After months of closed doors, the popular city centre cinema is finally back...
Nottingham's Broadway Cinema is set to open its doors again this week following its second enforced closure due to COVID-19.
The iconic city centre institution will reopen on Wednesday, May 19 following the latest Government announcement that entertainment venues can now host customers indoors.
As part of a busy programme, film fans across the county will get the chance to watch the best in British and international cinema, including some of the big winners at last month’s Oscars – such as Nomadland, Judas and the Black Messiah, Minari, and Sound of Metal.
Programme Director Caroline Hennigan admitted she is looking forward to showcasing the finest releases on the big screen once again.
"We’re screening some fantastic titles that people may have missed over the past year and with distributors now having the confidence to bring previously delayed new releases to the big screen, we’re looking forward to continuing our commitment to screening the best in independent British and world cinema," she said.
Cinemagoers will also get their first proper experience of Broadway's extensive refurbishments, with £650k spent on the cinema’s Café bar, Mezz Bar, Screen 3, toilets and foyer.
Steve Mapp, CEO, said he is looking forward kicking off an exciting new chapter in the venue's history: "We secured £500k from Arts Council England in autumn 2019 toward our capital improvements and we’ve been working on the project throughout the extended lockdown in order to get everything ready for when we could finally reopen.
"We feel that we’ve created a venue that Nottingham will be proud to call the home of independent cinema in the city and we’re looking forward to finally being able to open the doors and show everyone our new, refreshed look."
Mapp added that he was grateful to customers that have supported the cinema over the past 14 months, either by donating, purchasing a seat dedication plaque or by renting a new release via their website.
He said he was looking forward to repaying that support over the coming months: "This extended period of closure has been financially damaging for the arts and independent cinema. During this time our loyal customers have been supporting us with donations, membership renewals and by streaming films from across the world via our streaming platform.
"It’s been heartening to see and we can now repay that loyalty and patience by giving them the best cinema experience for years to come."
Broadway's opening film programme is now available at www.broadway.org.uk/whatson.
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