Police called over cinema sit-in

The UCI apologised and offered refunds

Police were called to a cinema when customers staged a sit-in after the film they wanted to see was cancelled.

More than a dozen friends refused to leave the UCI in Cardiff Bay after a copy of a Bollywood movie arrived too late for the showing.

They stayed in the foyer for about four hours until police asked them to leave.

UCI apologised and offered refunds, but said as the film was late being delivered, it would not have been ready until well after the scheduled start.

We had been planning this for weeks and it was the only day we could get together to watch this movie Disappointed filmgoer

Several dozen people turned up at the cinema on Friday evening to see the action drama Ghajini.

They included a group of young student friends from India, some of whom travelled from Scotland and London for a reunion.

The film had been due to start at 2000 BST, and some had already taken their seats before being told the film was cancelled.

One, a 24-year-old business administration student who asked not to be named, said he and his friends were furious.

Security staff

"We had been planning this for weeks and it was the only day we could get together to watch this movie," he said.

"People had missed appointments and classes and done everything to get there."

Some other people accepted refunds, but the friends refused to leave. They were spoken to by security staff at the complex, but it was not until police arrived at about 2330 BST that they agreed to leave.

We dealt with the situation the best way we could and we apologise UCI spokesperson

Another one of the friends said they would have been willing to wait as long as necessary to see the film, but the cinema would not show it. The group now plans to make a formal complaint to the chain.

A spokeswoman for the UCI apologised to the disappointed audience but said the delay had been out of the cinema's hands.

The film had not arrived from another cinema until after the screening was due to start, and, as it came in eight different parts, it would have taken about an hour-and-a-half to prepare for showing.

She said the cinema offered refunds to everyone, and some people had decided to return to see another showing this weekend.

She said staff had discussed the situation with the unhappy friends as individuals and as a group for about three-quarters of a hour.

She explained that police were eventually called because management were concerned about how to deal with the group when staff numbers were low when the complex closed.

"We dealt with the situation the best way we could and we apologise," she added.