There will be mixed
emotions for Coventry cinema-goers this weekend as the city’s Odeon closes its doors
for the last time.
Although the closure of the Jordan Well site is sure to bring a tear to the eye of some
of Coventry’s nostalgics, this should be countered by the news that Odeon are to open
a new nine-screen unit at the SkyDome Coventry development.
The current Odeon will screen its last film on Sunday, and although the new Odeon will
not officially open until 21 October, the public will be able to see previews from next
Saturday.
The new Odeon cost £7 million to build and will house nearly 2,000 people in its nine
screens, creating around 35 new jobs as well as catering for the existing staff from the
current Coventry site.
Cinema manager Adrian Duffy believes people will be bowled over by what they find.
He said:
"The new cinema will be like chalk and cheese from the old one with all the modern
gadgetry and state-of-the-art equipment anyone could hope for.
"The whole of our SkyDome Odeon will be decked out with plush carpets and seating
and will offer cinema goers a comfortable surrounding to enjoy their movies.
"Although the cinema officially opens on 21 October there will be the opportunity
to see some films from the 16th, and one of our first in going to be Walt
Disney’s Tarzan.
"The screening of that will be hugely popular and it will coincide with the school
half term so it will be a real baptism of fire for the staff – they are already
training for it now!"
One facet of the new cinema that is sure to attract casual movie fans is the Odeon
‘film buff’ - an employee who will sit in the lobby and advise people on
suitable films.
Duffy explained:
"The film buff will have seen all the movies prior to their release so if you are
going along not really knowing what film you want to see, he will be able to point you in
the right direction of something you might like.
"The titles of the films are becoming more and more obscure nowadays so it will be
helpful to have somebody to say, that’s a sci-fi or that’s an action."
