Action under way to secure operator for £60 million cinema at Peterborough's Queensgate Shopping Centre

Hopes are growing that a new operator can be found for Peterborough’s new £60 million cinema.

It is understood that discussions are already going on between the owners of the Queensgate Shopping Centre and a potential operator.

The move comes after Empire Cinemas, the original operator for the 10 screen Imax cinema that has just been built on the roof of the Queensgate centre, had entered administration.

An industry spokesperson said: “There are a lot of other operators out there and there is interest in the cinema.”

If a new operator is found it will be the third company to be linked to the Queensgate cinema, which is understood to be the shell of the venue and which still requires fitting out.

Empire Cinemas was unveiled as the chosen operator for Queensgate cinema in July 2018. It replaced Odeon which was named as the original choice in August 2015.

The cinema is part of a 77,000 square feet extension of the Queensgate that was proposed in 2015. Construction began in 2019 and finished in 2022.

The completion of the cinema would be a welcome boost for the Queensgate, which is poised to welcome retail group Frasers – the owner of House of Frasers, Sports Direct and Flannels - which is set to move into much of the space previously occupied by department store chain John Lewis.

John Lewis closed its doors at the Queensgate in March 2021 – following Covid-19 restrictions on retailers - with the loss of 318 jobs.