Ballina Cinema Closed

Went to take a look at the Ballina cinema website and see what's on this weekend as I'll be back home for a few days and thought I'd take a trip to the cinema followed by a few pints. Sadly it seems that the cinema has closed down which to be honest is not the surprising given how badly run it has been. It's a big lose to the the town and I hope that someone will step in and take it over as it's a damn nice place, just in a terrible location.

BALLINA CINEPLEX LTD.
Mercy Road, Ballina.
NOTICE

It is with regret that the company must cease trading as it has received notice from Eversheds solicitors acting on behalf of the receiver that they intend issuing a petition for the winding up of the company.

We would like to thank all our patrons for the loyalty over the last nine years and very much hope that the cinema will reopen under new management in the not too distant future.

Ballina Cineplex limited will refund all advance tickets purchased for future performances and any valid gift vouchers still in circulation.

Ilovelucy

Why do you say it was badly run?

Ilovelucy

Ilovelucy wrote: »

Why do you say it was badly run?

For a start there's the fact that they didn't get in many of the bigger films. A number of the more popular films from the past decade never screened there and I often found myself traveling to Castlebar or Sligo to see a certain film. And I'm not talking about "arty" films but big Hollywood films.

They also had a habit of getting films in long after every where else had moved on to newer releases, case in point they got Zodiac in for a week or so less than a month before it was out on DVD.

Pretty much anytime I went to see a film in the cinema there was an issue. Films were routinely out of focus, in the wrong aspect ration, etc, etc. When I saw Poseidon they had the top half of the screen at the bottom and the bottom half at the top. I spent 5 mins looking for someone to fix it but there wasn't a member of staff to be found anywhere. I also saw a number of films where they got the reels mixed up, Black Christmas for example when it screened there had the final scene mid way through the film. More recently on the night Thor opened they ran the second reel backwards. There are many, many more instances of similar screw ups that I could name least not the many occasions when the projectors would fail after a few mins so you'd sit there and watch 10 minutes of the film then it would stop and start up and stop and start up over and over again.

The way the staff disappeared from the foyer after the films started was rather odd. If you had any issues after a film had begun you could be 5 or 10 minutes waiting around for a member of staff to show up. Most worryingly of all was the fact that they actually locked the entrance once all showings had begun. It was one of the most unbelievably retarded things I have ever seen and I routinely complained about it. When I asked the manager what would happen in case of a fire she told me "a member of staff would open them."

Last but not least was the way in which they would only unlock the doors 10 minutes or so before a film was scheduled to begin. I know at Christmas when we went up to see the Hobbit the doors were only unlocked 5 minutes before the scheduled show time. During the 15 minutes we were sat in the car waiting to get in a good two dozen people walked up, tried the doors and then shrugged their shoulders and left. I assume that they thought the cinema was closed. Now if that's not bad managements I don't know what is.

Now that I think of it, the last few times I saw a film there the film started a good 5 minutes before the advertised start time. When I went to Jack Reacher we got there 10 minutes before the time advertised and they had just opened the doors a few minutes beforehand. There was only two people in front of us in the queue and we didn't get any snacks yet as we were taking our seats the trailers were already rolling. Same thing happened with Rise of the Guardians only we missed the first 10 minutes of the film even though we got there at the scheduled start time.

Ilovelucy

Gosh you have had bad luck with all your visits. I've been to numerous showings of movies and never had a bad experience. We will miss it as we were avid movie goers. Hopefully it will reopen under new management. I never had a problem with it's location either.

Ilovelucy

Ilovelucy wrote: »

Gosh you have had bad luck with all your visits. I've been to numerous showings of movies and never had a bad experience. We will miss it as we were avid movie goers. Hopefully it will reopen under new management. I never had a problem with it's location either.

