New Reel cinema in Blossom Street attracts 5,000 customers (From York Press)

New Reel cinema in Blossom Street, York attracts 5,000 customers

8:28am Tuesday 30th June 2009 in Search By Mike Laycock, Chief reporter

YORK’S re-opened city centre picturehouse has attracted more than 5,000 customers in its first ten days.

Now Reel Cinema’s delighted boss Kailash Suri, pictured, is holding talks with architects about the possibility of creating an extra two screens.

Mr Suri said today that the response from the York public to the restoration of the former Odeon cinema in Blossom Street had been “excellent.”

He said: “We have had 5,000-plus people up to Sunday night, despite warm weather, which is very good.

“We have now got the premiere of Ice Age 3 coming up on Wednesday, and the new Harry Potter film coming on July 13, which we will make a special evening with a red carpet.”

He said there were inevitably teething problems when the cinema reopened, but everything possible was being done to resolve these.

He revealed he was holding discussions with architects yesterday about the possibility of creating two new screens, one upstairs and one downstairs, by making use of existing spare space, but while keeping the big screen auditorium.

He was also looking at creating an ice cream parlour downstairs.

Reel’s provision for disabled cinema-goers has been criticised by Labour councillors. Micklegate councillor Julie Gunnell said she would like to encourage people to support the investment made in the city, but it struck her that many disabled customers would be unable to because of problems gaining access to the main auditorium.

Coun Ken King, an honorary member of York Access Group, which aims to improve disabled people’s access to public places, said the access issue needed reviewing.

Mr Suri said full disabled access to the two downstairs screens had been provided, along with disabled toilets, but it would be very difficult to provide a lift to the screen upstairs because of the alterations which would be needed in a listed building, which would probably meet with objections from English Heritage.

He said most films in the big screen ended up being shown later in the smaller screens downstairs, but if a group of disabled cinemagoers wanted to see a film being shown on the big screen, they could get in touch and it could be possible for an extra screening to be made downstairs.