Hayward Theatres, of Auckland, operators of Dunedins Octagon (1912-1992) and King Edward (1914-1966) took over the Queens in July 1917. Haywards merged with Fuller Brothers Pictures in February 1924 to become Fuller-Haywards Cinemas.

In July 1928, in an effort to shake the “bug house” title, Fuller-Haywards closed the Queens for eight days for “serious renovations” which in effect was just a paint job. It reopened eight days later as the Strand and was known as “an extended season attraction house”, where it planned to show movies twice a day for six days. This only lasted about a month, when it reverted back to 8pm only screenings Monday to Friday; and 2pm & 8pm Saturdays. The bug house title still remained and would remain for most of its life until 1970. Talking movies were first shown in Dunedin in February 1926 at the Octagon cinema. Sound was installed at the Strand in September 1929 when “The Donovan Affair” was screened.  The Strand plodded on through the thirties and early forties at the lower ebb of Fuller-Hayward Dunedin cinemas. It watched two of its sisters, also in the lower bracket of cinema titles close - The Everybodys (the fleapit -1915 to 1931), and His Majestys (1904 to 1941-42).

In the last quarter of 1945 a Auckland-based company Kerridge Theatres Ltd merged with J Arthur Rank (operators of  the giant Odeon and Gaumont circuit in England) to form Kerridge Odeon Corporation. Under Kerridge Odeon, they closed the Strand in June 1949 for remodelling; it reopened on 8 July 1949 as the Embassy.

The Embassy was modelled on the lines of a prominent British Philharmonic Hall (un-named). The ticket box was moved to the right of the foyer, before the arch. The seating capacity was reduced to 600 and the session times were increased to three a day Monday to Saturday to 2pm, 5pm, 8pm. The 5pm Monday to Thursday session was withdrawn in February 1951. From December 1958 a late night Friday 10.45pm session was introduced. It featured mainly double feature horror films. These sessions become very popular, so popular that the Dunedin City Transport Department, operators of the local trolleybuses extended its Friday services to accommodate the patrons. The last buses were in 1958 timed to leave downtown city centre at 12.05am (Saturday) after the Joe Brown Town Hall Dance. Following the introduction of the late night movies the DCTD extended the service so that the buses left at about 2.10am (Saturdays). During this time black and white, one channel television was introduced in July 1962. The late night sessions and the late night buses ended in 1966 (the buses were cut back to leave at 11pm).

The Embassy from October 1967 began a downhill run and the title “bug house” returned. The screening hours were changed from 2pm and 8pm Monday to Friday to 5.15pm and 8pm. Continental and specialist films, such as “Hamlet” and the Russian 6 hour epic “War and Peace” were introduced. The matinees were finally closed in February 1969. Only Saturday had a 2pm matinee. The Embassy itself closed on 31 January 1970. It was reopened on 24 July 1970 as the Odeon.

The narrow foyer remained, but opened out into a large lounge in the former stalls area. Here as a centre piece, an indoor garden was placed. The auditorium was remodelled into a continental stadium style. Seating was further reduced to 376, with about three feet between rows allowing the patrons to sit and watch the movies in comfort. A new 35ft by 16ft screen was installed. The walls of the foyer, reception and lounge area of the Odeon was done in white, tipped with gold. Around the walls blue curtains were hung. As the Odeon Kerridge Odeon introduced a policy of “special attraction house”. Top films such as “Love Story”, and “Jesus Christ, Superstar” were screened. Most films screened for extended seasons for up to 5 to 8 weeks. “Love Story” lasted about 16 weeks. The title “bug house” was never to return.

In the early 1980s Kerridge Odeon was taken over by the Pacer group, who in turn went into receivership and was taken over by Everard Cinemas in the late 1980s when the screening policy returned to Specialist films. As a circuit cinema its days were numbered. By 1990 Hoyts and Everard operated two cinemas each in Dunedin. Hoyts had the Octagon and Century and Everard had the St James and Odeon. Multiplexes were begin to pop-up in the northern cities. The first one, Downtown 6, was opened in Palmerston North on 16 August 1990 as an independent. Hoyts opened their first multi-plex on 8 May 1992 in Wairau Park, Auckland as a 6-plex. By April 1993 Hoyts had extended its multi-plexes to Christchurch. Finally in late 1992 Hoyts made the decision to build a multiplex in Dunedin and closed and demolished it Octagon cinema. The new Octagon 6-plex opened on 24 September 1993. Hoyts closed it Century and Everard closed its St James the day before. The squeeze was on and in 1994 the Odeon was sold, along with most other Everard cinemas to Hoyts Cinemas (NZ) Limited. Under Hoyts it continued to be a “specialist cinema”. The Odeon continued to prosper as an alternative cinema, when out of the blue, Hoyts closed it in February 1997 and immediately stripped it of all fittings, leaving only the dark red Kerridge Odeon carpet.

Enter Grant Leef and Peter van de Klundert, operators of the 50-seater Metropolis Town Hall (opened 1994). They took out a lease of the empty building and quickly reinstalled new equipment into the shell of the Odeon. They ripped out the carpet throughout the cinema and layed new carpet in the foyer. The rimu flooring in the auditorium was sanded and polished. Seating came from a closed art cinema in Napier. They also installed a new screen, lighting and sound system. Opened as the Metropolis Empire on 24 April 1997, with the seating capacity being reduced to 300, the cinema continues to serve Dunedin as a “specialist cinema”.

Taken from "Cinemas-Dunedin and District 1897-1994" by B T Knewstubb, Published by Knewstubb Theatres, © Knewstubb Theatres 1974 (out of print); Updated © Library of Cinema Research Data, 1998, a division of Knewstubb Theatres.