Malton: Twenty years of independent cinema celebrated with £1 tickets

Twenty years owning Malton's Palace Cinema would be marked by selling tickets for £1, owner Jeremy Powell said

An independent cinema is set to celebrate 20 years under its current management with a charity screening.

Jeremy Powell said he had realised a life-long ambition when he reopened the The Palace Cinema, in Malton, North Yorkshire, in 2002.

Mr Powell said during the early days of owning the art-deco cinema he was "just glad to make it through to Christmas".

Money raised through ticket sales on Saturday will support charities working in Ukraine.

Mr Powell runs the business with his wife Caroline who he met at the Palace.

He said: "We officially reopened on 13 July 2002 with Star Wars Attack of the Clones.

"We had a gentle opening on 12 July playing the iconic Casablanca as a charity event raising money for Guide Dogs for the Blind."

A life-long ambition to own an independent cinema was realised in 2002 when he reopened Malton's Palace Cinema, Jeremy Powell said

Mr Powell joked: "Twenty years on we're celebrating our success with all tickets on 16 July at 20 shillings - a pound for those not as old as me."

He said he had always been grateful for the support of the cinema's regulars who he said were "more like friends".

Mr Powell said support from the local community had "always been strong" and he was also very grateful for help from the Cultural Recovery Fund for Independent Cinemas, during the Covid pandemic.

In the two decades owning and running the cinema the entire industry had changed "from 35mm film to Digital Cinema Packages delivered by hard drives", he said.

The cinema itself had also changed he added, moving from a single screen of 142 seats to a three screens cinema with 86, 51 and 12 seats.

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