The Odeon cinema in Ipswich was the town’s first multiplex when it opened in 1991. A huge rival Multiplex opened on the edge of Ipswich in 1998. The popularity of the new cinema led to the demise of the Odeon, and it closed its doors for the final time in August 2005.
The day after our visit, work was due to begin on converting it into a nightclub, bowling alley and restaurant complex – the lobby was full of new bar equipment and fittings. Over a year later, the conversion hasn’t happened – developers pulled the plug on the conversion. The cinema, again, remains empty awaiting a buyer..
Lobby
The main lobby area is in a wonderful mock-art-deco style.
Screens
Not much remains in the theatres – the chairs were hired, so were removed when the cinema closed.
Bar area
More fab mock-art-deco stuff…
Projection booth
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your photos are amazing but i just dont understand how these things happen especially when clearly in such good condition as this and still relatively new.
Did you ever find out what was on the film that was left behind?
I ran this cinema projection room as a relief projectionist a couple of times in 96 as i was based at Colchester Odeon at the time. In 98 i had moved to the Virgin cinema and opened it as the Chief projectionist. The Virgin cinema at the time blew the socks off the Odeon, it was bright loud hip & trendy, for example just before the Virgin opened the Odeon installed luxury Pullman seats in a couple of rows in each of its screens to try and compete. Then after we opened and it realised that luxury came as standard at the Virgin it took them back out again so I heard. The Virgin had a vibe about it for the customers visiting it, the screens were so much bigger than the Odeon, it had a Kids party room and we used to pretend to let the kids start the film by using the staffroom TV remote, a walkie-talkies and our automated start projector being held in manual mode. The kids and audience in the cinema would countdown whilst the party crew member held the walkie-talkies open and me the projectionist would duck down out of site and push start when they got to zero, the Birthday kids would push a button on the tv remote whist pointing it at the box with the red light on it on the back wall (really the infra red deaf aid). It all worked like magic and the child loved it.
is this up for let again? i would let to get hold of floor plans for a better look at the space, any help would be great. kb
who owns this building now? council? becuase it’s been shut for 5 years and nothingd been done with it, i seems a great shame for such an wonderful building to have nothing in it, i say they should open another odeon and compete with cineworld becuse if they have cheaper tickets surely they would generate more custom, it is an real shame to see it in this state,
I think it’s Ipswich Councils view in general to leave all unoccupied buildings in the town centre to rot.
Look at Bar Fontaine down the road from the Odeon, or even Zest.
Both would make amazing places for local bands to play but this will never happen..
Even Woolworths will be empty for 10yrs I bet.
Just wish someone would reopen the old Odeon as a cinema again, it looks in better condition that CineWorld does now!
I’ve heard that another cinema chain (not odeon or cineworld) has looked around this site 3 times in the last couple of months, with a view to reopening it with all digital projectors.
A very sad demise for an adventurous building. It’s Art Deco design, and it’s shape always reminded me of one of those glorious 1930′s ocean liners. And now it sits, being eroded by the passage of time, but more by the exhausts of passing vehicles. It is true that IBC do seem to like leaving empty buildings to rot, and mention was made of Bar Fontaine not far away – I used to go there a lot when it was open, and it was very pleasant inside, with a lot of cash having been spent on the conversion. Alas, it sits, slowly decaying. Do the council care? No. Their byword seems to be ‘Inactivity’ I know that excoriating cash cuts are on the way, but IBC are always like this. They disgust me, for I voted for them. PAH!