The new Royal Cinemas in Sutton Coldfield sees the former Empire not only reopen but come back with an array of luxury features that should make filmgoing a real treat Filmgoers in a suburb of Birmingham which has been without a cinema for almost four years are about to get their prayers answered. The Empire in Sutton Coldfield was forced to close in November 2020 due to the second national Covid pandemic lockdown. And it has not reopened since.
The car park was sold off by Empire for a Mccarthy & Stone retirement complex, the building stage of which is well underway. And locals lamented the sell off and the following news that Empire had gone into administration. The hopes of Sutton’s Art Deco 1930s former Odeon reopening seemed a distant dream.
There were fears the Grade II listed building would never be a cinema again and could be turned into another venue, like many of its contemporaries. A bingo hall or an eatery perhaps. Read more: New look cinema – everything you need to know on pricing, food, drinks & more But late last year the Jervis family stepped in to save the cinema – something the FoCiS (Future of Cinema in Sutton Coldfield) group had campaigned long and hard for.
James Jervis, director of the family-run PDJ Cinemas, was coming back to his roots having lived a short distance away in Pilkington Avenue in his youth. James said: “This is my first cinema, where I used to come. I had a lot of good times here! PDJ Cinemas not only wanted to reopen the cinema.
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