Cinema now opening in April

Focal Point Cinema’s new Palmerston North premises is still on track for an early 2018 premiere, but it won’t be until after peak summer season.

The boutique cinema, which specialises in art-house film, is set to open on Cuba St in April next year.

But while missing the big blockbuster new releases wasn’t as much of an issue as it would be for a mainstream cinema, the summer holidays were still a peak season for cinema-goers, Focal Point owner Matt Bell said.

‘‘Obviously we want to get up and running as soon as possible. But this sort of thing is a slow, drawn-out process that requires a bit of patience.’’

Bell originally hoped to open the cinema by the middle of this year, but it has been delayed twice.

The amount of construction happening in the Palmerston North area made it difficult to make progress.

The new cinema will be housed in the former Beds 4 U building and will require internal demolition and a full refit, including a new front, four boutique-size theatres, a commercial kitchen, a licensed cafe and a first-floor function room.

Bell said work so far had all been set-up – engineering and architectural design, some light demolition and clearing the building of asbestos.

Engineers discovered the material during renovation work in August.

‘‘There was nothing major, but it was still there and needed to be removed.’’

Building consents for the first stage of the actual construction work were being filed shortly, Bell said.

When completed, the cinema will seat between 130 and 160 people, with a 12-seat theatre available for small gatherings.

The cinema would employ 20 staff.