Film fans flock to re-opened cinema complex
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
CINEMA-goers in Caithness have been classed as unique after bucking the trend of declining audience figures across the UK during the summer.
Thurso Cinema welcomed its 20,000th customer on Saturday during the opening weekend of the new James Bond film Skyfall, despite only being open for 13 weeks.
But whereas cinemas across the country have reported more empty seats due to the cluster of high-profile national events that have taken place, the Ormlie Road complex’s popularity has remained firm since its opening in July.
Owner Rob Arthur wanted to attract at least 13,000 customers during the cinema’s first three months and has been blown away by the response so far.
"To put it in context, the previous All St@r Factory had 30,000 admissions in its last full year, so to do over half that figure in just three months has surpassed all our expectations," he said.
"If you work on the basis that something had gone wrong in the past, we have been working on turning it into something that works again.
"The UK cinema industry generally this summer has not done so well due to factors such as the Olympic Games, but the good thing about Thurso is that because it has not had a cinema for so long, people continue to come out in big numbers to use it."
Mr Arthur originally struck a deal with Highlands and Islands Enterprise in July to re-open the cinema which closed down in 2009.
Among the top 10 films shown include a high number of family films, with The Kids Clubbeing one of the big successes.
But the amount of interaction between customers and the cinema has also pleased Mr Arthur, saying that they are keen to hear what films the public want to see.
"The Kids Club has been a huge success, but even films such as The Avengers Assemble have had higher than expected audiences with evening showings well attended and whole families coming out to watch it.
"The audience in Thurso is very vocal about the films it wants to see, especially a high concentration of women who are active on our Facebook site, possibly because they organise family activities more.
"This is what makes Thurso Cinema different from the rest of the UK and it is something positive to hold on to."
It has also been announced that the first digital projectors are due to be installed at the end of November in time for its premiere of The Hobbit which is due to be shown on December 10.
A satellite is also being installed at the cinema to receive films in digital form which will make films being sent to the wrong location or going missing in transit a thing of the past – an issue which has been a problem for the cinema since it re-opened.
The cinema also aims to show its first 3D film after the Christmas period and Mr Arthur is aiming to keep prices as low as possible for 3D films, looking to only add 50 pence more compared to normal feature films.
