Opening night for York’s revamped Odeon cinema in Blossom Street (From York Press)

Opening night for York’s revamped Odeon cinema in Blossom Street

9:25am Friday 19th June 2009 in News By Mark Stead, mark.stead@thepress.co.uk

LAST-MINUTE finishing touches were today being put to York’s revamped Odeon cinema as it prepares to unveil its new look.

The city centre picture house will be screening films again for the first time in three years tonight, following a major refurbishment of the 1930s art-deco building in Blossom Street.

A black-tie gala opening will herald the launch of the transformed cinema, which closed in August 2006, with 100 free tickets being handed out ahead of the relaunch.

Owners Reel Cinema (UK) Ltd, who will operate the building as Reel York and employ between 30 and 35 staff, have also drawn up a cut-price ticketing policy as they attempt to attract customers and ensure the Odeon rebirth succeeds.

Managing director Kailash Suri said the final cleaning and tidying-up operation at the new cinema would go right down to the wire ahead of tonight’s reopening.

He said: “It will be nice to see the finished product and it already looks absolutely fantastic.

“With a refurbished cinema, you never know what is around the corner, so there is some nervousness ahead of the reopening, but hopefully everything will settle down quickly and we can go forward from there.

“The response of the public has been incredible, with people walking past having a look at the refurbishment and asking how it is going. We hope all the work will be rewarding and that we will then have the opportunity to make it even better.”

The reopening ceremony will start with a drinks reception at 7pm, including musical entertainment and special guests, followed by the screening of Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen, in the 880-seat main auditorium.

Meanwhile, Reel York’s cinema competitor, City Screen, in Coney Street, has sent a “good luck” message to its new rival. “I’m delighted to see the Odeon building being brought back into use as a cinema and wish Mr Suri all the best with his venture in York,” said marketing manager Dave Taylor.

“However, we believe we provide something which Reel York will not, in terms of the arthouse films we offer and also our live music and comedy club, our riverside café bar, internet café and the artistic and creative hub City Screen has become.

“We have also not increased our ticket prices this year, during difficult economic times.”

The Picturehouse group, which runs City Screen, said it had no plans to change its prices following Reel York’s arrival, while Clifton Moor-based Vue York said it did not wish to comment on competitors or its own ticketing policies and plans.

Dirt disappears in big clean for big screen TWENTY years-worth of popcorn, chewing gum and Coke have been literally sucked from the old carpets of the cinema, prior to tonight’s reopening.

The grime-busting operation has been mounted by LV Services, from Stamford Bridge.

Boss Robin Stannard said the firm was using powerful equipment worth £30,000 to remove two decades of grime from carpets in a three-day operation involving steam applied at high pressure, following by powerful suction.

“They have come up as good as new,” he said.

Mr Stannard said the firm carried out cleaning work at nightclubs across the region, but this was one of most difficult contracts it had ever won.

He said the firm had given a deep clean to everything in the cinema, including the walls, doors and even behind the screens, where there was 40 years of dust.