The owners of a new luxury £4.5 million Cumbrian cinema have given us the exclusive first look at the unique venue.
Workington’s Parkway Cinema, owned by brothers Richard and Gerrard Parkes, is still a work in progress but will officially open on March 17.
It is set to be a ‘radically different’ entertainment venue – featuring six wall-to-wall cinema screens alongside an upscale cocktail bar and coffee and brunch space.
Richard said: “It’s a radically different cinema, it will be technically speaking the best for 100 miles in any direction.
“What we’re doing here is quality, we’re not competing with the likes of Netflix or streaming services. Cinema is now competing with entertainment venues.
“We want it to get to the point where people think ‘what films are showing at the cinema’ instead of ‘I want to watch this film, where should we go?’”
Ticket prices will be revealed in the week before opening, with special offers for children and those aged over 55 set to be put in place.
Richard said: “It’s going to be an indulgence, but it won’t be a big scary thing you have to save up for. It’ll be like having two or three pints, it’s going to be an everyday attainable luxury.”
The new cinema will also have less than half the total seat capacity it had formerly when it was home to the old Plaza Cinemas.
Across all six cinema screens, every seat will be a £1,000 luxury leather electronic recliner with extra leg room and a lap table for food and drink. The biggest screen will seat over 150 people and the smallest will seat 42.
Richard added that the cinema will also be boasting some of the best cinema technology on the market including full Dolby surround sound, 4k laser projection and 3D capabilities – with one special 15-metre screen verging on an IMAX in size and picture quality.
Each of the five digital projectors for the smaller screens cost the firm over £30,000 alone while the two largest projectors for the biggest screens on site cost over £60,000 each.
Richard said: “I like the idea that people think we’re slightly mad when they say ‘you do know you’re opening a cinema like this in Workington?” and I say, why not? if we aim higher and we fall short, at least we tried something big and exciting.”
The venue has been fully refurbished in a modern take on the traditional Art Deco-style of cinema – with neon lighting running throughout the building designed to ‘get you in the mood’ for a film.
The cocktail bar will feature a small menu of movie-themed cocktails, mocktails, beers and wines and the coffee space, which owners are calling ‘The Foyer’ will offer locally sourced coffee, cake and luxury brunch items.
Food on offer is set to include waffles, American pancakes croissants and more – and visitors won’t have to pay for a cinema ticket to use the cocktail bar or coffee space facilities.
General manager Dan Moxon said: “We want to avoid that rush that there usually is to get a cinema ticket and get into the screen. It’s going to be a quality experience and a really nice night out for people.
“We’d love to see people coming early for cocktails or a coffee and some food and using the space socially before watching their film. The whole cinema experience here is going to be a lot better, staff training will be customer focused and customers will be guided through their visit.
“The world is stressful enough as it is and we would like people to enjoy every part of their experience if they’re making the effort to come out and see us.”
While the cinema is officially opening in March – the firm’s 17 new staff members are getting ready to open the doors of the coffee and cocktail space every Friday to Sunday, starting this week, until opening night from 9.30am to 11pm.
Dan added: “We’re still a work in progress at the moment but opening the doors and getting feedback from the public will give us the chance to make tweaks to make our official opening night perfect.
“We’re nervous and excited – It’s exciting times. It’ll be so good to see happy customers with food and drink in hand this weekend.”