When I was living in town I was there at least once a week, sometimes three times a week and I noticed that most people don't feel the need to complain when the film is out of focus or the sound drops out. At times I would sit for a few minutes to see if anyone else would go out and only on a handful of occasions did anyone get up. Anyone I know who regularly went experienced issues on multiple occasions and while it's sad to see the place closed I hope that if it reopens, they bring in new management.

The location isn't the worst but it's far from ideal. It's on the outskirts of town there's not much parking around it. Throw in the fact that there was often trouble around there, I know on one occasion a car was burnt while it was parked outside the cinema.

Sponge Bob

Roscommon Town cinema went bust a month back. Ballina was in receivership anyway and its operator , Ward Anderson, was in the courts a lot in recent months.

http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15698:ballina-cinema-in-receivership&catid=23:news&Itemid=46

Paul4As

Can't remember any issues (inside or outside) that I had when I attended the cinema...and that has been since I started visiting Ballina 8 years ago (I now live there).

Never saw any trouble outside...my car was always fine...and I always found room to park.

As for inside...only once did I have to go out to the entrance counter to get a film to be put on...and that was probably over about 40 visits.

Hopefully it re-opens. Castlebar is a bit of a drive to see a movie!

runawaybishop

The cinema was run badly. A movie starting in focus and centred correctly was uncommon, the staff were completely unconcerned (once you found them) and often didn't even apologise.

kodi

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but AFAIR the Ballina cineplex had much better audio and screen quality than the Castlebar cinema. Due to sickness I couldn't be in the Ballina one for about a year, but before that I remember only one case that the movie was out of focus, which was corrected in few minutes with apologies from the staff member.

Daisy M

We have never gone without there been an issue, unless it was very bad we didnt complain as staff were hard found and didnt care.
It is a shame it is gone and maybe if it had been better ran it would still be there. Most cinemas have a kids club on at the weekends which draws people in. They really could have tried harder.

runawaybishop

kodi wrote: »

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but AFAIR the Ballina cineplex had much better audio and screen quality than the Castlebar cinema. Due to sickness I couldn't be in the Ballina one for about a year, but before that I remember only one case that the movie was out of focus, which was corrected in few minutes with apologies from the staff member.

I much preferred Ballina over Castlebar for the seating, layout, food, screen etc - it was just run badly. 1 person on tickets, 2 on food/drinks with no cards accepted, queues out the door and registers empty. In Castlebar all registers take cards and sell both tickets and food/drink so the queues move pretty lively.

A movie shouldn't out of focus for a few minutes, or upside-down, or trailing off on one side but this commonly happened. I dont see why it takes the staff more than 15 seconds to spot the issues and fix them, you shouldn't have to go looking for them.

shudbeworking

The popcorn is much tastier in Ballina too!

DavidMelv

Isnt the cinema open on the weekend now?

monument

DavidMelv wrote: »

Isnt the cinema open on the weekend now?

Is it?

Where did you hear that?

Its closed and will remain so for the foreseeable future. I passed by during the week and it looked as if they were taking out many of the fixtures.

monument

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Its closed and will remain so for the foreseeable future. I passed by during the week and it looked as if they were taking out many of the fixtures.

So what you're saying is that you are a clueless as the rest of us?

monument

monument wrote: »

So what you're saying is that you are a clueless as the rest of us?

No not at all. They are in the process of removing many of the interior fixtures and as such there is little chance that it will reopen any time soon. The latest talk is that the projectors will be sold and if that occurs then the place has no chance of reopening.

monument

[Deleted User] wrote: »

No not at all. They are in the process of removing many of the interior fixtures and as such there is little chance that it will reopen any time soon. The latest talk is that the projectors will be sold and if that occurs then the place has no chance of reopening.

I can't see how you're coming to such conclusions given that any buyer of the building / business would have to pay for the projectors one way or another. Fixtures and fitting have to be sold if a new opprator could not be found quickly -- which seems to be the case.

Other factors are more likey to have a bearing on it opening again -- the main one being the viability of a cinema in the town in that location OR the attractiveness of such a small market to big players. One way or another, that's the killer issue.

