In the ten months since Rye’s new twin screen cinema opened by the Town Hall, there have been over 46,000 visits, not just to blockbusters like the current James Bond thriller “Spectre”, but also to children’s films and live links to opera and theatre productions.
This was the headline news when Fletcher Centre Properties Ltd held its Annual Meeting on November 28, and the Directors reported that during the year all papers had been signed between the Freeholder, Fletcher in Rye CIC (Community Interest Company) and the tenant, Kino Digital.
The cinema, near the top of Lion Street, which was formerly a centre used for further education, has a bar/cafe in addition to the twin screens and public reaction has been overwhelmingly positive the meeting heard.
Films are shown each day from around 10am to last performances around 8:45pm with Kids Club films first thing Saturday and Sunday mornings.
The typical choice may include up to six or seven feature films along with special screenings from the National Theatre, the Royal Opera House, Kenneth Branagh’s Theatre Group and even live art shows. Full details are online, and each week Rye News publishes details of the latest films.
As the cinema is open all day and has so many sessions and so many choices, visitors may wonder how well the Kino is doing when some screenings, particularly during the daytime, may not be well attended, with only a few or half the seats taken, but the meeting was told that the visiting numbers were around 46,000 so far – and that is without the latest “Star Wars” blockbuster, which is now booking from December 17 through to New Year’s Eve.
The AGM heard that, even with some showings only having a few people in them, that all equalled out when fully booked popular films like James Bond were taken into account, along with the opera and theatre productions which are being beamed into Rye, such ballet and opera from Covent Garden and much more.
The development has received a number of awards for its excellent design (as an elderly building that has been sensitively and unobtrusively modernised in Rye’s historic centre) and adding value to the community, for which the Directors of Fletcher Property Company thanked architects Jonathan Dunn. They also thanked Kino Digital, their Directors and staff for the highly professional way the new cinema was fitted out and the way in which they run the facilities.
Those facilities include a function room and the terrace area [insert LINK to “Kino adds to festival fare” (Aug 25) in addition to the twin screens and during the year the cinema has supported Rye’s various festivals with screenings, presentations and performances .
[Author’s note: “On a personal level, as a Director of Fletcher in Rye and lover of films I want to thank the Fletcher Group, funders and supporters for this wonderful asset which, I think, has brought many benefits to all of Rye”]
Heidi Foster is a Director of Fletcher in Rye CIC. Photos: Rye News library
Image Credits: J. Minter .