"WE strongly believe in the future of cinema" – a senior figure at a big screen chain has revealed his optimism for the industry despite the pandemic.
Major chain Vue will open a new multiplex in Glasgow city centre at the start of 2021.
The opening is scheduled for the first quarter of the year and a long lease will hook Vue into the facility for 20 years.
The nine-screen facility will be part of a new £40 million leisure development at the St Enoch Centre mall, which opened in 1989 and has a footfall count of 20m a year.
Around 40 picturehouse jobs are promised, with three of the screens to offer 3D viewing. All seats will be recliners and touchscreens will be installed for customers seeking snacks.
The cinema will be housed in the former BHS department store. It was one of the retailer's last branches to close after its collapse in summer 2016. Nine new eateries will also be created within the disused unit.
But the pandemic has hit cinemas hard, with industry giant Cineworld mothballing hundreds of its sites in the UK and America after delayed and cancelled blockbuster releases forced it into serious financial trouble.
It had been hoping the forthcoming James Bond movie No Time to Die would help bring audiences back, but its opening has been pushed back to April.
Cineworld is now understood to be working with City advisers over the restructuring of its £6.1 billion debt.
However, Dave Windross, head of property at Vue Entertainment, said: “We strongly believe in the long term future of cinema, and are looking forward to a year of amazing films in 2021 and therefore we are committed to delivering this fantastic new cinema for film fans in Glasgow.
“We believe that the big screen experience provides the perfect opportunity to switch off from the outside world with a great story, and our new all-recliner site will give even more people the chance to escape to luxury for a few hours.
“We’re also delighted to create 40 new jobs, which we’ll be recruiting for in due course.
“The St Enoch Centre redevelopment is creating a superb retail and leisure hub for Glasgow and we’re pleased to be part of it. We look forward to revealing more details as the project develops.”
Vue already operates out of one nearby site, Glasgow Fort.
Guy Beaumont, director of development at Sovereign Centros, the asset manager for the scheme, added: “We are excited to bring Vue to Glasgow city centre, boosting the attractiveness of St Enoch as the city’s leading family destination.
"Having the UK’s ultimate Big Screen operator will significantly boost our leisure offer while recently signed restaurant operators including Nando’s, Smashburger, Cosmo, Delhi Darbar and Donut King will complement our successful food court."
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