This is when Worksop's much-loved cinema will reopen and the films being shown

The independent cinema, on Old Market Square, has announced it was will welcome back film-lovers on May 17.

As is the case with many businesses over the past year, it’s been a challenging year indeed for the Savoy, which had been going strong for nine years before coronavirus struck.

Operations manager Wayne Gregory said that prior to the pandemic the cinema industry was actually thriving, with attendance levels rising every year.

He said: “Once we headed into lockdown and the closure of the cinemas, it meant a lot of the film releases were either delayed or headed straight to a streaming service which in turn meant the theatrical window for cinemas showing films has been shortened.

"When we reopened the first time in August 2020, the film product was sparse and people were still worried about attending leisure venues.

"There are a significant proportion of people that will not enter public spaces during the pandemic.

"Like many businesses we had a lot of stock items that sadly would go out of date and need to be thrown away, but before this happened we donated as much as we could to local charities, foodbanks, NHS workers and to the police as well.

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"However, we have managed to survive the pandemic as we are the best independent cinema chain in the country.”

Wayne added that there was a feeling of excitement among staff now an opening date has been finalised.

He said: “Since the second lockdown the cinema has been closed for over seven months.

"The building has been empty and missing the warm friendly atmosphere that our staff and guests bring. I’m sure that once the doors reopen on May 17, we will see that atmosphere flooding back into Savoy.

"Safety of our guests is paramount so we will carry on following the governments guidelines to ensure the cinema is a safe environment for all.

"Safeguarding measures agreed with government will be in place as they were last summer, with a gradual relaxation anticipated as the pandemic recedes.

"Savoy Worksop is looking forward to the future – we are excited about having the doors reopen and welcoming back all our guests who have supported the cinema over the last nine years and having the exciting atmosphere around the cinema again as people arrive to have a good time.

"There’s a bumper-line up of films to be released with some massive blockbusters waiting to hit the big screen such as Black Widow, Fast and Furious 9, Croods 2 – and who can forget James Bond – all coming out this year.

“Peter Rabbit 2 will be our opening family film along with Maya the Bee: The Golden Orb, A Quiet Place 2 and Spiral: From the Book of Saw all showing in the first few weeks.”

Keep an eye out on wwww.savoyworksop.co.uk and other social media platforms for the latest information, film times and competitions.

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