Opening date revealed for Newmarket’s new cinema

Newmarket Cinema will open its doors to its first customers next week.

The opening date for the new venture, at the Kings Theatre in Fitzroy Street, has been set for Friday, April 5.

And in the opening weeks cinema-goers will be treated to Dune: Part Two and Wicked Little Letters with Wonka and Migration set to appeal to younger audiences.

Families are in for a treat during the Easter holidays, as the classic Ghostbusters will be included in the line-up.

The cinema is satellite enabled for live screenings from some of the great international theatres and opera houses with acclaimed productions from the National Theatre, while April 20 will mark the inaugural live screening of the Met Opera in New York, beginning with Rondine and followed in early May by Madame Butterfly. Bizet’s Carmen from the Royal Opera House will be shown on May 1.

The cinema project is the result of a year of work by the Newmarket Charitable Foundation backed by the Abbeygate Cinema in Bury St Edmunds, which has contributed £35,000 towards the project, and the Nomads
(Newmarket Operatic, Musical and Dramatic Society) which has been based at the cinema for more than 60 years and will continue to put on shows there.

It is hoped that the new cinema will help safeguard the future of the theatre providing increased revenue and usage.

In February last year Abbeygate brought a 100-seater mobile cinema to The Severals for 10 days of showings which recorded 1,671 admissions with the highest daily total being 305.

That, and a town survey, convinced the foundation to move forward with a town cinema project and the partnership with Abbeygate means the latest releases will be able to be shown.

The Newmarket Charitable Foundation, which was formed three years ago with the aim of creating a thriving town for the whole community, has contributed £65,000 towards the cost of the project, a grant of £35,000 has come via West Suffolk Council from the Rural England Prosperity Fund while the town council has pledged £2,000 to the project.

“The cinema opening is just the start of an exciting new chapter in Kings Theatre,” said Josh Schunmann, charitable foundation director.

“With a packed schedule over the next few months, Kings Cinema is poised to become a much-loved destination for all residents.”