The Regent Theatre in Brisbane opened in 1929 as one of the city’s great picture palaces, and what you can visit today is its ornate entrance hall and grand foyer on Queen Street Mall. It is not a cinema or theatre any more: the foyer is home to the Brisbane Visitor Information and Booking Centre, and you can walk in for free.
The auditorium behind the foyer is gone, so there are no shows or screenings to book. People come for the painted ceiling, the staircase and a look at a Brisbane landmark that survived.
What the Regent Theatre is used for today
The Regent Building is a heritage-listed building at 167 Queen Street. The street front, entrance hall and grand foyer are what remain of the old theatre, and the foyer reopened in late 2014 as the Brisbane Visitor Information and Booking Centre.
Staff offer free booking help and itinerary planning for where to eat, stay and play in Brisbane and nearby regions, and hand out free brochures, maps and guides. The centre says its team can also point you to shops on the mall, laneways, rooftop bars and upcoming events.
The foyer is open to visit during the centre’s hours. You do not need a ticket, and the building has no regular film or live shows.
Inside the grand foyer
The foyer is a Gothic-style hall with a richly painted, vaulted ceiling, hanging lanterns and a wide marble staircase with gold-coloured handrails. The entrance lobby, the foyer and the staircase are heritage listed. With the theatre behind it gone, Regent historian Michael Gillies told ABC the staircase is now a staircase to nothing.
The visitor centre’s desks and displays sit on the foyer floor, designed to work with the heritage setting. Look up before you start asking questions: the ceiling is the best thing here.
A short history of the Regent
The Regent opened on 8 November 1929 with a gala charity night run by Hoyts. More than 3,000 people went, the feature was a Fox Movietone musical, and the night included organ selections on a Wurlitzer. It was built to seat more than 2,500.
The theatre was changed over time. In 1979 and 1980 the auditorium was replaced with four cinemas, which opened as the Hoyts Entertainment Centre. That complex closed in June 2010, and most of the building behind the foyer was demolished between June 2011 and March 2012. The building has been on the Queensland Heritage Register since 21 October 1992, and the foyer was kept.
Museum of Brisbane records that the Regent’s Wurlitzer organ later accompanied silent films at the Australian Cinematheque at the Gallery of Modern Art. For more of the city’s past, see the Museum of Brisbane.
Planning your visit
- Cost: free to walk in and pick up brochures and maps.
- Hours: Monday to Friday 9 am to 4 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 4 pm (check before you go, especially on public holidays).
- Accessibility: Queen Street Mall has a Braille trail on both sides, and accessible toilets at the Albert Street public toilet block, Wintergarden and QueensPlaza. Whether the foyer suits wheelchair users is not published, so ring (07) 3006 6290.
Getting there and parking
The Regent is at 167 Queen Street Mall, in the middle of the city centre. Plan a trip with the Translink Journey Planner.
There is no parking at the Regent itself. Brisbane City Council says King George Square car park is about a 2 minute walk away and Wickham Terrace car park about 11 minutes. Paid parking is also available at QueensPlaza, Wintergarden and Uptown, and street parking nearby is limited and metered. Accessible parking is at Uptown, King George Square and Wintergarden. See the council’s Queen Street Mall page for more.
The Visit Brisbane page for the centre lists its address and hours.
Nearby
- Queen Street Mall – the shopping strip the Regent opens onto.
- Brisbane City Hall – another grand city landmark close by.
- Treasury Building – a heritage building in the city centre.
- Anzac Square – a memorial park at the top of the city.
- The Old Windmill – one of the city’s oldest buildings.
- QPAC – for live theatre today, across the river at South Bank.
Browse more history and landmarks, theatres and live music and Brisbane days out.
You might also like
- Neville Bonner Bridge (South Brisbane)
- St John’s Cathedral (Brisbane City)
- Old Museum (Bowen Hills)
Quick answers
Is the Regent Theatre in Brisbane still open?
The foyer is open, but not as a theatre. The Brisbane Visitor Information and Booking Centre runs from it, and there are no regular screenings or shows.
Where is the Regent Theatre in Brisbane?
At 167 Queen Street Mall, Brisbane City.
Can you go inside the Regent Theatre?
Yes. You can walk into the grand foyer for free during the visitor centre’s hours: Monday to Friday 9 am to 4 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 4 pm.
Is the Regent a cinema?
Not any more. The four-cinema complex that replaced the auditorium in 1980 closed in June 2010.
Where do I park for the Regent Theatre?
King George Square car park is about a 2 minute walk away. There is no parking at the Regent itself.
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