Five screens, a ticket box office, a confectionery stand and the greatest popcorn known to humanity: an entire generation is eternally grateful to an endearing movie theatre located in the village’s heart. After 25 years of glorious service, CinemaWorld in Douglas, AKA. ‘Douglas Cinema’, is finally closing its doors.
Independence Day gripped Douglas Cinema’s audience like no other film that personal nostalgia cares to present. Perhaps it was because the Will Smith-starring production was the blockbuster of that particular summer, but the tension throughout the packed Douglas theatre that August 1996 afternoon was palpable, even bordering on the tangible.
It is a memory never forgotten.
Of course, it may really just be cherished on a personal level because, after about two-thirds of the film (the scene where the freaky longhaired scientist gets infiltrated by the laboratory alien), the projector suddenly failed and couldn’t be fixed, much to the chagrin of a room full of excitable Corkonians.
Everyone was refunded the full ticket price and went home delighted, if not a little frustrated.
That was CinemaWorld in Douglas – known by its official, locally-titled moniker, ‘Douglas Cinema, the best popcorn in the world’ – in a nutshell.
The building was brimming with character and flush with flaws since the day it opened and that unhinged looking character stuck on the side of the building was offering passersby a Coke (you can just about identify this cheeky fella in the lead photo of this article).
And after nearly three decades of unbounded entertainment which incorporated at least a decade of inertia when you wondered how on earth the place was still operating, the cinema is officially no more, with CinemaWorld’s Brendan Flannery telling Echo Live:
“We will be sad to turn off the projectors for the final time on 10th Oct, but the cinema has struggled in the face of stiff competition in recent years.”
“We thank our staff, and our loyal customers who supported us throughout the years. We are confident that the site has a bright future with the arrival of Aldi.”
A long time coming but it’s no less sad for Douglas. Especially when its replacement is as uninspiring as yet another supermarket in a small village that already has two shopping centres, albeit one of which is closed for the foreseeable.
But this is about championing an institution of the community which arrived in August 1994 representing the height of the modern cinema-going experience.
From the plush box office that immediately greeted you on arrival, that’s where the journey started as you purchased your ticket. Then you might move left where a whole side of the room was dedicated to various confectionery options and decorated by giant posters and cardboard cutouts of the latest worldwide cinema releases. On the far side was the holy grail – the home of the large combo (with Coke, please) or whatever you’re having.
The first film I saw there was Junior, the Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger flick. But I couldn’t concentrate on the offering as these new-fangled flip seats were causing consternation. Basically, my seat was swallowing me up because I was too light to keep it down.
Perhaps it was precisely because I was small, but the whole place seemed so massive and incredibly impressive, like nothing I had witnessed prior.
But ‘massive’ was the experience in its prime, which was a considerable length of time. There were five screens in total, with the bathrooms situated at the rear. When it was busy it was buzzing. It was a who’s who of locals you’d know well or vaguely recognise as different demographics queued and you wondered who was going to which motion picture.
The worker standing at the top of the steps ready to check your tickets separated the foyer and the screens. Get past this employee of prominence and your day was made. For many, this was the first experience of The Bouncer Effect as you tried your best to act 15 or over.
Douglas Cinema was unparalleled when packed.
For instance, there wasn’t a seat to be had when Team America: World Police premiered or when Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan initially played and the atmosphere when one joke landed upon another was nothing sort of electric in this compact, intimate building. It was a similar experience when the first Inbetweeners movie landed but Douglas was arguably at capacity that night only because it was more convenient for many than the slick Omniplex Cinema in Mahon Point. That was the start of this decade and by this stage, Douglas Cinema was a shadow of its former self.
Long gone was the box office in the centre of the room, required no longer as demand fell sharply. Tickets were now exclusively bought at the same counter where the still-incredible popcorn was sold. The other side of the room was bare. Often, screens would be virtually empty and on a couple of occasions, there was literally a handful of customers matching the numbers of staff on-duty.
The end felt near but miraculously didn’t arrive, despite the ceaseless rumours of its impending closure. Staff appeared nonethewiser and as equally bewildered as the few customers they were serving.
Still, we went. If anything, for the popcorn and the chats. The film on-show was often secondary to the catch-up you were having as you sat in your seats. There was no need to be quiet as the voice in the special cinema ad requested. Hardly anyone else was present.
And finally, after all the idle conversation and world-class popcorn and great memories of the debriefs you would have outside the front door post-film, Douglas Cinema has been put out of its misery.
To a stranger, Douglas Cinema looked shabby but to the initiated, it was home.
There is nothing but happiness in the memories.
The End.
colmdotboohig 