On the eve of its centenary year (the Bridgeway was first established in 1927), owners Kelly Rogers and David Ross have decided it is time to find a new proprietor for the Bridgeway, someone who shares their passion for art-house and film festival content that has made the Bridgeway a local favourite for decades.

Kelly Rogers bought the cinema in 1987 at the age of 24, having seen how cinemas in London were thriving, servicing local communities wanting film and entertainment choices reflecting the changing times. His vision was for a vibrant and independent cinema which would play an important role in the entertainment life of communities throughout Auckland – especially those who wanted to taste the world of global cinema without necessarily crossing the harbour bridge.

However, there was a problem – in those days the film releases were the province of the big cinema chains who didn’t like the thought of a strong independent cinema as competition – so they made it difficult for the Bridgeway to get content.

With the enthusiasm and risk-taking attitude epitomised by a budding entrepreneur, Kelly Rogers set off to his first-ever International Film Festival in Cannes, France, where he picked up the New Zealand rights to Stephen Soderbergh’s first ever feature film, 'Sex, Lies and Videotape'. This independent drama became a massive cultural and critical breakthrough, produced by Soderbergh at just 26 years of age. Soderbergh became the youngest solo director to win the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, launching a highly influential career that later included hits like 'Traffic', 'Erin Brockovich', and the 'Ocean's' franchise. This Bridgeway release prefaced Soderbergh’s 40-year directorial career, with many of his subsequent films screened at the Broadway during decades of creative brilliance.

Recognising that he had a tiger by the tail in business terms, Kelly Rogers invited well-known accountant and businessman David Ross, a friend of his father, to join him and become a partner in the Bridgeway. That spawned a business relationship that involved many enterprises under the Rialto brand, including Rialto Distribution, which is their primary business interest today. David is now in his mid-80s and is still involved in a number of businesses, and Kelly spends much of his time travelling to international film festivals through Europe, Asia and the Americas, leaving little time to focus on their cinema interests.

During the almost 40 years of Bridgeway ownership, Kelly and David have grown the business from a one-screen theatre to a four-screen location providing multiple screenings of different movies from morning through late evening. Over the years, millions of dollars have been invested in new technology to enable the adoption of much easier scheduling of movies, which is now done just once a week. Explaining the success of the Bridgeway, Kelly Rogers points to the human experience.

“Our patrons come to share the movie experience with people they love: family, friends, spouses and partners. There’s nothing better than enjoying a laugh – or a cry – prompted by the emotional experience that is unique to a big screen. The Bridgeway has been at the forefront of bringing foreign films and documentaries through film festivals, which are often booked out weeks in advance.

"The Bridgeway has tended to attract an older audience which is incredibly loyal and has stayed with us over the decades. They were especially supportive after the enforced Covid lockdown, and we are really appreciative of that.

"Our ‘Girls Night Out’ features have also been very popular, with women who enjoy the movie experience accompanied by a glass of wine with their mates,” Kelly says.

Kelly and David have stressed that they would like to see the Bridgeway sold to someone who shares their values of independence, choice and support for the production of great art-house and alternative cinema. "The Bridgeway is iconic, and we’d like to see it stay that way,” David says. “We’d love to pass the business over to a local family or a younger film enthusiast with new ideas and a commitment to continue holding special events and screenings with local filmmakers.”

The Bridgeway is being marketed for sale by Michelle Boag of Kauri Business Sales. During her business broking career, Michelle has sold six cinemas, three of which were owned by David and Kelly. “Interestingly, those cinemas have generally sold to individuals and families who love the thought of combining their passion for movies with a business opportunity.”

Michelle is able to be contacted on 021 940 884 or michelle.boag@kauribusiness.co.nz