Colac Otway Shire Council is reassuring the community that the closure of the Colac cinema will be short-term, with the much‑loved service set to return as part of an improved and expanded offering.
The current cinema service provided by Colac Cinemas ceases on Sunday and a new cinema offering will be provided as part of Council's transition of Colac Otway Performing Arts and Cultural Centre management to International Venue Group (IVG), who will deliver cinema, performing arts programming and venue hire under a single, integrated model.
Council will continue to own and oversee COPACC, ensuring it remains a key community and cultural asset.
The COPACC cinema will close for approximately 6-8 weeks to allow important upgrades and transition works to take place. Council acknowledges the closure period will include school holidays and is working to minimise disruption and reopen as quickly as possible.
The transition to IVG will bring cinema, live performance and venue hire together to create a more active and accessible venue. The new management model is expected to increase programming and activity across COPACC, improve access to entertainment and events and strengthen COPACC's role as a community cultural hub.
All existing bookings for performances, events and meeting rooms will continue as scheduled, with bookings remaining open throughout the transition.
Council is working closely with IVG to ensure a smooth handover with minimal disruption to customers or venue users.
During this period COPACC will operate Monday to Friday for enquiries and bookings and will open outside these hours for scheduled events. The History Centre and other services will continue as normal. Council staff will remain available to support bookings, answer enquiries and assist the community.
As advised by Colac Cinemas, any customers holding unused cinema tickets or vouchers should redeem these with Colac Cinemas by Sunday 31 May 2026.
All COPACC venue vouchers (excluding cinema-specific vouchers) will remain valid under the new management model.
