Everyman Cinema has confirmed it will open its third Scottish venue at Aberdeen’s Bon Accord Centre in 2024.
The London-based company has grabbed the chance to create its northernmost location in the space left behind after Laura Ashley closed during the pandemic.
It will bring a fifth cinema to the streets of Aberdeen – all within a half-hour walk of each other.
What makes Everyman Cinema so different?
Describing themselves as “redefining cinema” on their website, Everyman tries to set themselves apart with a luxurious viewing experience.
Viewers sit on comfy sofa-like seats with cushions, and are offered table service with fresh food and alcoholic drinks – including cocktails from the on-site bar.
The website says the cinemas are “bringing an innovative lifestyle approach to our venues, where you swap your soft drink for a nice glass of red wine and a slice of freshly made pizza”.
Where else do they have cinemas?
The announcement of a new venue in Aberdeen comes hot on the heels of a successful launch for the company’s latest location, at the new St James Quarter shopping centre in Edinburgh.
It opened its first Scottish venue, a three-screen multiplex at Princes Square in Glasgow, in 2018.
The firm said its reach even further north was part of its “commitment to serving the whole of the UK” beyond London, where more than a third of its 37 theatres are located.
What will I be able to see?
The planning permission allows for four screens, one fewer than the offering at the Scottish flagship venue in Edinburgh.
At the St James Quarter cinema, visitors are currently able to catch blockbusters including Top Gun: Maverick and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, as well as lower-profile fare such as The Road Dance and Everything Everywhere All At Once.
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There are also regular live screenings of opera and National Theatre productions.
That range might set some of the other cinemas in Aberdeen on edge.
How much will I need to pay?
There is one other important point that sets Everyman apart from its competitors, though: the price of tickets.
An adult wanting to catch the new Top Gun movie this weekend at the Edinburgh location could pay up to £15 – not including the £1.90 online booking fee.
While tickets for weekday mornings or afternoons are cheaper, anyone who isn’t a child or concession would still struggle to find anything on offer for under ten quid.
By comparison, someone taking advantage of the Sunday ticket deal at Aberdeen’s Belmont Filmhouse would only need to pay a fiver, and Vue offers £4.99 seats at every screening no matter the day of the week.
But does Aberdeen need another cinema?
When news of the planning permission for a cinema at the Bon Accord being granted broke last year, some questioned the need for another cinema so close to the other options.
One student who spoke to us on his way into a screening of Black Widow at the Vue said: “I’m not desperate for another one, I don’t think it’s important.”
But Bon Accord manager Craig Stevenson defended the plan by saying it was an opportunity to diversify away from relying on struggling retail.
He told the P&J: “We want to move from purely shopping to having more leisure and the cinema is part of that.
“This is about looking at catering to demand over the next decade and more.”
Asked about the announcement of the new Everyman Cinema in Aberdeen, he said: “At Bon Accord, we constantly look for ways to improve the offer to our customers.
“Reimagining space is part of our long-term strategy to meet future demand.”
Conversation