Cineworld to close all UK venues - wood Green mall is included

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Permalink Reply by Maddy on October 4, 2020 at 16:27

The Arthouse in Crouch End is open in a socially distanced way, has an interesting and eclectic programme rather than hanging on for the blockbusters, is very good value, and still pays their staff London living wage.

Permalink Reply by JJ B on October 4, 2020 at 19:30

That's great.

I hope the Ritzy and Picture House in Clapham (my old stopming grounds) will survive. Thye wer once indie cinemas with arthouse feels until nasty Cineworld moved in.

Permalink Reply by Will on October 4, 2020 at 21:13

Cinema isn't just for middle class twenty-somethings who want sofa chairs and cocktails. The Cineworlds didn't kill off they picture houses. In many cases they reinvigorated them by creating a gap for them to adapt into. They serve different markets. That said, I've often found the 'arthouse' clientele as objectionable as the 'nasty Cineworld' types. 

Both will return but Covid has accelerated their inevitable decline in scale.

Permalink Reply by JJ B on October 5, 2020 at 9:47

Who mentioned "class"? "Nasty" refers to how the Big Corporate often buys the niche competition before killing it off. This results in less competition and less variety, international standardization....

When I frequented the Arthouse and Ritzy it wasn't only "middle- class, sofa-lovers" in there with me. Actually the seats in both these places were less comfortable than the big chains that used the seating to differentiate themselves from smaller screens showing more alternative stuff. And if you followed the Ritzy story when it was taken over, you can judge for yourself just how the WORKERS (who I do suppose are working class, no?) were treated?

I am a sucker for independents everywhere. But I did go to both screens in Wood Green. We have NO cinema in Tottenham!

Permalink Reply by Old-Age-Emporium(OAE) on October 4, 2020 at 23:36

Where will the WG Mall's Cineworld clientele have their noisy suppers?  Certainly with my increasing deafness the slurp slurp, crunch crunch, crackle & pop always conflicted with my hearing aid and the cinema speakers. The joys of extraneous noise and the knees of the obese against my back persuaded me to give up going years ago.