Extra comfy seats for cinema-goers in Bognor

New seating has been fitted to screen two at the town's Picturedrome cinema.

The 87 seats in the upstairs auditorium provide much more legroom to enable anyone over 6ft to be able to easily stretch out.

They are also higher and wider to provide a better fit for 21st-century audiences.

The seats are just one part of an interior makeover which is sprucing up the cinema for the first time since December 1985.

Air conditioning has also been installed in the auditorium of screen two.

New lenses on both projectors will provide sharper images, with new projectors on the way. The foyer has also been transformed to make it easier to use. The kiosk has been separated from the cash desk just inside the front door.

This means customers can buy sweets and drinks without getting in the way of those paying for their tickets or simply trying to get in the door.

The larger kiosk also enables two or three members of staff to serve at once instead of the single employee because of the previous space restrictions.

The new look is completed by new carpets. The work was finished at a cost of 60,000 for last weekend, after screen two opened a week earlier with just 30 of the new seats installed.

Picturedrome Electric Theatre Co Ltd managing director Adam Cunard said the comprehensive work was a sign of the cinema's resurgence.

The past year since the admission prices were cut to 2.50 and 3.50 had seen audiences reach 70,000 compared to 21,000 for the year before the company took over in April 2007.

He said: "Screen two is now more comfortable. I hope anyone who has not been for a while will pay us a visit soon.

"The Picturedrome is 90 years old next year as a cinema. This proves there's plenty of life left in the building yet. Hopefully, the cinema will be able to celebrate its centenary in 2019."

The next stage is the installation of the new seats to replace the 360 in screen one. This will take place in September.

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