Silver screen premiere is a gold town hall moment

The entrance to the ODEON cinema in Oldham

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RED carpet glamour came to Oldham last night as the brand-new old town hall cinema threw open its doors for a special event.

Local dignitaries and business owners joined councillors, architects and members of the Odeon team for a VIP event to celebrate the unveiling of the cinema ahead of its public opening tonight. Reporter LUCY KENDERDINE joined the guests who sat down to enjoy popcorn and watch one of the first films to be shown at the new cinema.


GROWING up in Oldham, I've never been able to enjoy the experience of watching the latest film releases in a town-centre cinema.

The last remaining town-centre multiplex closed years before I was born and, after the Roxy closed in 2005, family trips to the cinema have always involved a motorway car journey to Ashton or Rochdale.

So being invited to watch one of the first films shown at Oldham's new Odeon, built within the impressive old town hall, was an experience I couldn't turn down.

After being invited on a media tour to get a first glimpse of the showstopping new venue earlier this week, I'd already seen the stunning renovations that had taken place and discovered how the architects had painstakingly repaired, restored and recreated the heritage elements of the Grade-II listed building before combining them with a modern cinema experience.

But nothing could prepare me for the buzz on the night as VIPs and those integral to the preservation and renovation of the town hall into an entertainment venue joined together to watch a blockbuster film.

Guests gathered in the foyer of the cinema, which sits inside the new glass "Light Box" extension before touring the screens built within the town hall itself.

Oldham West and Royton MP Jim McMahon, who was integral to the development of the project during his time as council leader said he was proud of the final result.

"It took a lot of hard work, heartache, belief and confidence to get the idea off the ground," he said.

"But we wanted to create an Oldham that people wanted to live in and a better town for our children.

"We didn't want to wait for someone else to come along and do it for us, we had to do it for ourselves."

His views were echoed by current council leader Jean Stretton, who urged everyone to spread the word about the new cinema and encourage people to see for themselves.

"The old town hall became a symbol of decline but it has now been restored to one of civic pride," she said.

"But we have changed all that. This is a stunning development that gives us something to really shout about again ­- it is an absolute gamechanger."

After grabbing popcorn and drinks we headed into Screen 3 to watch the latest Tom Cruise action sequel "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back", in which the former army hero returns to investigate the arrest of Major Susan Turner (played by "Avengers" and "How I Met Your Mother" actress Cobie Smulders) on suspicion of espionage and uncovers a dangerous conspiracy.

The film, released today, was being shown in iSense, Odeon's state-of-the-art film experience, and Oldham is one of only four cinemas with the technology in the country.

Fight scenes looked impressive on the super-size screen, with each of the 9 million pixels offering crisp and vibrant detail of each punch and kick, while the floor-to-ceiling Dolby ATMOS sound system ensured the obligatory car chase thrilled the audience with tyre screeches and engine roars blasting around the room.

After being immersed in the film for almost two hours, it was time to head back to reality.

While the enjoyable but slightly ridiculous film will probably fade in the memories of those in the audience last night, visiting the new Oldham town hall cinema is definitely an unforgettable experience.