Cinema chain Odeon is to open in Bristol city centre’s Cabot Circus retail scheme following the closure of its Showcase’s Cinema De Lux’s venue 12 months ago.
Cabot Circus co-owner Hammerson said bringing back a cinema to the centre was the leisure experience most requested in a customer survey it staged earlier this year.
The new Odeon will use part of the complex vacated by the 13-screen, 2,800-seat Showcase De Lux exactly a year ago.
Odeon, the UK’s largest cinema brand with nearly 1,000 screens in 100-plus centres around the country, has given no further information about its new Bristol outlet and has not said whether its existing three-screen cinema on nearly Union Street will remain open.
Showcase, which opened the purpose-built Cinema De Lux in Cabot Circus in 2008, blamed a failure to reach agreement over the terms of its lease for its closure.
Coming within a week of the troubled Cineworld group closing its 14-screen venue in Hengrove Park, South Bristol, the move triggered some commentators to predict the demise of the multiplex-style cinema amid a cost of living crisis and the rise of Netflix-style home viewing.
But Hammerson said signing Odeon as a major new addition to Cabot Circus reflected what it called an “evolving line-up of vibrant entertainment, dining, family and social experiences” in the centre.
These new arrivals, which include leisure operators and food outlets, also illustrate the changing face of city-centre retail destinations, which in the light of the home-shopping boom, are increasingly being reshaped as leisure and entertainment hubs.
Hammerson, which co-owns Cabot Circus with AXA Real Estate, said attracting Odeon underpinned its overall vision to create a “multi-use destination” in central Bristol.
The cinema chain is the 10th new occupier to sign at Cabot Circus this year, which Hammerson said was part of a drive to bring new brands and experiences to central Bristol to boost the daytime and evening offer for customers.
Other recently agreed leisure operators include King Pins Bowl, which will open its 16,500 sq ft venue featuring bowling, gaming and leisure activities next year.
Meanwhile, Treetop Golf is opening next month with a new, immersive golf experience, along with national restaurant groups Six by Nico and Honi Poke, which chose Cabot Circus as one of its first sites outside London.
These new arrivals will come as Marks & Spencer continues with fit-out work in the three-floor, 80,000 sq ft former House of Fraser anchor unit.
Hammerson director of asset management Toby Tait said: “Cabot Circus is proud of its record providing Bristol with a leading cinema which acts as a key draw to both our destination and the wider city centre.
“This new partnership with Odeon is the culmination of months of hard work to select the best operator and bring the latest technology and experience into a completely renewed cinema venue.
“It adds to our growing line-up of restaurants and entertainment venues, specifically introduced to boost day and night experiences at Cabot Circus in the heart of Bristol.”
The 140-unit retail centre, which opened 16 years ago, has an annual footfall of around 19m people.