of the cinema made this unfeasible however as a Scottish Film Council venue would need adequate meeting and social space.

There were subsequent plans to convert the premises into a restaurant though these came to nothing. The fate of the cinema was sealed in September 1981 when the next-door Palais, then operating as Satchmo's disco club, was destroyed by a serious fire and the site was left roofless. The corner block towards Union Street survives but the rest of the buildings were later demolished and are now the site of a car park.

[Information primarily sourced from Silver Screen in the Silver City (1988) by Michael Thomson]

Image © Aberdeen Journals Ltd.
Diamond Street
Cinemas
2. Copyright known - held by third party
Cosmo 1977-08-01 (C)AJL
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