ODEON cinema multiplex coming to Stafford.

Gadget

Well-Known Forumite
My gripe with Bentley Bridge to the point where we have e-mailed a complaint in, is that when it's busy they often have no ticket sales points open so most folk are using the concession stands to buy their tickets. Often this results in huge queues that you can stand in for over 30 mins. The time we complained we'd rushed there and arrived thirsty with 30 mins to spare before the start of the film. Having already paid online we picked the tickets up from the machine then got into the queue to get a drink. By the time the film was due to start we still hadn't reached the end of it with one large group who were buying tickets waiting till they were at the front before deciding what to watch :grr:I'm all for getting there a bit early to allow for waiting etc but having to allow 30-40 or more minutes before film start time is a bit beyond. We got a bog standard appology and free tickets. We worked it now so we never get there needing a drink so if we don't get one, it's not going to be uncomfortable.
 

Jonah

Spouting nonsense since the day I learned to talk
I would rather go to the Apollo than travel. Saves on petrol, I think the ticket prices are cheaper, it saves me taking my coat off to watch the film but best of all, I can keep a surly employee in a job :heyhey:
 

Gadget

Well-Known Forumite
I would rather go to the Apollo than travel. Saves on petrol, I think the ticket prices are cheaper, it saves me taking my coat off to watch the film but best of all, I can keep a surly employee in a job :heyhey:
Don't get me wrong, when i lived in Stafford we used the Apollo. These days Bentley Bridge is a lot closer lol
 

ATJ

Well-Known Forumite
My only real gripe with the Apollo is the limited films they show. It's not unusual for there to be a film that looks entertaining, only for it not to be shown in Stafford- and I'm not talking about small arty films or that kind of thing, I'm talking Hollywood but not as big as Twilight and the bloody Hobbit (currently showing on two screens)
 

Tumble weed

Well-Known Forumite
I have this problem with the Apollo too. Nothing more annoying than films being advertised not being shown there !!

Although they have since changed hands and are now owned by Vue, and did trial later openings during the summer.
 

Jonah

Spouting nonsense since the day I learned to talk
I think some films don't come to the Apollo due to the high cost of showing them. Apollo may not be able to afford it.
 

ATJ

Well-Known Forumite
I just don't understand how one blockbuster film, like Gangster Squad, can not get a showing, but they can manage to show the Hobbit on two screens. Is one film really that much more expensive than the other? Does the Hobbit really require two screens this long after release?
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
In today's market I'd expect that the second they weren't pulling in enough punters for 2 screens they'd drop one.
 

ATJ

Well-Known Forumite
They'd only be able to do that if they had a replacement film lined up. or be prepared to close a screen and lose all the money they could have got from even just having a handful of people in (seeing as the film is already paid for).

Looking at the rather pathetic four films they're showing at the moment (but only one showing of Jack Reacher, so three films really, plus Life of Pi twice), do you think they've got a spare copy of Gangster Squad lined up all ready just in case? Don't be daft.

http://www.apollocinemas.com/films-showing-stafford.aspx

And the only reason I know what's on is because I've been checking to find out if they're going to show the new Tarantino. No clues yet.

Edit: The films on currently are all PG or 12A. What happened to different films for different times of day? Urgh.
 

John Marwood

I ♥ cryptic crosswords
Uniformed waitresses serving frothing beer to your table

More matinees for the underemployed

A weekly foreign language film

A return of the The Saturday Club and missile sweets


If only
 

That-Crazy-Rat-Lady

Well-Known Forumite
I have no problem with the apollo, I think it has far more character than new cinemas!

I very rarely go, although that is mainly due to the amount of tat that is released rather than the cinema itself!
 

Glam

Mad Cat Woman
I have no problem with the apollo, I think it has far more character than new cinemas!

I very rarely go, although that is mainly due to the amount of tat that is released rather than the cinema itself!
I'm with TCRL on this, yes the place smells, it's old and there's buga all air circulation. Carpet's sticky? There isn't any chance between showings to shampoo it, is there? I suppose it could be done overnight tho.
Stone used to have a lovely old picture house, got knocked down for a few shops. Years ago you used get double bills, with the usherette selling ice creams etc during the interval, can't think of anywhere doing that these days.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Stafford had four cinemas that I know of - the Odeon, the Sandonia, the Albert Hall and the Picture House.

Any more?

Stone used to have a lovely old picture house, got knocked down for a few shops. Years ago you used get double bills.
Double-bills at the Odeon, too.
1133-0.jpg
 

My Name is URL

Well-Known Forumite
Years ago you used get double bills, with the usherette selling ice creams etc during the interval, can't think of anywhere doing that these days.

A colleague went to a cinema somewhere, once upon a time, to watch all of the Twilight films one after the other, ending with the latest one being shown at the end.... not my cup of tea, but just shows that it does happen...

As to the OP, I like the character of the Apollo and hope it survives for a long, long time. However they haven't modernised and I fear that will be their downfall... I suppose its a viscous circle... crap cinema = no one goes there = can't afford to modernise = crap cinema.....

