Headingley’s Cottage Road cinema reopens for first time in seven months

The much-loved independent cinema has been shut for the last seven months but owner Charles Morris confirmed it will reopen on Friday, October 230.

The first film on the silver screen will be the 1961 classic Breakfast at Tiffany’s, starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard.

It will start at 7.30pm.

To celebrate the Halloween weekend there will be three spooky or haunted films each day.

Saturday's films will include Hocus Pocus at 4.45pm and The Shining at 7.30pm.

A line-up of other recent and not-so-recent classics continues daily for the next fortnight, after which some newer films will be shown.

Mr Morris said: "I’m sure people will be aware that a lot of new films, like the new James Bond No Time To Die have been delayed and delayed, but enough is enough and we are going to open again.

“We have an attractive line-up of classics to begin with, plus some recorded live theatre productions, then we will be introducing some of the new films which have been released in the last few months.

"There have in fact been quite a few films which I am sure people will enjoy, it's just that they are from the smaller distributors who cannot afford the publicity budgets of the big boys, so folk won’t be aware of them to the same extent.

"I bet 90 per cent of the films we show would be enjoyed by 90 per cent of the public, if they did but give them a chance.”

The cinema seats more than 400 people and guests will be kept apart to maintain social distancing.

Mr Morris, who is also opening his cinemas at Elland, Keighley and Skipton on the same date, is optimistic about the future.

He said: “My four Yorkshire cinemas have all been here for over a hundred years; they’ve survived two world wars, at least two other pandemics, they’ve seen the art deco movie palaces of the 1930s come and go and they look like outlasting the multiplex cinemas.

“But we do need people’s support if we are to survive.

"We’ve had seven months with no income and we need people through the doors, and we need them right now.

“We advise pre-booking as we are having to operate on reduced capacity to maintain social distancing, so it could mean seats are limited for the more popular films.

"We very much look forward to seeing patrons old and new; it’s been a lonely few months”