Some of the many cinemas that once existed in Coventry are listed below. At the start of World War II there were 22 cinemas in the City, but by 1945 this was reduced to 17 by German bombing, though the Imperial later re-opened. Within the next four decades the number declined to just three.
Some of the surviving cinema buildings have been photographed here.
A rather more comprehensive list can be found in a book published by the Mercia Cinema Society.
| Name | Location | Opened | Closed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A B C | Hertford St | 1973 | 1987 | became Cannon |
| Alexandra | Ford St | 1917 | 1969 | became Theatre One |
| Arts Centre | University Rd | 1974 | date | University of Warwick |
| Astoria | 71 Albany Rd | 1933 | 1959 | now a music academy |
| Bath Assembly Hall | Priory St | 1921 | 1926 | |
| Broadway | 71 Albany Rd | 1922 | 1933 | became Astoria |
| Brookville | 154 Holbrook Lane | 1928 | 1941 | bombed, now carpet store |
| Cannon | Hertford St | 1987 | 1988 | |
| Carlton | 574 Stoney Stanton Rd | 1930s? | 1940 | bombed, now furniture store |
| La Continentale | Earlsdon St | 1951 | 1960 | became Moulin Rouge |
| Corn Exchange | Hertford St | 1910 | 1914 | became Empire |
| Corona | Holbrook Lane | 1927 | 1929 | became Lyric |
| Coronet | Paynes Lane | 1910 | 1913 | |
| Crown | 150 Far Gosford St | 1912 | 1957 | became Paris |
| Dovedale | 1 Dovedale Ave | 1929 | 1934 | became Rivoli |
| Electric Theatre | Hertford St | ? | 1920s | became Star |
| Empire | Hertford St | 1914 | 1971 | rebuilt as ABC |
| Forum | Walsgrave Rd | 1934 | 1962 | became bowling alley |
| Gaumont Palace | Jordan Well | 1931 | 1937 | became Gaumont |
| Gaumont | Jordan Well | 1937 | 1967 | became Odeon |
| Globe | Primrose Hill St | 1913 | 1956 | now a nightclub |
| Godiva | Tile Hill Lane | 1967 | 1976 | now a casino |
| Grand | 511 Foleshill Rd | 1908 | ? | became Regal |
| Imperial | Earlsdon St | 1911 | 1951 | became La Continentale |
| Lyric | Holbrook Lane | 1929 | 1968 | |
| Moulin Rouge | Earlsdon St | 1960 | 1962 | demolished 1965 |
| Odeon | Far Gosford St | 1950s | 1963 | became Top Rank bingo, destroyed by fire 1970 |
| Odeon | Jordan Well | 1967 | 1999 | triple screen 1975, later 5 screens, now part of Coventry University |
| Odeon | Croft Rd | 1999 | date | multi screen |
| Opera House | Hales St | 1913 | 1961 | |
| Palladium | King William St | 1915 | 1982 | |
| Paris | 150 Far Gosford St | 1958 | 1981 | became snooker club |
| Picture Palace | Stoney Stanton Rd | 1910 | 1940 | bombed |
| Picture Palace | 342 Foleshill Rd | 1913 | 1916? | became Tivoli |
| Picture House | Hertford St | 1910 | ? | became Electric Theatre |
| Picture House | 511 Foleshill Rd | 1911 | ? | became Regal |
| Picture House | 66 Smithford St | 1911 | 1940 | bombed |
| Picture Theatre | Hales St | 1911 | 1911 | became Royal Electric |
| Plaza | Spon End | 1929 | 1960 | became bingo hall |
| Prince of Wales | 369 Stoney Stanton Rd | 1913 | 1956 | demolished 2007 |
| Redesdale | 224 Foleshill Rd | 1933 | 1956 | became Roxy |
| Regal | 511 Foleshill Rd | 1930s? | 1960 | now cash&carry store |
| Rex | Corporation St | 1937 | 1940 | bombed, site became temporary market |
| Rialto | Moseley Ave | 1928 | 1940 | bombed |
| Rialto | 81-89 Moseley Ave | 2006 | 2008 | double screen |
| Ritz | 1 Dovedale Ave | 1956 | 1969 | derelict for many years, housing development planned |
| Rivoli | 1 Dovedale Ave | 1934 | 1956 | became Ritz |
| Roxy | 224 Foleshill Rd | 1933 | 1952 | became Redesdale again |
| Royal Cinema | Hales St | 1927 | 1930 | became furnishers |
| Royal Electric | Hales St | 1911 | 1927 | became Royal Cinema |
| Savoy | 268 Radford Rd | 1938 | 1962 | now bingo club |
| La Scala | Far Gosford St | 1913 | 1950s | became Odeon |
| Showcase | Gielgud Way | 1991 | date | multi screen |
| Standard | Tile Hill Lane | 1938 | 1965 | became Godiva |
| Star | Hertford St | 1910 | 1932 | |
| Theatre One | Ford St | 1970 | 1997 | became nightclub, demolished 2017 for student flats |
| Tivoli | 342 Foleshill Rd | 1913 | 1930 | became skating rink, demolished 1980 |
This is by no means a complete list. If you have any additions or corrections, e-mail me at john@mcsparron·net. There was a web page with an apparently comprehensive list of cinemas in various towns including Coventry, now deleted but archived by the Wayback Machine here, often including such details as the number of seats and even ticket prices!
Those readers interested in wider aspects of Coventry's past may like to refer to www.HistoricCoventry.co.uk.
