The cinema was opened as
The County Cinema at a grand opening ceremony on Thursday, 30 March 1939, at 2.30 pm, performed by
Bailie James Edward. The feature films of the opening programme were
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and
Air Devils. The cinema building was designed by Thomas Bowhill Gibson, who is also responsible for the
Dominion Cinema in
Morningside,
Edinburgh. The promoters were Messrs Scott Paulo & Company. The cost of the cinema was £20,000 and upon opening it seated 1600 people. The cinema featured a wide knee-room, saucer-shaped layout ensuring no seat is immediately behind another, Western Electric Mirrophonic sound and Holophone lighting system.
Closure The George Cinema closed in 1974 and underwent alterations to convert it into a
bingo hall, which included the replacement of outer cladding and the removal of the central glass brick tower. The bingo hall ceased operation in 2016 and the building was derelict. The City of Edinburgh Planning Authority refused consent to demolish the Art Deco cinema. Fresh proposals for redevelopment were submitted in early 2021, involving the demolition of the cinema auditorium and lobby, retention of the
façade and reinstatement of the glass tower. Local councillors opposed these new proposals. A
campaign group, Friends of The George, has been established to save the former cinema from demolition and restore it as an operational cinema. In November 2023, an anonymous private benefactor pledged funds to purchase the cinema. ==Architecture==