CHESTER'S highly-anticipated new Picturehouse cinema has taken a major step towards completion, with the company expecting it to open for business in late autumn.

As part of the run-up to the opening, Picturehouse Cinemas will be sponsoring three months of free ChooseDay Film Club showings in the new Chester Market every Tuesday, which sits under the cinema within the Chester Northgate development.

Chester Picturehouse took to Twitter last week to update fans on the site's progress.

Each film in the run-up series will be shown on the big screen in the market starting at 7pm. The programme will launch on August 8, with Casino Royale, starring everyone’s favourite Chester local hero Daniel Craig.

Clare Binns, Managing Director of Picturehouse Cinemas said: "Picturehouse is so delighted to become part of the Chester community this autumn. We can’t wait to bring the Picturehouse experience, and a host of great films from around the world, to Chester."

Councillor Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, said: "The opening of the Picturehouse cinema at Northgate will be a major milestone achieved for the Council; to bring a multi-screen cinema back to the city centre and complement the existing and planned attractions within Chester Northgate. In the meantime, having free ChooseDay Film Club showings sponsored by Picturehouse will be an even greater reason to enjoy the market."

The full programme will run weekly until the end of October as follows:

  • August 8, Casino Royale - Cert. 12A
  • August 15, Encanto - Cert. U
  • August 22, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - Cert. PG
  • August 29, Sister Act - Cert. PG
  • September 5, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit - Cert. U
  • September 12, Dirty Dancy - Cert. 12
  • September 19, Paddington - Cert. PG
  • September 26, Mamma Mia! - Cert PG
  • October 3, Grease - Cert. PG
  • October 10, Jaws - Cert. 12A
  • October 17, Back to the Future - Cert. PG
  • October 24, School of Rock - Cert. PG
  • October 31, Gremlins - Cert. 12A

The free ChooseDay Film Club showings will run alongside the ChooseDay promotion recently announced whereby traders are offering reductions every Tuesday across both food and non-food stalls commencing on August 1.

In addition, Chester Picturehouse Founder Memberships are on sale now. The first 1,000 customers who purchase an annual Membership for the new cinema will get their names installed in the building, on a specially commissioned Founder Members’ Wall. The Memberships will also include 15 months for the price of 12, from when the cinema opens its doors.

More information is available at: www.picturehouses.com/chester.