Why the Kong face?

This year Troxy is celebrating it’s 86th birthday! It’s not doing bad for a pensioner. To mark the momentous occasion we thought it’s high time we explain what all this monkey business is about…why does King Kong keep cropping up all over Troxy?

Back in the day, 1933 to be precise, Troxy was a cinema. It was built on the site of a demolished brewery and had a capacity of 3,500, making it the largest cinema in England at the time. Watching a film here was an incredible experience. A local resident Ms Danvers recalled “It seemed like Hollywood had come to the Commercial Road in all its glory…Outside was a blaze of lights, inside a large foyer with…a large sweeping staircase, chandeliers, ceiling to floor mirrors and thick carpets. In fact, West End luxury at a price we could afford.” (East London Advertiser, 8 August 1980).

On 11th September 1933 Troxy showed its first ever film…King Kong!We’re pretty proud that it’s such a big part of the Troxy history as Rotten Tomatoes rated King Kong the fourth greatest horror film of all time and the thirty third greatest film of ALL time. Nice one Kong!

Almost 90 years later and we’ve still got a soft spot for him – just like Troxy he’s big, unique and fiercely independent. So next time you spot the furry ape peeking out from the side of venue, or you spot his face on some of the merch at good ship Troxy, remember our pal King Kong, at home in East London,all the way from Skull Island, the first star to take to the Troxy stage.