On Christmas Eve 1928, the Ambassador Super Cinema had its grand opening, inaugurated by the Mayor of Salford, Councillor A. H. Collins. In a moment of pride for the community, he proclaimed, “I am delighted! Salford has played second fiddle to Manchester for too long. We now have a cinema comparable to any in Manchester!

    The evening was packed with three hours of entertainment, featuring two films: "Vaudeville," starring Emil Jannings and Lya De Putti (originally titled Varieté), and "Enemies of Society," starring Conway Teal and Margaret Morris. The Ambassador Orchestra, under the expert direction of Mr. Arthur L. Ward—who was also one of the three main directors of the "Ambassador Circuit"—accompanied the evening's performances. Solo musical acts by John Hughes and Madame Edna Melling added to the magic of the night.

   Patrons were treated to an organ interlude during the intermission, with accomplished organists Mr. Norman Cocker and Mr. Reginald Liversidge performing a delightful selection of both popular and classical pieces on the cinema’s "Rex Gloria" organ.

    In the spirit of giving, all proceeds from the opening gala were donated to support the families of John Gannon and John Gregg, two men who tragically lost their lives during the excavation of the cinema’s foundations.

   The Manchester Evening News reported on Tuesday, 5th March 1929:  "Dependents of the two men killed during the erection of the Ambassador Cinema Pendleton shared £112,       1 shilling*, which was raised by a benefit performance at the cinema."

    * This sum would be worth approximately £8,128 today, a meaningful contribution considering that the average weekly wage for a building labourer in 1929 was around 11 shillings and 6 pence (about £44.93 today).