Deal agreed to save town cinema from closure

The cinema, in The Crescent, had been earmarked for closure

A deal has been agreed to stop the closure of a Leicestershire town's only cinema.

Cineworld announced in July that its five-screen complex in The Crescent, Hinckley, would close as part of a wider restructuring of the company.

However, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, which owns the building in which the cinema is based, says it has negotiated new terms with the company to keep it open.

A Cineworld spokesperson said they were pleased the cinema, which opened in 2015, would now remain open.

The council said the deal would mean it would continue to get a rental income from the cinema unit

Council leader Stuart Bray said he was also pleased a new deal had been reached.

He said: "Not only does it safeguard the future of this great facility in Hinckley town centre it also ensures the taxpayer continues to receive a rental income from Cineworld which helps to fund our public services."

The council said a number of other national and independent cinema operators had contacted the council to enquire about taking over the lease had Cineworld continued with its planned closure.

Mr Bray added: “The amount of interest we’ve had from alternative cinema operators for this site shows that keeping the facility is the right decision.

"I thank those operators for coming forward and for the interest they have shown in Hinckley.”

A Cineworld spokesperson said: “Following discussions with our landlords at Cineworld Hinckley, we are pleased that it will remain open.”