The Palace Cinema in Broadstairs is reopening this Friday (October 30) after an eight month closure due to the covid pandemic and restrictions.
The Harbour Street cinema, run by Corinna and Simon Ward, will offer a new schedule of two shows a day, four days per week on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This will be trialled throughout November and December.
Measures in place to ensure the Grade II listed building is covid-secure include socially distanced seating, Track & Trace, face coverings for all aged 11and over unless exempt, Perspex ‘sneeze screens’ in foyer, one-way system, hand sanitising stations, no unpackaged food and longer gaps between films to allow for enhanced daily cleaning. Audience members are encouraged to use contactless card payment if possible. The Palace team has completed COVID-Awareness Health and Safety training.
The cinema has also had a spruce up, with new signage throughout as well as new paintwork and freshly cleaned upholstery.
First films on show are:
The classic Cinema Paradiso (12A), the gorgeous story of a grumpy projectionist and a wide-eyed little boy in 1940s Sicily whose friendship is to last a lifetime.
The latest film from independent US filmmaker Miranda July, Kajillionaire (12A), an off-beat comedy about a loyal daughter who finally, in her mid-20s, gets an inkling about what her life might be like were she not expected by her parents to accompany them on all their petty criminal misadventures.
Corinna said: “We’re asking audience members to feedback their thoughts to us via a short online survey which will be open until mid-December. It focuses mainly on Covid Health & Safety but also general feedback.
“We completely understand that for some it may be a few more months before everyone feels safe in a cinema, any cinema, and want to be sure that everyone who does visit us now feels as comfortable and confident about the Palace as possible.”
