Netflix and Co no match for wonder of trip to the flicks

MY FIRST trip to the cinema was when I was four to see The Tales of Beatrix Potter, the ballet.

- ANNIE BROWN

It’s ingrained on my memory mainly because the red velvet seat folded shut, sandwiching my tiny body like a slice of ham.

It was also my mother’s way of taking me to see a ballet when the theatre was way beyond her budget.

My mum had dreams of her daughter growing up cultured, and the next film she took me to was A Christmas Carol, which gave me the night terrors but an appreciation of Dickens.

The cinema is more than just another entertainment venue, it’s a memory marker of moments, small but significant.

As Cineworld is mothballed, and Odeon reduces its showings to weekends, it is sad to see cinemas disappear from our town and city centres.

For a company which was already over expanding and burning cash, Cineworld’s current fate is as much about corporate failure as Covid-19.

For the staff, Cineworld has been the villain of the piece – already on zero-hour contracts, they have been dumped like the love interest in a cheap chick flick.