Cine City, Withington

Cine City (originally named the Scala Cinema) was a cinema in Withington, Manchester, England located at 494 Wilmslow Road, Withington, Manchester, M20 3BG. It opened in 1912 as The Scala, and was the third cinema to open in Britain. When the popularity of picture houses reached its peak in the 1930s, The Scala was one of 109 cinemas in Manchester. During the Second World War, the cinema escaped with minor damage when the road outside was hit by a small bomb in 1940. After the war, television led to a decline in cinema attendances, and by 1965, only 40 cinemas remained in Manchester. Cine City closed in July 2001, making it the third-longest running cinema in England. By 2005 the building was in a bad state of repair, and was threatened with demolition. Although heritage groups won a stay of execution, the cinema was demolished in spring 2008. A new residential building has been constructed on the site.