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Cinema sold with a to the future

Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph
March 24, 2004

All 40 staff, led by general manager Rhiann Lisles (29), have been told their jobs are secure, but the new owners have promised local cinema-goers exciting changes are in the pipeline. The seven-screen, 1,500-seater complex in the Parishes mall will change hands next month, and be immediately rebranded as a Vue cinema.

Vue, which was formed in May last year, by the merger of SBC International Cinema and Warner Village Cinemas, currently operates 40 sites in the UK, including one in Doncaster.

The company has bought the Scunthorpe complex, along with a 10-screen multiplex at Northampton, from the Texas-based Cinemark chain, for a sum believed to be around Ł15-million.

It was Cinemark who invested Ł6-million on the project in The Parishes.

But the Texans decided to pull out of the UK market and signed over the cinema to UCI, under a management deal.

"We are very pleased to be moving in to Scunthorpe, and both the staff and the patrons have come highly recommended," said a Vue spokesman today.

The spokesman said the fact the Parishes site had attracted more than 300,000 attendances last year had been a major factor in the sale.

"Our first priority will be to brighten up the foyer and make the reception area more welcoming for customers. We want people to stay a while," he said.

One idea under consideration is to add a licensed bar to the cinema, which opened for business in November 2002.

The spokesman said merchanding and screening hours would also come under review, and initially Scunthorpe would operate a twinning arrangement with the Doncaster site.

The present 40-strong Vue UK circuit boasts 384 screens and more than 25-million attendances every year - and is second only to the Odeon in box office takings.

The company also claims to have the most dynamic and visionary cinema exhibition team in the market, and has equipped its multiplexes with the latest generation projection and audiovisual technologies.

Last May, Vue president and chief executive officer, J Timothy Richards, promised the company's brand would become synonymous with the best screens, the best sound and the best seating to create the best possible cinematic experience.

"We will make sure this appeals to everyone by offering a greater variety and diverse range of films," he said.

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