Comments on: Odeon Cinema – Ipswich

By: Dazzle

Dazzle — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:42:23 +0000

I remember the ABC very well. I saw my first “18″ cert film there (The Thing) aged 16 in 1982. I saw Altered States there too in ’80, but I think it was an “AA” cert
I remember it being a proper cinematic experience, from walking through the classic doors into the foyer, to the clouds of cigarette smoke illuminated in the projector beam.
My recent experiences of cinema was stinky feet, mobile phones, people talking all the way through, uncomfortable seats, and they leave soft lights on for H&S reasons!!! It’s a cinema!!! It’s meant to be dark!!!

By: John

John — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:55:00 +0000

Can peeps remember the old ABC cinema in the Buttermarket area?

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:48:04 +0000

This place has a special place in my heart as at the tender age of 13 I saw a flash of Kylie Minogue’s breast in the film The Delinquents. I think the last film I saw here was Bedazzled – It was terrible!
The reason I switched to Virgin was mentioned above: Better seats and a fresh vibe about the place. Now called Cineworld, that place is over priced and grubby (no competition, so no need to put any effort in).
I have always loved the Odeon building and it is a shame to see it go to waste.

By: Pedro

Pedro — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 12:24:13 +0000

Well peeps I can promise if I won enough money on the euro lotto I’d reopen the odeon as a cinema and make it 10x better than it was and than ugc is! How much is it on the Market for? Does anyone know?

Vote pedro!

By: David

David — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 00:46:47 +0000

I don’t remember going to this place for films but I did go in my early teens to a Yu-Gi-Oh cards club in the upstairs area (see photo 10) every Friday night. Great times.

The Ipswich Borough Council need to do something to shift this place, it would be fantastic to see it up and running again.

Thank you for bringing back memories.

By: Kev

Kev — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:02:20 +0000

As per my above comment I noticed today that Woolworths has infact reopened..
IBC have attracted more quality to the dead town center. I rest my case!

(Can’t wait to see what happens to the old Co-op, Primark to move in perhaps?)

By: Mr Waverly

Mr Waverly — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 07:53:20 +0000

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!

By: Nigel Goody

Nigel Goody — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:39:48 +0000

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.

By: Kev

Kev — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:48:31 +0000

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!

By: scott

scott — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:13:51 +0000

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,