Ex-manager welcomes ‘new dawn’ for cinema
THE former manager of Redcar’s original Regent cinema says he is pleased that the “torch is being carried forward” with an operator being found for the new-build replacement.
Neil Bates ran the Regent for 26 years before it was forced to close in 2018 after safety checks revealed serious structural issues. The building was later demolished with a new £9.6m facility being built in its stead with funding from the Tees Valley Combined Authority.
After a few hiccups in its search, Redcar and Cleveland Council finally announced Merlin Cinemas as the new cinema’s operator last week and it is expected to open in the autumn.
Mr Bates, who lives in Redcar, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he suspected that Merlin had been the company the council were in talks with. The 52-year-old also said he was pleased that the ticket prices which have been released were remaining affordable.
He said: “When I re-opened the Regent in 1992 one of the core policies that we upheld above all others
REGENT FOR 26 YEARS from the previous management was that the cinema should always be affordable to families.
“I am pleased to see that this torch will be carried forward and the legacy of previous operators is being honoured. It’s a new dawn and we will have to see how things work out.”
Mr Bates worked up his way from being a volunteer, then a projectionist and assistant manager to become manager at the much-loved former Regent. He said he had declined to get involved with previous protests organised by some local residents who wished to see the building retained as he “knew what was coming”.
“It is always going to be part of me, it was three decades of my life and most of my working career to date was spent there,” he said. “From 1992 to 2012, it was more of a familyrun concern with my parents helping me out. But for the last six years I was solo, doing everything myself.”
Mr Bates said he only wanted to see something positive come out of the new venture, adding: “I look forward to seeing all my old customers down there. Hopefully I might get to say hello to them myself.”
The new cinema, which has three screens and can seat up to 200 people, also includes a cafe bar on the first floor and terraced balcony with spectacular sea views and an events space for the public to use. Merlin has begun the process of advertising for a new general manager for the cinema.
A job advertisement posted online said it was “an exciting vacancy” and a “dynamic and forward-thinking” individual was being sought. It also said they would be the “glue” to hold the operation together.
52-YEAR-OLD RAN THE