Multiplex blamed for cinema close

A new out-of-town multiplex has been blamed for the closure of a town centre cinema.

The Odeon on Freeman Street in Grimsby was "no longer viable" since a nine-screen cinema opened in nearby Cleethorpes, the firm said.

The Odeon's 14 staff will be made redundant when the three screens close on 9 December.

The site, which is worth about £350,000, is due to be auctioned in London four days later.

Converted theatre

The building, formerly the Prince of Wales Theatre, was converted to the Regal Cinema in 1937.

It later become an ABC before being re-branded as an Odeon when the two chains merged four years ago.

The first film to be shown, on 4 December 1937, was the musical Shall We Dance starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

The closure announcement comes just two weeks after the Parkway multiplex opened on King's Road in Cleethorpes.