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| Author | Tom Linay |
Merlin Cinemas has given a new lease of life to the UK’s most northerly mainland cinema. Thurso Cinema in Caithness closed in September this year but now the silver screen is set to return to the far north with Merlin Cinemas as its new operator. The cinema is gearing up to re-open at the end of this month with the aim of screening SPECTRE and the final installment of The Hunger Games franchise, Mockingjay Part 2.
Two months ago there were fears the credits had rolled for the final time after HM Revenue and Customs presented a petition to Wick Sheriff Court in July asking the court to appoint a liquidator to wind up the business.
Now the cinema has been taken over by Merlin Cinemas who specialise in running small cinemas in rural areas such as Cornwall and Devon. After taking over historic screens that were in dire straits, Merlin have set about refurbishing them and installing the latest technology.
Geoff Greaves, the chief executive of the Penzance-based firm, believes Thurso will be next line to benefit from its strategy. He said: “We believe it fits our business model perfectly and we look forward to bringing the latest films to Thurso and getting this important local social amenity up and operational again.”
The £1.5m cinema, which features two screens and 250 seats, is scheduled to reopen on 14 November.