Fixtures and fitting are minor compared to it.

.K.A.L.I.M.A.

I'm actually from Attymass, six miles outside of Ballina and it's been closed for a few months now (Around Christmas). It was probably the only best place in the town, just in the worst location (Getting rocks thrown at the windows, etc...)

monument

monument wrote: »

I can't see how you're coming to such conclusions given that any buyer of the building / business would have to pay for the projectors one way or another. Fixtures and fitting have to be sold if a new opprator could not be found quickly -- which seems to be the case.

Other factors are more likey to have a bearing on it opening again -- the main one being the viability of a cinema in the town in that location OR the attractiveness of such a small market to big players. One way or another, that's the killer issue.

Fixtures and fitting are minor compared to it.

Selling the projectors will bring in money but anyone looking to take over the cinema would expect them to be there. No one is going to buy the premises, but there's a good chance that it could be rented and as such anyone looking to take om a lease would expect it to be fitted out.

The cinema was quite profitable at first but poor management and various disputes between the cinema and the major distributors saw it crash and burn. The biggest mistake they made when it was taken over a few months back was that they retained the existing management which was for want of a better word, atrocious.

The cinema is a very attractive prospect for any of the major vhains, especially if they can simply rent the premises and just rebrand a little. Ive been told that there's been interest from one of the chains but the cost quoted them was simply unworkable.

.K.A.L.I.M.A.

.K.A.L.I.M.A. wrote: »

I'm actually from Attymass, six miles outside of Ballina and it's been closed for a few months now (Around Christmas). It was probably the only best place in the town, just in the worst location (Getting rocks thrown at the windows, etc...)

It only closed a couple of months back at the start of February

Phazedup

it's very frustrating for me, the closest cienma choices are either castlebar (the arthouse one is OK but I wouldn't take my worst enemy to the grotty, run down crappness that is mayo movie world) or Sligo (which is at least an hour away, given the cost of petrol these days, a 2 hour round trip added in to ticket price, popcorn and a drink, it's cheaper to buy the damned blu ray).

I do miss having a cinema here as there's a lot of films coming out I'd like to see, ho hum.

MOD NOTE **Not sure what the last statement was or if you were trying a cheap shot at advertising. Removed **

Mayo Miss

Phazedup wrote: »

it's very frustrating for me, the closest cienma choices are either castlebar (the arthouse one is OK but I wouldn't take my worst enemy to the grotty, run down crappness that is mayo movie world) or Sligo (which is at least an hour away, given the cost of petrol these days, a 2 hour round trip added in to ticket price, popcorn and a drink, it's cheaper to buy the damned blu ray).

I do miss having a cinema here as there's a lot of films coming out I'd like to see, ho hum.

MOD NOTE **Not sure what the last statement was or if you were trying a cheap shot at advertising. Removed **

Really? You must have impossibly high standards. Yes, some of the screens/theatres or whatever they are called can be a little uncomfortable but I think your response is a little over the top.

Wen

Ballina Cinema Reopening June 2013

yop

Wen wrote: »

Ballina Cinema Reopening June 2013

Link.

runawaybishop

Did this happen?

steph1

Not yet. I was up that way last night and I see one of the panes of glass to the right hand side of the entrance boarded up so obviously its been vandalised.

twg73

Wen wrote: »

Ballina Cinema Reopening June 2013

Does not seem it will reopen. Certainly not in June. Did you mean June 2014?

monument

Unconfirmed and unclear reports of some cleaning / painting going on today in the cinema.

runawaybishop

monument wrote: »

Unconfirmed and unclear reports of some cleaning / painting going on today in the cinema.

Theres definitely some activity in there. I haven't heard anything about it reopening though.

finisklin

Slightly off topic, anybody seen despicable me 2 yet? Is it in Castlebar?

Its a pain to travel this far to the cinema.