UK’s oldest working cinema is aiming to recover from Covid

Birmingham’s Electric Cinema may be on ‘life support’ but owner Tom Lawes has not given up hope yet. He talks to GRAHAM YOUNG

ELECTRIC Cinema owner Tom Lawes has opened his heart about the anguish of trying to keep the UK’s oldest working picture house alive. Staff only celebrated the cinema’s 110th birthday on December 27, but the doors have been closed since mid-March because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

With infection rates currently falling, Tom says he is “cautiously optimistic” about reopening his two-screen site in the autumn if the multiplexes can pave the way - but fears it could take years to restore it to full health.

“Just trying to work out what is going to happen next is a constant source of anxiety,” says Tom. “If we reopen and then it costs more to run than we make then we will go under. “I’ve had sleepless nights and days where I couldn’t get out of bed but everyone has been feeling like that.’’

He says it would take just one misstep for the the cinema to go under and, if that happened, the building could then up being converted into flats.

There are just three-and-half years left on the lease but if the business survived then it could still be renewed in perpetuity as a cinema. If the cinema failed then the holder of the freehold would have the freedom to repurpose the building. Tom adds: “When I closed the cinema, I cut everything. Even the phone and website were disconnected because I thought it was the only way we could get through this.” A musician as well as a cinemaowning entrepreneur, film director, producer, editor, scriptwriter and father, Tom adds: “I’ve owned the cinema for 15 years and never been closed for more than Christmas Day before so there have been feelings of depression, anxiety, fear and stress.

“I’ve only made one person redundant before – in 2018 – and that wasn’t great.

“I had 15 employees and have furloughed three. It has been heartbreaking because a lot of people have put a lot of work and time into the cinema.

“We owe film distributors money but as soon as we reopen we will have to start paying those bills again.

“I don’t know if that’s possible because we don’t know how many customers will come back – a quarter of our audience is older people so will they feel safe coming back out?” The requirement for more cleaning at the Electric would lead to fewer than the usual eight screenings per day. And social distancing would also mean fewer admissions.

In other words, unavoidably higher costs at a time of reduced income. The cinema would not be able to hold any of its major special events, such as the day in February 2017 when acclaimed British director Ben Wheatley unveiled a Birmingham Civic Society ‘History Plate’ to honour the cinema.

Weddings would also be much less likely to happen.

“We just won’t be able to do any of the stuff which brings in extra income,” says Tom.

An out of use toilet is currently being restored to facilitate a safer

‘one in, one out’ system.

Tom is also planning to have screens between staff and customers, while queues will have to be outside the cinema and not in the foyer.

In order to start trading again at some point in the future, Tom says he will have to roll up his sleeves and go back to basics – which means ditching his ambitions even though

The 110-year-old Electric Cinema is going ‘back to basics’ in order to survive he was due to start working on a TV again then that would be the end.” series in the US. What Tom is also relying on is a “I will be giving up my production decent supply of films that are likely company work for now,” adds Tom. to draw in an audience.

“I’ll have take over the management On March 4, the James Bond movie of the cinema, the admin, the No Time To Die was put back from its marketing while consolidating all of April 2 release to November 12 in the that work into one position. UK, but Tom worries that infection

“It is the only way to make it work rates in other countries could delay it at first as I will have to reboot the again. cinema, put the phone back on “The one good thing about this etcetera and have to pay for these country is that the number of deaths things to happen. is now going down, but the number

“It will have to be a soft reopening of infections in the US is escalating as I think it is the only way to do it. If – so will that happen here? there are no customers we would “There is no guarantee we are then go bust a week later. going to get those (big) films released “My biggest fear is that if the virus and we aren’t going to survive comes back and we had to close putting on a French film,’’ Tom adds.