NEWBURY’S long-awaited cinema will finally open to the public tomorrow (Friday).
The seven-screen cinema, operated by Vue Entertainment, will be officially opened at a gala preview night tonight (Thursday), although it opens to the general public tomorrow (Friday).
Local dignitaries and competition winners have been invited to a screening of A Christmas Carol 3D tonight and the chairman of West Berkshire Council, Geoff Findlay, Newbury’s mayor, Kuldip Singh Kang and chief operating officer for Vue, Steve Knibbs, are set to cut a film reel to open the cinema before the film starts.
The new £2.5m complex, which is a major element of the Newbury Vision 2025, has about 1,000 seats across its seven screens, all of which will be licensed and have Dolby Surround Sound.
In addition, there will be digital 3D cinema viewing in two of the screens, where cinema-goers will be able to enjoy such films as A Christmas Carol, Avatar and Toy Story 3 in the coming months.
The leader of West Berkshire Council, Graham Jones (Lambourn Valley) said: “The opening of the new cinema is the completion of project which was originally initiated by residents.
“We are very pleased that we have been able to secure the building of this new seven screen multiplex with a fantastic cutting edge projection system that can even show some movies in 3D.
“It will provide a great boost not just for Newbury but for the whole district."
The first films to be shown at the cinema include Hollywood sci-fi blockbuster 2012, and animated film Fantastic Mr Fox.
Vue are offering several money-saving deals for cinema-goers of all ages, including discounted children’s prices on Saturday and Sunday mornings, teen tickets and a weekly Vue Senior Club.
To book tickets for forthcoming films, visit: www.myvue.com/newbury