‘A matter of time’ grumble local residents when cinema group closes location

A CINEMA group with more than 40 locations will close one of its locations just two months after opening.

Omniplex Cinemas in Ipswich, Suffolk, has informed its employees in a letter that they are “at risk of being made redundant” after the “difficult decision”.

The Irish cinema chain only acquired the Buttermarket location from Empire Cinema in December, but has already begun a consultation process with staff.

The letter sent to employees this week states that Omniplex has failed to reach an agreement on the transfer of the leasehold with the landlord.

This means that the cinema will close on or before Sunday, March 24, the newspaper said Ipswich staralthough the exact date is yet to be confirmed.

An anonymous employee at the movie theater told the outlet that about 30 employees are at risk of losing their jobs, including all team members and managers.

The news comes just weeks after Omiplex took over from previous tenants Empire in December.

Empire first opened in the Buttermarket in 2017 and was the first all-laser projection system in Suffolk and the second in the UK.

But after entering administration last summer, administrators had no choice but to sell.

In addition to the Ipswich location, Ireland’s largest cinema chain also opened four other locations in Great Britain last year.

Omniplex Cinemas can also be found in Birmingham, Sutton, High Wycombe and Clydebank, Scotland.

But the impending closure in Suffolk was “only a matter of time” according to disgruntled locals, as a Cineworld had already been set up elsewhere in the city.

“It was so clear in 2017 that this cinema would not survive when Cineworld was already in town,” said a local resident. “It was always a matter of time.”

A second added: “I went to Omniplex for the first time since it changed last week and it was dreary. Barely anyone there, few empty shelves, I said last week this wouldn’t stay open much longer.”

However, some admitted that they would be sad to see the site disappear.

“Such a shame when this goes, great cinema with friendly staff and better programming than Cineworld,” one person claimed.

“Another big blow to our dying city and a loss for cinema buffs and people who want to visit the city center in the evening for something other than drinking,” said another.

In November, a beloved cinema chain closed its curtains for the last time after twenty years.

Cineworld left loyal customers and staff devastated after it closed the doors of its branch in Runcorn, Cheshire, on November 26.

The closure of another popular Cineworld branch soon followed to make way for a new residential area.

Cineworld in Hengrove Leisure Park, South Bristol, was the last surviving cinema in the area and left locals devastated.