Bond is back – and the owners of Keswick’s cinema are hoping that nobody does it better when it comes to attracting film fans next month.
The Alhambra on St John’s Street has been closed, off and on, for nearly 18 months due to COVID restrictions.
During that time, however, it has undergone nearly £300,000 of refurbishments, including the introduction of a second screen.
The aim is to turn a profit for the first time in recent history, securing the future of the 108-year-old institution.
And the team who run the Alhambra aim to start the new era with a bang by screening the new James Bond film, No Time To Die, on the opening night on September 30.
“It doesn’t get any bigger than Bond,” said the cinema’s co-owner Jonathan Moore.
“The fact that the release of No Time To Die has been delayed for more than a year has really ramped up the anticipation, and we’re expecting full houses when it finally opens.
“When we screened the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody it ran for 48 weeks – so hopefully 007 will beat that record.”
No Time To Die is the 25th movie in the Bond series, and features Daniel Craig in his last outing as the suave British spy. It was due to be released in April 2020, but was delayed due to COVID.
Movie insiders say the success of the £215m blockbuster is crucial to the future of the cinema industry, which is under threat from the rise in popularity of streaming services like Netflix, Amazon and Disney+.
Jonathan said: “There’s no doubt that cinemas – particularly the multiplexes – face a real challenge. But we are confident that independents like the Alhambra will survive because they offer something unique.
“And the investment we have made in smartening up the building and putting in a second screen will hopefully mean that we can move from being a loss-making, purely voluntary operation to becoming profitable for the first time.”
The Alhambra, which originally opened in 1913, was bought in 1982 by former projectionist Tom Rennie and has been run by his family ever since.
Jonathan, who quit his job as an international brand consultant for a quiet life in the Lake District, became involved with the cinema after a chance meeting with Tom’s daughter, Carol.
Together they have overseen its redevelopment, which has been partly funded by public donations.
“It’ll be great to get the place open again, because despite two world wars this is the first time it has ever been closed,” Jonathan said.
“In fact the Alahambra is the 10th oldest continually running cinema in the world!”
