In 1993, their first Rialto cinema was built in Newmarket; cinemas followed in Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Hamilton. <\/p>\n
Ross, 85, and Rogers, 63, who now spends most of his time on Rialto Distribution, tell Society Insider the timing feels right to hand the cinema on to an equally passionate owner who loves the film industry. <\/p>\n
Speaking from the Toronto Film Festival, where he\u2019s acquiring new films for New Zealand screens, Rogers says the amount of time he now spends travelling to festivals for acquisitions means it\u2019s time to pass the Bridgeway to a new generation. <\/p>\n
\u201cI hope that brings fresh talent and fresh ideas, but still retains the special personality that makes the Bridgeway the wonderful, independent local cinema that plays an important role in Auckland\u2019s entertainment culture,\u201d Rogers says. <\/p>\n
Rogers, who lives in Westmere, spent time in his early 20s living in London, working in cinemas. Returning to Auckland in 1987, aged 24, he saw the Bridgeway was up for sale. <\/p>\n
Kelly Rogers bought the Bridgeway when he was 24. <\/p>\n
\u201cI saw the opportunity to bring the Bridgeway alive and turn it into a vibrant, thriving arthouse cinema.\u201d <\/p>\n
Soon after, he invited Ross \u2014 a well-respected accountant and friend of his father, Gary \u2014 to join him. Together they turned the single-screen Bridgeway into a four-cinema arthouse haven, running four to five sessions a day and hosting a full calendar of international film festivals, including Europe, Britain, Ireland and the South Pacific. <\/p>\n
The Bridgeway Cinemas have hosted dozens of film festivals. <\/p>\n
Themed evenings for film premieres have been hosted at the Bridgeway. <\/p>\n
At last year\u2019s NZ Doc Edge festival, a live horse mounted by a soldier was among the guests for The Bridgeway\u2019s screening of documentary Devils on Horses, which highlights the enduring bond between soldiers and their horses. <\/p>\n
A horse and soldier were among the guests for last year’s NZ Doc Edge festival. <\/p>\n
While the pair breathed new life into the cinema, Rogers says film distribution was then controlled by big players \u2013 competitors who also owned the major chains and had no interest in giving the Bridgeway access to their content. <\/p>\n
The current Bridgeway Cinemas’ building began its journey as an entertainment business a century ago next year. <\/p>\n
That monopoly sent Rogers to his first Cannes Film Festival in 1989, where he bought the exclusive Auckland screening rights to the Palme d\u2019Or winner, Sex, Lies, and Videotape. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe had queues out the door, as we were the only cinema showing this Steven Soderbergh masterpiece in Auckland,\u201d says Rogers. <\/p>\n
\u201cAfter that initial success, there was a lot more focus on the cinema as a thriving business, and as we opened up film supply, we had incredible support from local communities.\u201d <\/p>\n
The neon Bridgeway sign. <\/p>\n
Determined to remain independent and keep access to new content, Ross and Rogers formed Rialto Distribution in 1993. The pair have enjoyed travelling to film festivals together ever since, scouting new films. Rogers has been to Cannes 35 times, which he believes is a New Zealand record. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s their coffee catch-ups at the Bridgeway, talking through new releases, they\u2019ll miss most. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur 40 years in business has all been based on a handshake,\u201d says Ross, who lives in Remuera and has several investments in engineering projects and cosmetics brands, including Karen Murrell. <\/p>\n
\u201cKelly and I have an old-fashioned friendship, honouring and respecting each other, even though our personal film choices may be very different.\u201d <\/p>\n
Fellow film buff Paolo Rotondo with Kelly Rogers at the Rialto Channel’s 20th birthday in 2019. Photo \/ Norrie Montgomery<\/p>\n
Legendary PR powerhouse-turned-business broker Michelle Boag, of Kauri Business Sales, is marketing the Bridgeway, having previously sold three other cinemas for Ross and Rogers in Tauranga, Upper Hutt and Takapuna. <\/p>\n
Boag, who lost her husband, Mervyn Bennett, in 2024, tells Society Insider she has moved from corporate and political life into business broking over the past six years. <\/p>\n
As well as selling six cinemas, Boag has been negotiating business in the health field and estimates her projects range between $300,000 and $5m. <\/p>\n
Bridgeway Cinemas on Queen St, Northcote Point, is for sale. <\/p>\n
\u201cI have worked with a large health provider in New Plymouth and worked on several projects with Allied Health,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
She says The Bridgeway has a long and storied history over its century as an entertainment venue. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat Kelly and David have created in 40 years is a legacy that began at this iconic theatre at Northcote Point,\u201d Boag says. <\/p>\n
The Bridgeway Manager Milly Gerrish with business broker Michelle Boag in the foyer of Bridgeway Cinemas. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt started as the Onewa Picture Drome. It then became the Palais and later Kings Theatre, hosting dances, parties and shows after the movies.\u201d <\/p>\n
It was renamed in 1959 after the Auckland Harbour Bridge opened. <\/p>\n
Rogers says working with Michelle has been \u201ca breath of fresh air\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe is extremely professional, personable and has incredible talents in many areas \u2014 she\u2019s the perfect woman to sell our cinemas.\u201d <\/p>\n
Rogers says he\u2019s proud of where the distribution business stands today, with plenty of movies to supply the new Bridgeway owner. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a massively successful international business spanning all genres, selling films not only to cinemas in New Zealand and Australia but also to major streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon and HBO Max,\u201d Rogers says. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur latest success, the horror thriller Obsession, has grossed just under NZ$30 million in New Zealand and Australia since its release a few months ago \u2013 fuelling our best year yet, at very little cost to acquire but generating many millions in revenue for Rialto across platforms and streaming services.\u201d <\/p>\n
Party People of the week <\/p>\n
Ground Control PR celebrates its official launch <\/p>\n