Excel Cinema to close

meoklmrk91

A decision has been made to close the excel cinema in tipp town, this is due to their current use of 35mm film which is now obsolete due to digital.

Here's the statement from their FB page:

A decision has been made to close the cinema at the Excel Centre in Tipperary town.
The decision was made yesterday, to allow management and the board to consider the feasibility of investing in new digital technology.
The current technology which uses traditional 35 mm film is out of date and is likely to become obsolete from July 1st when the worldwide film industry switches to digital technology.
Because of this, alongside falling numbers attending cinema nationally, the cinema will be closed temporarily to allow the board and management consider the viability of investing in a new digital system.
The board of management has confirmed that there may be some redeployment of staff to other areas within the centre and that some redundancies will be unavoidable.
However funding has been secured from South Tipperary County Council and Tipperary Town Council to ensure the Excel Centre remains open as a pivotal arts and cultural centre for South Tipperary.
The management thanks staff and the centre’s customers for their continued support.

In fairness it's a brutal cinema, the seats are uncomfortable and too close together, I'm not that tall and my knees hit the back of the seat in front of me. Plus ticket, popcorn and drink is more expensive for smaller sizes than say one of the cinemas in limerick. It's a pity that all that money that went into it will go for nothing now, maybe of they tried revamping one screen at a time and tried to be some bit more competitive with pricing and changed the bloody seats it could be viable.

digzy

and dont forget the skobies misbehaving there too!!
pity to see anything go but as you said, twas dire.

DaveJac

cant see it reopening as a cinema. the main screen/stage the seats are bad now and were worse when it opened first the ones there now are an improvement, they tried to get too many seats into the space. the screens up stairs have proper cinema seats and are grand. its a pity its closed but it was never going to do not being part of a franchise

meoklmrk91

DaveJac wrote: »

cant see it reopening as a cinema. the main screen/stage the seats are bad now and were worse when it opened first the ones there now are an improvement, they tried to get too many seats into the space. the screens up stairs have proper cinema seats and are grand. its a pity its closed but it was never going to do not being part of a franchise

I think it had a good chance to survive, had they run it properly. The seats were a big issue for me, I am 5'5 and I could never get comfortable in those seats due to the lack of leg room. I don't want to pay the same price I would in a bigger and better cinema to be uncomfortable for 1.5+ hrs. The price of drinks sweets etc. was rediculous in comparison to other places. They had a €5 on Monday night deal and with drink popcorn etc. it came to nearly the same price as it would have normally in one of the bigger cinemas even with the discount. The sizes also left a lot be desired. As the other poster mentioned I have been in there a few times when there has been idiots misbehaving, I don't go to the cinema to listen to other people's conversations, nothing was ever done about it.

Yes the town is too small to sustain a cinema but with all the surrounding country areas they could well have sustained it, but because of the above issues people chose to go further afield, either to limerick or thurlas. When it opened first it was very popular, people were very supportive of it, but I think most just got sick of dealing with the above and decided it wasn't worth their while.