Work on Screen 1.

WORK TO SPLIT the iconic Screen One at the Savoy Cinema has begun.

The long-mooted plan was confirmed towards the end of last year, following months of rumour and discussion.

The screen is one of the largest in Ireland and is regularly host to film premieres, but last January, owners IMC said that the screen size will not be affected.

Pictures from the site show work on the screen well underway, with seats having been torn out.

The Savoy Cinema is the oldest operational cinema in Ireland, being built in 1929. It has gone through many different iterations over the years, being turned into a twin cinema in 1969 and then divided into three screens and later five screens. It is currently a nine-screen cinema.

The huge auditorium in Savoy One. PA Archive / PA Images PA Archive / PA Images / PA Images

In October IMC Cinema director Paul Ward confirmed that the group is looking at changing the iconic auditorium. He told TheJournal.ie that the changes would see Savoy One divided into a number of screens.

Read: ‘I don’t think they know what they have’: Upset as Savoy Screen One to be split into separate auditoriums in 2018

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