IMHO they could have bought the abandoned building opposite, stuck the bar and everything in there and then a footbridge across to a more spacious cinema.... dream land maybe... Even changing the seating to be more tiered and more leg room would make it bearable but as it is, my knees are up around my ears and i'm only 6' 1".

So since they haven't modernised then i'm afraid I can't wait for a new cinema to come to the town. If its brand spanking new then it should be decent... if not then they will get what they deserve.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
A colleague went to a cinema somewhere, once upon a time, to watch all of the Twilight films one after the other, ending with the latest one being shown at the end.... not my cup of tea, but just shows that it does happen...
I remember a cinema in Telford showing all the Star Wars, or was it Star Trek, films in order, in one sitting....

...with 'comfort breaks'...
 

Trumpet

Well-Known Forumite
The best bit about J10 is that as you're half way to Birmingham anyway it's easy to shoot acrosss to Chinatown for a bit of cheap supper after the film, makes it into a decent night out.
 

highguyuk

Well-Known Forumite
Everytime we've (OH and I) been to the Apollo we've been disappointed, whether that be queuing up outside in the rain for a film or sharing a film with a bunch of idiots. The only reason I would now visit the Apollo would be if they had a film on that no others were showing.

We either visit Walsall J10 or Cineworld Wolverhampton. Wolverhampton is the preference, the seats are much nicer and the screens are more likely to have tiered seating etc. However, with Wolverhampton you do have to leave a lot more time beforehand on a "just in case" basis. At J10, the seats have seen much better days. Both have free parking, which is one of the reasons we've don't go to Vue N-U-L anymore. It's a nice cinema, but why go there when you can go to Cineworld and get free parking?

If a cinema were to come to Stafford, I'd prefer Cineworld over Odeon because Cineworld do £14.99 a month unlimited card which we'd use rather than Orange (EE) Wednesdays. Odeon Telford is nice enough though - anything is better than Apollo!
 

Jonah

Spouting nonsense since the day I learned to talk
With the amount of Stafford people who go to the cinema outside of Stafford, the Apollo will soon be featured in this thread
 

Franklin_Delano_Roosevelt

Well-Known Forumite
I have heard that within the new M and S complex where the old Riverside use to be, an ODEON Multiplex has been bid for.

Personally I hate the Odeon brand, every one of their cinemas I have been in have tiny screens, non-stadium seating, awful sound systems, extremely uncomfortable seating, very expensive entry prices and equally expensive snacks to match. They have nothing going for them as a brand I would say.

But, on the other hand Cineworld are superb. If you've not been to the one on Broad Street in Birmingham (especially with the new IMAX there) you haven't experienced how a film should be viewed. The prices there are also really reasonable, new titles for a fiver...brilliant. VUE are good but very expensive generally.

I have emailed Cineowlrd management to ask if they are aware that the site is being planned and if they would consider a multiplex. Really hoping they will.

I know some people would say that the Appollo would lose out but let's face it, it has had its day. In the winter you literally freeze as there is no heating and the picture and sound systems leave a lot to be desired. The prices are expensive too.

If people agree, please email Cineworld with your support :)

There definately wasn't anything to do with a cinema in the developer plans that were shown last year (or whenever it was). I smell a bigger rat here, as I posted on a different thread I heard some time back that the M&S Riverside development was in doubt, whilst this was nothing more than rumour the facts speak for themselves, pretty much no activity on the site & a number of supposed start times for the project lapsed. They still haven't even started to pull down the old Bridge St carpark. I am yet to see anything actually from M&S to say that they are 100% committed to the Riverside site. Truth is they have yet again posted some dodgy retail results which considering the Christmas period is when retailers usually do well isn't promising.
Perhaps it is the case that M&S aren't going there afterall and now the Borough Council rather than look like total chumps having to tell everyone that their main retailer has pulled out of their flagship project are scratching around for a new tennant - hay presto step forward a multiplex who have said years ago they wanted a site in town but were told there wasn't one.
 

GraphicsMan

Well-Known Forumite
Went to the Apollo last night to see Life of Pi. Me and the missus were the only to people in the screening!

It was a weird start from the off... we walked in to be greeted by the cashier who just looked at us with a mad stare as if we'd arrived an hour in to the film and still wanted to go in! We had free tickets so were only 'robbed' of £3.40 for the smallest box of popcorn.

During the whole showing there was a constant hum from the free-standing AC units they had plugged in. I assume the were for heating but it seemed to get colder and colder the longer the film went on. Maybe they were trying to get rid of us to save on the cost of a showing.

I like the idea of a local cinema but am not a great fan of the Apollo as it is at the moment. The big Screen 1 is not great if it's busy, not enough of a slope on the seats to see properly if someone sits in front of you and with Screens 2 and 3 the screens seem to be at an odd angle to the seats. I guess they were trying to make the best use of the old building.
 
Top