Film fanatics delighted as Odeon Telford reopens with classics
Film fanatics are able to get their fix again after Odeon Telford became the first cinema to reopen in the county since lockdown.
Both staff and customers were delighted to be back on Friday, with new safety and social distancing measures in place.
No new films have been released after production stopped on many of the Hollywood blockbusters meant for release this summer, and so instead, the cinema is showing old classics for people to enjoy on the big screen.
Netty Small, general manager at Odeon Telford, said it was amazing to be back open.
"It is really exciting as we are one of 20 cinemas open today," she said. "Cinema is magical and it is a brilliant experience.
"We are letting people in for the current film only and have people sitting in sections. There are two metre distance signs all around and sanitiser stations. Doors are wedged open so no-one has to touch the handles.
"The seats are unallocated when people book, then we allocate seats for them. The chairs are quite big here and there is a lot of space in the screens so lots of distance.
"When people come in to buy tickets we are asking them to give their details, to take part in the track and trace system."
James and Alex Letza, brothers from Newport, were heading to see Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back on Friday. James said: "We are very excited to be at the cinema again.
"I am at university and I go to the cinema normally every week, so I have really missed it. It will be different but I'm definitely glad to be back."
Robert Bradley and Tim Saunders from Donnington were also going to see Star Wars and said they were waiting for the day the cinema's opened again.
Robert said: "Of course it is going to be different but we have been looking forward to it."
Odeon was the first of the three major cinema chains to open its cinemas in the UK as the company opened 10 sites in England on July 4, with the Telford site joining them this week.
