Cineworld announced the closing of Cineworld Cinema Bristol and the world is a lesser place without another cinema.
The saga of Cineworld administration has seemingly claimed another victim. Cineworld Cinema Bristol is set to close permanently as announced by the company on Friday, 6 October.
The cinema, the last remaining one in South Bristol, will remain open until 26 November.
“After years of providing movie-lovers in Bristol with a place to feel more, we have made the difficult decision to close Cineworld Bristol. The cinema will remain open until November 26, showing a wide range of film releases,” the official statement to customers said.
“We appreciate this is disappointing news, especially for Unlimited members. You have the option of continuing your Unlimited membership at one of our neighbouring cinemas, Cineworld Yate or Cineworld Weston-super-Mare.”
The bingo venue next to the cinema will also close as they will be demolished in favour of 350 new homes, according to Bristol Live.
It’s a devastating bit of news for Bristol cinema lovers, even if it was expected. Property giant AEW have been making plans to demolish the cinema since 2020. The plans were officially accepted in 2021 and Cineworld’s lease was due to end in 2024, so the news of the cinema’s closure were inevitable.
Cineworld hasn’t commented on what happens to the staff at the venue.
While the closure was expected, it still feels like a slap in the face for many who lose their local cinema. On the other side of the coin, the UK is also struggling to provide enough homes so housing is also desperately needed. It’s just a shame it comes at the cost of cinemas and culture.
There’s no way of knowing what happens to Cineworld’s remaining sites as the company continues to struggle. In June, Cineworld announced their cinemas, including Picturehouse cinemas, would remain open and would not be immediately affected by the company entering administration.
Cinemas had a nice, but somewhat short-lived boost as both Barbie and Oppenheimer pulled in the audiences in masses this summer. Tim Richards, the CEO of Vue Cinemas recently said there simply aren’t enough films coming out after the so-called Barbenheimer double-bill to save cinemas. It seems that more bumpy times may lie ahead…
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