Nostalgia Davao: Davao Cinemas of the 80’s!

One of the popular catchphrases in Davao during the 80’s. Those were the days!
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Before the arrival of the mall-based cinemas in the early 90’s, the likes of Galaxy, Garmon and Lawaan movie theaters were da bomb!

As a kid, my parents usually brought me to Garmon to watch our favorite Stallone movies. Unfortunately, we usually couldn’t finish the movie because my younger sister ends up crying inside the movie house. What a shame.

Back then, the “doubled with” promo was the norm for these old movie houses. This means you get to watch two movies by paying for just one ticket. The “pakapin” movies are usually the B types though.

I also remember this nightly or weekly tv spot at RPN-9 where all the movies being shown at each cinema are previewed. The iconic line “Relax and watch a movie” is usually shown at the end of each program.

Anyways, here’s a list of some old Davao-based cinemas from the 80’s.

Galaxy
Garmon
Lawaan
Odeon
Queens
Eagle
Crest
Tagumpay
New Life
Golden
Ideal
Lyric
Garnet
Landmark 1 & 2

I bet you guys still remember some if not all of these old movie houses.

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This is what remains of Odeon and New Eagle. The glory days were long gone.

Lawaan. One of the more popular movie houses in the 80’s.

Odeon Cinema, located along Claveria. Lawaan and New Eagle aren’t too far away from Odeon as well.

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Many thanks to regulars at davaosale.com (SPEEDdemon, supergrover, ayet, paisano, among others) for helping me come up with this list.