A once community-owned cinema in Oban which closed suddenly is up for sale.
In May, the Phoenix Cinema shut its doors for the last time due to “unforeseen circumstances” – which turned out to be the charity that ran it being put into liquidation.
Days later, all eight staff at the venue were made redundant from their jobs, with the closure being been blamed on a dwindling number of film-goers and revenue since the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as rising operating costs.
Bought by the community in 2012, with celebrity backing from the likes Dame Judi Dench, the west Highland capital’s only cinema is now on the market for offers over £275,000.
With a history dating back to the 1950s, it is located in the Argyll’s town George Street, which has been described as being in a “prominent local hotspot” by estate agents DM Hall.
The town’s nearest cinema is now more than 44 miles away in Fort William.
Home to two cinema screens on the ground floor, screen one has 148 seats and is described as being in a “good condition.”
The other has room for 22 people and provides a “more intimate viewing experience.”
The building also includes offices and storage on the first floor, as well as an open kiosk and sales area on the ground floor, as well as male and female toilets.
Equipment for the cinema, valued at £24,000, is available by way of a separate treaty.
Cinema’s ‘massive decline in footfall’
At the time of its closure, a spokesman for the cinema said: “We have tried to maintain the cinema for the benefit of the community, however, we have been struggling with a massive decline in footfall alongside a rise in costs over the last few years.
“Unfortunately numbers have declined even further during the last few months and it is with great sadness that we have had to close the cinema as it had become insolvent.
“We would like to thank our current dedicated staff and all the community that have supported us with their patronage since 2012.”
Conversation