Built on part of the former famous Belle Vue entertainment complex, the 14-screen Showcase Cinemas opened on 17th October 1989. It was closed on March 17, 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was confirmed in October 2020 that the closure would be permanent. It was demolished in May 2021.
How it looked on the evening of our visit.
Not much to say about this one. It failed to stay preserved for long like the Derby Showcase, but after trying both, our luck favoured this one. I was joined by @jtza and @DustySensorPhotography as well as the entire local youth generation and a few scrappers, who concerned us so much with their presence and looks towards what we were doing that we hid our cameras and found an alternate exit. The building itself was fairly nice especially considering we had never done a more modern cinema like this, with multiple screens. However, it did keep a vintage appearance, particularly with it's beige and maroon tiled exterior and matching streetlights.
An old photo of the area we first walked into, the entrance lobby.
Close-up of the bar with advertisement boards intact.
Corridor connecting lobby to all the screens. Two of these ran parallel with seven screens a piece.
Into the 14 screens.
Close-up of the seats, all in immaculate condition. Every screen was identical so we went into a few and then headed up to to the projector room.
Projector room.
Looking out over one of the larger screens.
That's all for the photos. Here is the link to our documentary styled video filmed at the cinema. We cover the building's past, present and conclusion through cinematics and narration:
