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The new look Cinema City is a year old

Cinema City in Norwich has just celebrated its first birthday since re-opening in October 2007. The art-house cinema and restaurant had a massive £4.5 million spent on it, turning the single screen venue into a three screen cinema.

New beginnings

So how successful has Cinema City been in its first year? ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Norfolk spoke to cinema manager Jack Thompson and food and beverage manager Stephen Smith.

Jack took over the reigns as cinema manager when the cinema opened its doors in October 2007.

"The brief was simply to get it up and running. The ethos of how you run a cinema is to get people in who are interested in film - not just people who want a job, but people who are interested in the building and the cinema itself," said Jack.

"Going from a part-time single screen cinema, to a three screen cinema, we suddenlyÌý needed a lot more staff, which was quite challenging. We've still got most of the original staff, which shows the people we chose were right," he added.

The big investment in the cinema was spent on more than just the extra screens. The building, of which parts date back to the 14th Century, had to be rebuilt and refurbished.

"The £4.5 million was spent on a building that should be solid and beautiful for years to come. The money has been spent for the people of Norwich and they have this building that they can hang on to for hundreds of years," said Jack.

"It's money well spent. It's a beautiful building," he added.

Spot the difference

What's so special about Cinema City? Why not look at all the other fantastic, multi-screen cinemas Norfolk has to offer?

"There are million's of things that make us different," said Jack.

"We have different seasons, world cinema and film classics. We had Norfolk Black Film Festival here and we show live performances of the Metropolitan Opera. We had 387 films in our three screens last year, which is more than one a day. It shows the amount of films we have coming through the door - some art-house and some mainstream.

Cinema City manager Jack Thompson

"We are showing more art-house films than we have ever done. We have a strong minority audience who come to see our films, but unless you are lottery funded, it's very difficult to operate on just art-house and foreign language films," he added.

The difference isn't just in the type of films they show. The cinema dedicates certain screenings to groups or individuals who require additional needs.

"We've got things like Autism Friendly screenings and The Big Scream. The Big Scream is for parents with babies so they can come along and watch films. Autism Friendly is for people with autism so they can watch a film and are allowed to roam around the screens," said Jack.

If you enjoy munching your way through a bucket full of popcorn while you're at the cinema , Tuesday nights will be a big disappointment for you.

"Every Tuesday evening we have a popcorn-free screening. We've had positive and negative feedback so far. Some people are really opposed that we don't have popcorn in the screening, but those that do come absolutely love it," said Jack.

Part of the community

The main building blocks that the cinema intend to keep working on, is its relationship with the people of Norwich.

"We've started to become part of the Norwich community and what we've learnt is all from customer feedback. Hopefully we're taking it all on board," said Jack.

"We want the people of Norwich to take ownership of Cinema City. It is not for a minority, it's for everyone," he added.

Food for thought

One of the biggest developments to take place at the cinema was the restaurant and bar area. In the same way that theatres and restaurants partner each other, Cinema City offers a wide selection of food to accompany your evening at the pictures.

"It's like a one-stop-shop. A lot of people like to go out for an evening. It's not just about watching the movie, it's the whole ambiance - having a drink and something to eat before going through to the auditorium and enjoying the movie," said restaurant and beverage manager Steven Smith.

Food and beverage manager Steven Smith

"It's about offering a really good product as opposed to popcorn and a super-sized coke," he added.

If you only have an hour or so to grab a bite to eat, don't be put off that you will have to sit through Lord Of The Rings before you're allowed to order your meal.

"It's on the side of the cinema, but it doesn't mean you have to buy a movie ticket. It is open to the public and you can pop in for lunch on your work break, have a piece of cake and a coffee while your shopping, or just come out and have some dinner," said Steven.

It's not just the food that is getting taste-buds tingling at the cinema, the bar is well stocked with a fine selection of wines to suit every film.

"We have a really good wine list. Each of the wines on our list is carefully selected," said Stephen.

Credit crunch

It's almost impossible to go a day without hearing some reference to the credit crunch. When times get tight, it tends to be the luxuries like going to the cinema or pub that have to be cut first.

"Going to the cinema is probably one of the cheapest nights out you can have. We often get people complaining that it's £7.50 for a ticket. Well, you're here for two and a half hours, so you're spending £3.75 per hour. Could you do that in the pub? Could you do that anywhere else? It's probably one of the cheapest nights out you can have," said Jack.

"Combine that with going to the restaurant for some food and a drink, and you have a great night," he added.