Odeon Luxe Darlington
220 Northgate,
Darlington,
DL1 1RB
220 Northgate,
Darlington,
DL1 1RB
4 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 37 comments
The final movie screened there was Elvis
The Odeon has been sold to a developer. From comments posted it appears that the building is scheduled to be converted into a halal cash and carry unit, with a halal restaurant and 2 retail units available to let.
Cinema currently for sale.
Odeon have just announced
that the cinema will close
on Thursday 30th June
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/20216137.odeon-bosses-confirm-closing-date-darlington-cinema/
Things are back to normal now.£6 if your an ODEON member £7 otherwise.
Went last night for first time since reopening and to my amazment they have put ticket prices up to £10. With the VUE only being £4.99 and the Empire in Catterick only £3.99. Needless to say, we were the only 2 in the whole building.Do ODEON not know that is Darlo not Harrow.People here just won’t pay £10 when they can get it for half the cost or less.If they don’t drop the price I fear that it wont be long before it closes. This would be a big shame because after the upgrade it is a loverly cinema now.
3 photos (courtesy of Dave Speirs, former Chief) uploaded of the auditorium taken before AMC/Odeon’s nonsensical ‘no tabs’ policy.
Well have been to all 3 screens now. The foyer has all new carpets and electric heating as well as 2 new ticket collection machines. Starting at the bottom and working up. Screen 3 has a new bigger screen and all new recliner seats. Screen 2 has 4 rows of recliner seats. Both have really clear picture quality and good sound. The stairs upto the foyer of screen 1 have new carpets and led lights on each step the foyer has new carpets and electric heating. Screen 1 has been completely re-stepped with the back row being raised up so that the front row is further forward than the old front row. All seats are electric recliners. The screen is still in it’s original position, so nothing has been last in the auditorium and the picture quality is great as is the sound. It has not been painted yet but I am told that it will be in the new year. All the toilets have been refurbished as well. So all in all. It is a really great cinema now with very comfy seats and well worth the price. Seating capacity’s are Screen 1 162, Screen 2 58, Screen 3 46
They are supposedly putting disabled access in screen 1, probably when they do the new screen fit. Be interesting to see how they do that, possibly fitting a lift to the upper foyer then chair ramp into auditorium
Officially rebranded as ‘Odeon Luxe’ from 13 December 2019.
Seating capacities are now 162 in Screen 1, 38 in Screen 2 and 46 in Screen 3.
Just Screens 2 and 3 have wheelchair access of 2 each.
Thanks for the update – will have to check out when all done -I guess the new screen will be fitted early December in time for Star Wars (maybe get 2 weeks of Frozen 2 in screen 1) as prices are £7 & £5 offpeak from 19th (or earlier if finished)
Went to Screen 1 just after it reopened. The front of the circle has been raised to allow for the wider rows to accommodate the reclining seats and extra legroom throughout the former circle. As a result the ceiling at the front of screens 2 & 3 is a lot lower down from the front of the circle. Screen 1 now has approx.160-170 seats, down from 550 and screens 2 & 3 appear to have 65 and 50 seats, from 220 and 149. The reclining seats in screen 1 have not been switched on yet as the existing screen is too low to view with them in a reclined position. When screens 2 & 3 reopen, the plan is to re-close screen 1 and fit a new higher screen – probably in front of the proscenium arch. Whether this will also include a redecoration of the auditorium (they have already fitted new flooring and carpets in screen 1) we will see, but the pink/red décor is looking tired. The stairs and upper foyer have been redecorated and new carpets fitted. AMC are spending a lot of money on this old cinema and hopefully it will continue to compete against Vue. Seat prices are still showing at £3.
Has anyone been since luxe conversion (still £3.00 for the moment) Has Screen 1 had the screen moved forward or resized + S2 & 3 has screen remained same size or gone to 1.85.1?
looks like screen 1 is open now (other 2 screens now in concersion) £3.00 still (i guess till all screens converted)
Photo uploaded showing work in progress in screen 1. A friend is visiting this evening and hopes to take photos of the place as it now is – presumably with the screen brought forward and the front circle floored over with the old front stalls sealed off.
