Plans were made for alterations to the cinema in 1915 by a new company called Imperial Playhouse Ltd. One result of the change of ownership was a change of name to the Imperial. However, the plans were rejected and in 1918 the cinema closed and became a shop. Probably a much more suitable use of the premises! A few weeks after the opening of the Electric, another building had been converted into a cinema and the Olympia came into existence. The Olympia was the brain-child of a Mr. & Mrs. Quigley who had been involved in the earliest days of the town's cinema history since they were responsible for the Drill Hall film shows. The couple purchased a property around the corner of the Drill Hall in Thornley Street and submitted plans for the conversion of the property from the Thornley Street Odd-Works to the Olympia cinema. The plans were accepted and on March 14th 1910, the new cinema opened.

The cinema reportedly could hold 800 people, although one glance at the still-existing building would again call into question the possibility of so many patrons attending a safe performance. The Quigley family were to continue to operate the Olympia until 1939 when the cinema was leased to C.S. Joseph and his company, Pine Pictures. We will discover more about the Olympia later.

In November 1911 plans were accepted for the redevelopment of premises in Victoria Street (which was situated between the former Hudson's and Beatties'). Surprisingly, just over a month later the Picture House, as the new cinema was called, opened to the public. The actual date was December 21st 1911.

Reports of the general appearance and nature of the cinema tell of a narrow auditorium and entrance and a very packed seating arrangement for the 350 patrons. By 1914 the Picture House had become part of the growing empire of Thomas Jackson, the town's first real cinema entrepreneur. He already owned cinemas in Walsall, West Bromwich and Kidderminster. The Picture House became his Headquarters. He had started life as a baker in Whitmore Reans, living in Gatis Street. His cinema enterprises were sufficiently successful to finance a domestic move to a much larger house on Merridale Road and a chauffeur driven automobile! As the Picture House was his principal cinema it is not surprising that he made plans for a major refurbishment and refinement. This was to involve the introduction of back projection (behind the cinema screen) and a new ventilation system. However, in October 1922, the Picture House failed to get a renewal of its music licence because of inadequate sanitary accommodation. This did not prevent the refurbishment being completed and the cinema re-opened on May 17th 1923.

The day before the re-opening, Thomas Jackson's new company, Cinema Consolidated Ltd, was found to be insolvent and was wound up in the court. Thomas Jackson was to be made bankrupt in 1926. The Picture House became the property of Midland Counties Circuit Ltd. and they sold the freehold to Beatties'. On September 28th 1929, the Picture House closed with the showing of 'His House in Order'. Within days the cinema was demolished to make way for the extension of the store.

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