Cinema to reopen under new operator

The site is said to be taken over by Omniplex

A city's cinema is set to reopen after a lease was agreed with a new operator.

Irish chain Omniplex has confirmed it will be opening at the site of the former Empire Cinema, in Sunniside, Sunderland, this May.

The venue closed in July last year when Empire Cinemas went into administration, leaving the city without a cinema.

Omniplex Cinema Group director Paul John Anderson said the refurbishment of the site would take place over the next 18 months.

“We understand the cinema's importance to the local community so we're investing in its renovation," Mr Anderson said.

The venue will have 12 screens, with about 30 jobs expected to be created.

Councillor Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said the council was "delighted" to have attracted a new operator and urged residents to "vote with their feet" and use the cinema when it opens.

'Utterly ridiculous'

Deputy Leader of Wearside Lib Dems Councillor Heather Fagan said the news was "fantastic" after the Lib Dem opposition "did everything possible" to convince the council, which owns the building, to commit to finding a new operator.

“Not having a cinema in Sunderland has been an embarrassment for the city," Ms Fagan said.

She said she hoped the re-opening could be a "catalyst" for bringing more units in and around Sunniside back into use.

Labour councillor Graeme Miller, Leader of Sunderland City Council, said it was "utterly ridiculous" to suggest the council needed any convincing to look for a new occupier.

He added the council was "unrelenting" in driving positive change for the city.

"Thanks to our work, not only will residents be able to watch films in the city once again, we will soon be home to one of Europe’s largest film studios, ” Mr Miller said.

Back in February, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said that Sunderland City Council was in the “advanced stages of agreeing a lease” for a cinema operator at the site.

However, no official announcement was made at the time.