£7 for a recliner (£5 Mon-Thurs before 5 is seems)is same (well £6.95) as Vues most expensive seating (non reclining seats)
£3.00 less than showcase luxe at teesside so i think will do well (as not as many seats to fill as it once had once conversion done)
Looks like screen 1 will reopen 15 Nov (as thats when disabled access is back)
I can honestly say that since the VUE opened I have never been to a film where there has been more than a hundred in, usually you can count on your fingers how many are in. Not sure if i’m right but I have believed that this cinema makes it’s living out of kids films. When there is a kids film Lion King, Dora Secret life of pets etc. it seems to do well. When the kids are at school it has stopped opening during the day. £3 a ticket or £10 for a family and it is within walking distance of many houses around North Rd it is “first choice” ( old ODEON catch phrase)for the kids. It may not be as posh but what do you want for 3 quid. At £7 a ticket I fear your right they will go into town to the VUE.
Looking at the plan of screen 1 it would appear that the front circle has been completely lost and that there are 196 seats in the rear circle (which originally seated 438).
When entering the former circle now it will appear totally different with all the theatre’s original features obliterated.
If the brand new Vue Multiplex charges only £4.99 (for ALL performances?) I would imagine that most people will opt to go there. The only reason the old Theatre Royal/Regal/ABC/Cannon/ABC/Odeon has lasted so long is simply because the site it occupies has no commercial value otherwise it would have been sold decades ago……..
I have just looked at Odeon’s website for booking tickets for Star Wars and there is a layout of the auditorium which has double seats the screen has been brought forward and the tickets are £7! with VUE only been £4.99 I hope they are not going to be over priced. Only time will tell
Must still be viable if Odeon spending the cash – Normally loose around 60% of seting so Id thought they would be 160-200 Seats in S1 (just over 500 at present time), and less than 50 in other 2 screens.
Vues prices for 2D VIP seats (non recliner) is £6.95…so Id guess £8 (cheaper than showcase luxe at teesside park)
I was Manager here from 1989 – 1995; it was not my favourite post as full Manager (Newcastle was by far the best followed by South shields whilst Chester was the most unhappy appointment ever ) and I was instrumental in having the place redecorated (expensively by ‘Cosmos’ of Glasgow) and re – seated, albeit with the best available second hand seats from two ‘Cannon disposals’, viz Newcastle and Manchester Deansgate.
The main auditorium (circle) had been reduced from 628 to 590 seats upon triple conversion in 1977 and , as a result of the front circle being fitted with Newcastle’s wider seats whilst I was there, this capacity was further reduced to 578.
Until Showcase arrived at nearby Stockton on Tees the cinemas were 75% full during the week and completely full at the weekends; I refer to the evening performances although the afternoons were respectable. Upon the emergence of Showcase, the business was hit considerably although the theatre remained profitable. I ‘pushed’ for the circle to be re-stepped and reduced in capacity to around 400 seats and actual plans were drawn up with this intention in mind although it never came to fruition.
I honestly thought that this building would have closed when Vue arrived in the town but, having spent its ‘9 lives’, it now appears to be starting a new cycle………
I assume that finally the circle will be re – stepped and its capacity will be reduced not to 400, as I recommended decades ago, but to somewhere in the region of 250 – 300? I am furthermore guessing that the screen will be brought forward from the proscenium and will, accordingly , be considerably wider than the 38 feet it was when I was ‘at the Regal’! Naturally, being AMC, there will be no tabs even though Odeon fitted brand new ones when they took over in 2001 (?). This will be a shame as they provide the ‘gift wrapping’ which, happily, continues in certain superior independent cinemas.
Amazingly, Darlington will retain its two oldest theatrical venues with the Hippodrome and here (which, of course, is the reconstructed Theatre Royal) in addition to the town’s first Odeon which has reverted to its original name, the Majestic.
and lets hope they don’t put the prices up too much and finish it off. Looking forward to a long future.
As previous comments said this cinema really has 9 lives…now being converted to Odeon Luxe (reclining seats etc). Screen 1 being refurbished now, Screens 2 & 3 to follow.
Entertainments pages with all Darlington cinemas for the years 1952 and 1961 uploaded (together with my comments and observations)to the photos section…..
If ever a cinema had nine lives it is that one……….