Blackpool's £21m multiplex cinema set to open

The Backlot Cinema been built as part of the second phase of the Houndshill Shopping Centre in Blackpool

A £21m multiplex cinema featuring one of the largest IMAX screens in the north west is due to open later.

Accompanied by a themed diner, the Backlot Cinema has been built as part of the second phase of the Houndshill Shopping Centre in Blackpool.

The screen, measuring 10.85m (36ft) high and 19.87m (65ft) wide, will be equipped with advanced picture quality and audio.

Investment includes £5m of funding from the government's Getting Building Fund.

The balance is coming from council borrowing, plus a further £6m investment in the fit-out of the building including the IMAX screen.

The first film to be shown will be Denis Villeneuve's sequel, Dune: Part Two.

The Backlot's business manager Fabio Vidotti said: "We have been busy working on building a fantastic cinematic wonderland and we can't wait to welcome the Blackpool community to see what we've created."

Work to build the cinema on the site of the former Tower Street car park began in September 2021, with nine screens in total, 850 luxury seats and the diner which will occupy restaurant space in the scheme.

Blackpool has been without a mainstream cinema since the Odeon on Rigby Road closed in June last year when the lease came to an end.

Previously the council had said the development would draw an extra 1.2 million shoppers and visitors to the Houndshill Shopping Centre, which it owns.

Homes and garden retailer Wilko had been due to move into retail space in the building until the collapse of the chain last year, with the council in talks to find a new occupier.

The council bought the Houndshill Shopping Centre for £47.6m in November 2019 as part of its long-term strategy to revitalise the town centre.