The cinema originally opened in September 1939 but had to immediately close again the very same day, due to regulations introduced following the outbreak of the war. Originally the cinema had 1450 seats which remained this way until 1976 and then it changed to three separate auditoria that are still there today. In 1995 Apollo offered the site for redevelopment but a campaign was immediately started by a local schoolboy to save the cinema. A committee was formed to fight the redevelopment proposals and proved successful in 1997 whe the cinema was acquired by Plaza Community Cinema, a registered charity that fundraises to ensue the cinema's survival.