Sunderland cinema could re-open?

[Wearson]

Has anyone been to the “food court”
opposite Boldon cinema?
That’s what I imagine this will end up like.

There is a market for the Everyman type whole package with cocktails and food, but it has to be decent ( not what I was describing above)
There is also a market for niche, like The Tyneside Cinema.
Neither market will be very big tho.


How about foreign language films based on the demographics of the university student population?

 

[Shandy drinker]

Why can't we modernise? We don't need 10 screens, a few would do, the rest of the space can be occupied with allsorts, a huge child's soft play, a cafe/restaurant hybrid, maybe even a pool.

A massive jacuzzi / hot tub for the stone islanders

Has anyone been to the “food court”
opposite Boldon cinema?
That’s what I imagine this will end up like.

There is a market for the Everyman type whole package with cocktails and food, but it has to be decent ( not what I was describing above)
There is also a market for niche, like The Tyneside Cinema.
Neither market will be very big tho.


How about foreign language films based on the demographics of the university student population?

Chinese films!!

 

[Cockney Mackem]

A massive jacuzzi / hot tub for the stone islanders

Chinese films!

Yīqún hěn bàng de xiǎohuǒzi

 

[Zimba]

Why can't we modernise? We don't need 10 screens, a few would do, the rest of the space can be occupied with allsorts, a huge child's soft play, a cafe/restaurant hybrid, maybe even a pool.

Costs money all that, when you start messing around like might aswell just start from scratch. If you were going to do a new cinema, the Mothercare / Argos plot would be a decent place, right in the centre then open little restaurants etc to compliment the new bars under the Holiday Inn. It's the sort of place food places would work aswell as the people in the offices opposite need to eat somewhere and High Street West is crying out for something to bring people onto it.

God forbid if M&S did pull out, you've got another unit next door to compliment it - arcade type place maybe? Similar to that new one in Middlesbrough which looks canny imo.

Obviously be difficult now though with the economic issues.

 

[Football Dinosaur]

Not with one in Boldon and Peterlee

There were competition rules but with present state of industry I'd argue they'd be relaxed. Its down to the organisation to decide if they could make money. They coudl even ditch Dalton Park. Its rarely full, and we go often.

 

[Shandy drinker]

Yīqún hěn bàng de xiǎohuǒzi

Do you de-liver

 

[Cockney Mackem]

Do you de-liver

Nor, just chicken and lamb

 

[Wearson]

Chinese films!!

Why not?
If one of the screens is full and it’s keeping the cinema open.

 

[SAFCMark]

Alamo Cinemas would be great if they decided to expand into the UK market

 

[alanturing]

Place needs flattened with it moved elsewhere, it's not as if there's not loads of space to do it. Next to the new arena, if it ever gets built, for example.

It's just wasting money on a building not fit for purpose otherwise, similar to the awful Warner Bros that rightfully got flattened in Newcastle, which was also in the wrong place.

If you are meaning Manors there was a lovely deep pan pizza restaurant nearby.

 

[Cheese n Ipa]

The wife wanted to see Wonka (no puns here at all). We checked prices of Dalton park and Boldon. About £25 all in. Not a lot of money, but considering it will be available on the torrenting sites within weeks and then proper streaming not long after, we decided to ditch it. Anyway, came across Vue at Gateshead. Right next to the big Tesco. Straight in there for kets tomorrow and £4.99 for a cinema ticket all day every day and free parking in the Tesco car park. Not the easiest to get to without a car but I'm willing to drive there for a fiver a ticket. This is what Sunderland should have.
The wife wanted to see Wonka (no puns here at all). We checked prices of Dalton park and Boldon. About £25 all in. Not a lot of money, but considering it will be available on the torrenting sites within weeks and then proper streaming not long after, we decided to ditch it. Anyway, came across Vue at Gateshead. Right next to the big Tesco. Straight in there for kets tomorrow and £4.99 for a cinema ticket all day every day and free parking in the Tesco car park. Not the easiest to get to without a car but I'm willing to drive there for a fiver a ticket. This is what Sunderland should have.

