Cinema boss: Anything that gives people reason to stop 'poking at their smartphones' is good idea

                                                                   

New vision for Freshney Place, Grimsby - a place of  shops and leisure 

AN upbeat note on the proposed cinema in Grimsby's Freshney Place has been sounded by the man who will be running it.

Says Parkway Entertainment Ltd director Richard Parkes: "We are  delighted that the plans to reinvigorate Freshney Place continue to move ahead. 

"It’s all about bringing unused retail space back to life and attracting people into the town centre."

Some people have expressed doubts whether there will be sufficient business to support Parkway's existing cinema in Cleethorpes and its proposed new one in Grimsby, but these are not shared by Mr Parkes.

"The latter will be very different from the one in Cleethorpes,"he continues. "There is more than one type and style of restaurant, more than just one type of pub - cinemas are the same. 

"A town centre cinema will have a different feel and style to a big seafront cinema, even if they are offering the same sorts of films, it will be a different experience."

What about the long-term future of cinema? Cue more optimism from Mr Parkes.

"Cinema has supposedly been dead many, many times," he continues. "TV was going to kill it. So was VHS, then satellite TV, then Netflix, and most recently COVID. 

"It simply isn’t the case. 

"Avatar 2 came out just before Christmas, and it has already taken more than $2-billion worldwide to become one of top ten biggest films ever. 

"Anybody who saw Top Gun Maverick on a big screen knows that the cinema experience is not just alive and well, but, with enhanced screens and sound,  probably better than ever.

"The Internet may have changed the world, but it has not changed how we are - people want to gather together, meet friends and spend time with their families.

"It used to be mainly driven by retail, but now it’s also about leisure. 

"Anything that gives people a good enough reason to stop poking at their smartphones and go out and do something is a good idea."

With planning permission for the redevelopment granted just last Wednesday, North East Lincolnshire Council is keen to move quickly.

Vacant shop units will be stripped out, and the former BHS building will be demolished.

The market will continue to operate from its current base until the new market hall has been built."

Last word to NELC leader Cllr Philip Jackson: "Parkway are local, they are committed, and they want to bring about a positive change within our town centre, and that is just what we are looking for."