Odeon to be operator of Peterborough Queensgate's £60 million cinema

The Odeon group looks set to be the operator of Queensgate Shopping Centre’s £60 million10-screen cinema, it has been revealed.

Approval is being sought for the refurbishment of the cinema that was completed two years ago but has remained an empty shell ever since.

The application for the refurbishment of the venue, which sits on the roof of the shopping centre, has been submitted to Peterborough City Council by building control consultancy Sweco Building Control Ltd.

The notice states the application is for the ‘refurbishment of existing cinema’ at the ‘Odeon Cinema Queensgate Shopping Centre Peterborough.’

It is understood that Odeon will be looking to get the cinema open to the public as soon as possible but a timescale has not been provided.

It will be second time lucky for Odeon, which was the original operator selected by Queensgate in August 2015. That arrangement ended two years later after a change of ownership at Odeon created uncertainty about its commitment to Queensgate.

Empire Cinemas was then unveiled as the chosen operator in July 2018 but following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic Empire collapsed into administration in July last year leaving Queensgate again to search for another operator.

The cinema is part of a 77,000 square feet extension of the Queensgate that was first proposed in 2015. It has been built as a potential 10 or 11 screen IMAX venue but Odeon’s plans for the building are not known

A spokesperson for Queensgate declined to comment.

Odeon has been approached for a response.