 

[Mackemansj1]

The wife wanted to see Wonka (no puns here at all). We checked prices of Dalton park and Boldon. About £25 all in. Not a lot of money, but considering it will be available on the torrenting sites within weeks and then proper streaming not long after, we decided to ditch it. Anyway, came across Vue at Gateshead. Right next to the big Tesco. Straight in there for kets tomorrow and £4.99 for a cinema ticket all day every day and free parking in the Tesco car park. Not the easiest to get to without a car but I'm willing to drive there for a fiver a ticket. This is what Sunderland should have.
The wife wanted to see Wonka (no puns here at all). We checked prices of Dalton park and Boldon. About £25 all in. Not a lot of money, but considering it will be available on the torrenting sites within weeks and then proper streaming not long after, we decided to ditch it. Anyway, came across Vue at Gateshead. Right next to the big Tesco. Straight in there for kets tomorrow and £4.99 for a cinema ticket all day every day and free parking in the Tesco car park. Not the easiest to get to without a car but I'm willing to drive there for a fiver a ticket. This is what Sunderland should have.

We had it it closed down, it was cheapest by a mile I got a few movies for £4.99 and I think the most I ever paid for a new release was £7.99. you could take your own food in and had free parking and was piss easy to get to. We had a decent super well priced cinema but it went under. There were even kids days where it would Be as low as £2 man. They tried all sorts price wise and people didn't use it, would prefer to drive to some retail park and pay three times the price and then moan Sunderland's got nowt.

 

[NewAdventuresInWiFi]

Will be open again in time for Wolf Creek 3 apparently.

Canny

 

[Zimba]

We had it it closed down, it was cheapest by a mile I got a few movies for £4.99 and I think the most I ever paid for a new release was £7.99. you could take your own food in and had free parking and was piss easy to get to. We had a decent super well priced cinema but it went under. There were even kids days where it would Be as low as £2 man. They tried all sorts price wise and people didn't use it, would prefer to drive to some retail park and pay three times the price and then moan Sunderland's got nowt.

I'd say the biggest problem is Sunderland is too saturated for multiplexes. There pretty much was 3 serving the place. I know someone will be technical and say Dalton Park and Boldon are in different counties but they both serve Sunderland and are easier to get to from the North / South, if you drive, and both are more modern aswell with the Cineworld card which pretty much locks you down into them (something Empire never done).

Compare that to say the Metro Centre or Durham where there's nothing around for miles and they do pretty well.

Price isn't always the answer, when you go for bargain basement it's usually a desperate last stand.

 

[TheBronzeBummer]

Costs money all that, when you start messing around like might aswell just start from scratch. If you were going to do a new cinema, the Mothercare / Argos plot would be a decent place, right in the centre then open little restaurants etc to compliment the new bars under the Holiday Inn. It's the sort of place food places would work aswell as the people in the offices opposite need to eat somewhere and High Street West is crying out for something to bring people onto it.

God forbid if M&S did pull out, you've got another unit next door to compliment it - arcade type place maybe? Similar to that new one in Middlesbrough which looks canny imo.

Obviously be difficult now though with the economic issues.

I know it's all money, time and effort too. I think our vision would see us thrive though.

But anything new would be good.

 

[Zimba]

I know it's all money, time and effort too. I think our vision would see us thrive though.

But anything new would be good.

Aye can't disagree, I'm surprised they're still pushing the arena idea personally, seems a bit no go with the economic crisis.

I know some will disagree, but I wish they'd seriously consider flipping the sites around so the current arena plans are moved on the cinema site and a new cinema and other leisure built on the Crowtree site. The cinema stuff etc should be pretty much easy to get done and not too inexpensive whereas the arena is a bit pie in the sky right now.

