In a city that is notorious for grey skies and perpetual precipitation, indoor entertainment will no doubt always play a big part of any Mancunian’s life.
Manchester’s silver screens offer escapism from the often dreary weather and offer a window into the lives of others.
Of course, Manchester has its own script.
From the Industrial Revolution to title deciding football derbies or from the Peterloo Massacre to the IRA bomb, Manchester has been the centre of a vast array of events that would make the most epic of movies.
To pay homage to Manchester’s cinematic history Mancunian Matters present our top five Manchester cinemas.
5. Odeon, The Printworks
The Printworks is an odd place, it has an odd theme with an odd mixture of establishments. As you walks through there is a sense that you’re on a hyper-capitalist industrial movie set.
But despite the strange aesthetics The Printworks is home to one of only four of the true Image Maximum (IMAX) screens in England.
IMAX uses 15/70mm film which allows for the capture and display of much larger images and higher resolutions.
Many theatres in the UK have taken to simply retro-fitting standard theatres with IMAX digital projectors – which are not the same size and do not have the same resolution capabilities as 70mm projectors.
Despite them slapping the IMAX name everywhere, it’s not quite the same as what places like The Printworks offer up.
However, Manchester Odeon uses a traditional IMAX film projector which maintains the high resolution capabilities of IMAX image capture and projection.
The results are truly stunning so a visit to Manchester’s IMAX is a must for any film lover.
4. The Savoy, Heaton Moor
If the IMAX is an indication of where cinema is going then the Savoy is a relic that reminds us of its humble beginnings.
Having opened in 1923 the Savoy is just ten years away from celebrating its 100-year anniversary.
During its early years the Savoy screened silent movies with live musical accompaniment; it wasn’t until 1930 that it was fitted with sound technology and could begin to show ‘talkies’.
The cinema was threatened with closure 2006 when the Barracuda group made an offer for the site with plans to build a bar on the location. Local uproar saved the cinema and it continues to run today.
Considering the relative youth of motion pictures their development into major global business has been rapid.
As cinema continues to grow it has been simultaneously destroying its own roots – theatres like the Savoy are now few and far between since the emergence of giant multiplexes.
It’s crucial that Mancunian film lovers continue to venture to places like the Savoy in order to ensure their preservation and survival.
3. Screenfields open air cinema, Spinningfields
When it isn’t the rain that is having an impact on cinema in Manchester, it’s the sun. There’s always a few days a year when the rain rescinds, the clouds part, and Manchester basks in glorious sunshine.
It’s during these sporadic periods that Screenfields appears and offers the city the chance to watch classic movies in an unlikely setting.
It doesn’t always have the best picture quality and, with the sounds of the city having no filter, the audio quality is sometimes lacking.
However Screenfields provides an atmosphere that is unique which can prove as important as the quality of the film you’re trying to watch.
Ultimately, when one is watching a film in the outdoors and the nuances of city-life are all around, whether or not the film is good can often take a back seat.
Instead, the over-riding memory becomes the whole experience and not just the story that is being told.
2. Cornerhouse
Cornerhouse Cinema will undoubtedly be many people’s number one choice. It’s a cinema that, in a time when Hollywood occasionally churns out repetitive drivel, gives Manchester the opportunity to see progressive film-making on the big screen.
Given that movies are a relatively new artistic medium they have been somewhat hijacked and turned into a money-making machine.
It’s so refreshing to have access to a cinema that places the artistic merits of a film before its prospective earnings.
As a multifaceted arts centre that houses a bookshop and art gallery as well as its three screens, the Cornerhouse provides visitors with a wonderful alternative cinematic experience.
1. AMC cinema, Great Northern Warehouse
The AMC’s success lies in its ability to offer film-goers the latest releases in gloriously industrial surroundings for a competitive price.
Housed in the Mancunian Great Northern Warehouse, the cinema itself is fairly anonymous with the entrance tucked away on first glance.
Despite also housing a busy casino, a bowling alley, bars, and a gym, the AMC itself always has a remarkably peaceful air to it.
The quiet and dark ascent towards the box office gives way to a giant space with echoing arcade machines pinging in the distance.
While the Cornerhouse offers you the opportunity to explore the artistic merits of film the AMC offers blockbusters in a beautiful building with reasonable prices.
The cost of visiting the AMC is a key reason why this is Manchester’s finest cinema – £6.80 for an adult during peak times in comparison to the Odeon’s £9.45 is a staggering difference.
Moreover, the offer of discounted parking for cinema goers in the complex’s own multi storey car park mean this cinema offers the best value for money in the city centre.
Picture courtesy of Cornerhouse Manchester via Flickr, with thanks
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