Shrewsbury Cineworld: More than a cinema, this is a reminder of years of memories
Film fan and former mayor Phil Gillam recalls the grand opening of Shrewsbury’s Cineworld in 1998.
It could have been a scene from the golden age of picture houses (or, as the Americans call them, movie theatres).
It was the kind of gathering there might have been for the premiere of Gone With The Wind or perhaps North by Northwest…
But this was in fact 1998.
To be precise – as my souvenir key fob reminds me – it was December 4, 1998. Which means that, coming up on the horizon, is the 24th anniversary of the opening of Shrewsbury’s Cineworld eight-screen cinema on Old Potts Way.
It was a significant moment not just for Shropshire’s market town but for the whole West Midlands. This was the first Cineworld in the region and marked the rise and rise of the multiplex. There followed a rush of openings, from Wolverhampton to Birmingham, Telford to Burton-upon-Trent.
On that rather special opening night in Shrewsbury, laser beams shone out from Cineworld, announcing its arrival. You could see the pretty colours in the sky from all over town.
A small army of immaculately dressed journalists, myself included, mingled with other invited guests in the modern, brightly-lit foyer.
Outside it was pitch black and frosty cold. With December under way, Christmas was in the air.
But wait! Now there’s a slow fade and the scene changes to the present day, well, the end of last week to be more precise – and news is breaking of Cineworld, the world’s second largest cinema business, being in serious financial difficulties. Everyone is talking about the cinema chain possibly going bankrupt.
Now, as one of those lucky enough to have been at that grand opening, my mind has been swimming with great memories of that fabulous night in 1998. Staff had explained to us, as we were welcomed into the foyer, that – after our drinks and nibbles – we would have a choice of three films to enjoy.
One was – oh, I don’t know – Something, Something, Something, starring Forgettable Thingamabob.
The second choice was Goodness Knows What starring What’s Her Name.
And, making my selection a complete no-brainer, was the utterly exquisite It’s a Wonderful Life starring the totally marvellous James Stewart.
Of course, I’d seen this masterpiece countless times before, but I’d never seen it on the big screen.
My only regret was that my wife was working that night and so wouldn’t be able to enjoy this great film with me – nor once again watch her husband cry bucket-loads as George Bailey discovers Zuzu’s petals in his jacket pocket, thus realising that his world had been returned to him. (Oh, come on, don’t tell me you haven’t seen it!)
Suffice to say, it was a terrific night, and that’s just one of the reasons why I’m so sad about the prospect of Shrewsbury losing its multi-screen cinema.
Built by the Shrewsbury-based property developers, Alaska, the complex effectively took over from the town’s tired-looking (but beautiful) Empire cinema in Mardol (today a Pizza Express).
Over the past 24 years, Cineworld Shrewsbury has carved a special place for itself in my heart. As a family, we saw all the Harry Potter films here, all the Lord of the Rings films, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc, Shrek, Toy Story 1, 2 and 3, various Star Trek movies, The Avengers, Iron Man, Love Actually...
We saw (probably without the children) more grown-up stuff like Slumdog Millionaire, Frost/Nixon, The King’s Speech, Belfast, Top Gun – Maverick, and (just the other night) Elvis. And so many others.
Honestly – Shrewsbury, like other towns in the West Midlands like Telford and Wolverhampton, would be a much, much poorer place without its cinema. I do hope it can be saved.
l Phil Gillam’s latest publication, The Shrewsbury Review, a 100-page hardback, is now available from bookshops. Email philoncloudbase@gmail.com for details.