Least things would be moving, rather than having 2 white elephants and tbh, it would decent crossing the bridge and the first thing you see is the flagship arena rather than the hideous cinema site and Bridge House, if they can get that under their control. The cinema site could easily be just torn down and something like a Stack stuck on it, until they start building it.

 

[Osklen]

Aye agreed, don't know what's happening with the hole at Ashington, seems to have just stalled again. The Reel website ironically seems to have the Ashington renders for the placeholder for the new Bishop Auckland scheme.

Mind that said, not sure who'll want to spend the money that the place needs either for the same reasons, basically all you're getting is some rooms, which are too big - let's be honest, and furnishings which are extremely outdated. Cost a bomb to sort the place out, especially since, I'd assume, the projector equipment would've all be sold by the administrators.

Cinema sector seems to going through a bit of reinvention what with cinema releases, multiplexes closing, steaming etc and it will be interesting to see which operators remain as there may still be some correction. I’ve seen the light cinema change its model pre covid to 6/7 screens with a large screen similar to imax but also includes competitive socialising (lane 7 style offer). I can see that model working for the cinema but on the flip side is it the best offer for a city? Is it better to have that under one operator or have a cinema operator plus a lane 7?

I think if it stays where it is or relocates there needs to be more complementary offers around it and what offer is there needs to improve ie the bowling alley.

 

[Boris Bear]

Cinema sector seems to going through a bit of reinvention what with cinema releases, multiplexes closing, steaming etc and it will be interesting to see which operators remain as there may still be some correction. I’ve seen the light cinema change its model pre covid to 6/7 screens with a large screen similar to imax but also includes competitive socialising (lane 7 style offer). I can see that model working for the cinema but on the flip side is it the best offer for a city? Is it better to have that under one operator or have a cinema operator plus a lane 7?

I think if it stays where it is or relocates there needs to be more complementary offers around it and what offer is there needs to improve ie the bowling alley.

Lane 7 is pants to be honest

 

[42]

I'd say the biggest problem is Sunderland is too saturated for multiplexes. There pretty much was 3 serving the place. I know someone will be technical and say Dalton Park and Boldon are in different counties but they both serve Sunderland and are easier to get to from the North / South, if you drive, and both are more modern aswell with the Cineworld card which pretty much locks you down into them (something Empire never done).

Compare that to say the Metro Centre or Durham where there's nothing around for miles and they do pretty well.

Price isn't always the answer, when you go for bargain basement it's usually a desperate last stand.

So why build the dalton park one in the 1st place? Given that to the north was served by sunderland & to the south was served by Hartlepool

 

[Osklen]

Aye can't disagree, I'm surprised they're still pushing the arena idea personally, seems a bit no go with the economic crisis.

I know some will disagree, but I wish they'd seriously consider flipping the sites around so the current arena plans are moved on the cinema site and a new cinema and other leisure built on the Crowtree site. The cinema stuff etc should be pretty much easy to get done and not too inexpensive whereas the arena is a bit pie in the sky right now.

Least things would be moving, rather than having 2 white elephants and tbh, it would decent crossing the bridge and the first thing you see is the flagship arena rather than the hideous cinema site and Bridge House, if they can get that under their control. The cinema site could easily be just torn down and something like a Stack stuck on it, until they start building it.

Issue from a developer perspective with demolishing the cinema site is the cost to acquire the cinema then just to tear it down it will add millions to the development appraisal meaning you’d have to write off the acquisition and demo costs to make any scheme work. Can’t see developer doing that or the council able to write the cost off.

I’m sure council have stated the arena is on pause and they considering other options for crowtree.

Uncertainty over vision for ambitious £80million arena, food hall and hotel development on Crowtree site

City leaders have poured cold water on the vision for a proposed £80million arena in Sunderland, though plans are officially still in place.

www.sunderlandecho.com

Lane 7 is pants to be honest

Never been. They now do another brand called level x which is more family related, but there are others like gravity etc…