It seemed like cinema had been saved this summer. Audiences all over the country poured into their local multiplexes for Barbenheimer on levels not seen since before the pandemic. But such a cultural phenomenon was not enough for the biggest cinema in Bristol, which will sadly close next week.
The Showcase Cinema de Lux in Cabot Circus features stadium seating, state-of-the-art sound, 13 screens – including an XPlus, supersized screen – and an automated box office. Making it one of the most modern feeling cinemas in Bristol. But sadly it will show its last film on November 30.
It is no longer taking bookings beyond this date. The last movie to be screened at the Showcase looks like Napoleon – Ridley Scott’s two-and-a-half-hour-long historical epic about the former French leader’s rise to power. The only other film showing that day is Disney’s Wish, with neither feeling particularly fitting to the cinema’s demise.
After its closure, the only Showcase left in the Bristol area will be found at Avonmeads. There are still a few cinemas in the centre, however, like the Bristol Odeon, arthouse cinema Watershed and even Cube Cinema – known for screening cult films. But none on the scale of Showcase in Cabot Circus.
According to BristolLive, the reason behind the closure is believed to be linked to the slow recovery of ticket sales post-lockdowns and a recent rent increase. As one of the main draws of Cabot Circus, this will be devastating news not only to cinema lovers but also to other local businesses. That’s before we even ask, who/what could dare to replace the giant cinema?
It’s not the only recent cinema closure. The last cinema in South Bristol, Cineworld at Hengrove Park will shut down on Sunday (November 26). So now’s a good time to get out and support your local cinema in Bristol. Among the ones we’ve already mentioned, there’s also Everyman in Clifton, Scott Cinemas in Henleze, Vue in Longwell Green and Cribbs.