One of the authors of a book tracing the history of cinema in Hastings and Napier was shocked and saddened to hear news of Hastings Reading Cinemas closure on Sunday.
Hawke's Bay authors and historians Dave Turnbull and Michael Fowler re-released their book The Reel Story in 2009 and perhaps may have to write an updated version to accommodate Hastings' status as the only town in New Zealand without a picture theatre.
"It's incredible when you think about it, the only centre without a cinema," Mr Turnbull said. "It's just a sign of the times of what cinemas are going through.
"A lot are changing over from 35mm projectors to DVD projectors to meet demand and now some are even looking at 3D projectors as well, and so the costs are getting bigger.
"To open up that [Hastings] theatre again they'd have to throw out all of the old projects perhaps and use DVD which is what most are using these days."
Mr Turnbull is from Napier and has spent many hours working in projection rooms in cinemas. He said the current shift in technology was similar to changes in the industry recorded in the late 1920s.
"That's when we went from silent to sound films," he said. "If you couldn't afford to put a sound projector in, you closed up shop and many couldn't afford it so they closed."
Mr Turnbull said he thought the recent resurgence in 3D films would just be a "flash in the pan".
"3D has come along recently but adds more costs," he said. "We've had it before and it didn't last. I don't think it's going to last this time, although it depends on people and if the demand is there, who knows what the cinemas will do."
But a further shift to DVD theatres was definitely on the cards. They were easier to run and in some cases did not require a staffer to operate a projector.
"The person who sells the tickets also shows the movie, all they do is put the disk in, press the button and away you go," Mr Turnbull said.
"Everything has changed so much and so quickly, I think that's what had surprised everyone. It's a bit sad to see 35mm film go, it was the first gauge everyone used starting from the late 1800s right up until now."
Reel history
The first public film screened at the State Theatre was I am Suzanne (1933) on June 9, 1934, along with a special showing of Jean Batten's entire speech at Sydney, telling of her flight from England to Australia.
The original State Theatre was built in the 1930s. It became Village 4 Hastings which operated between 1994 to 1998.
It was then run as Movieland from 1998 to 2004 when it became Reading Cinemas, which closed on Sunday.
Like most theatres around the country, the State struggled to attract numbers by the 1990s with competition from home video forcing the birth of the multiplex cinema.
The State was split down the middle to create two cinemas, and two new cinemas were built upstairs as part of its redevelopment into a multiplex, reopening in 1994.
Information from The Reel Story.