Cinema closure mystery
FILM fans have been kept in the dark about the mysterious closure of Muswell Hill's Odeon cinema this week - after it suddenly shut its doors in the middle of the Christmas blockbuster season.
Residents were baffled to find pink notices on the doors saying the cinema would remain closed until further notice due to a maintenance issue.
Sarah Cormarty, assistant manager at Laline shop next to the cinema, said: "We're certainly getting a lot of people coming and asking. I thought it was just being refurbished. I think it closed on Friday.
"A woman came in and said she'd bought tickets for Saturday and was cross because she'd turned up to watch a film and couldn't watch it."
A statement on the company's website said: "Odeon can confirm that, due to a maintenance issue, the Muswell Hill cinema will remain closed until further notice. The problem at the site is currently under investigation and as soon as more information is available this will be shared with guests. Odeon would like to apologise for any inconvenience this causes to film fans."
Odeon have declined to give any further information. A spokeswoman said: "I don't have any more information. We hope to have a bit more information by the end of the week, but we can't be sure because we are awaiting the outcome of the investigation ourselves.
"But suffice to say, as per the statement, it is a maintenance issue and at the moment we can't confirm how long the cinema will be closed for."
Jo Hamlyn, manager of Eccentrics, a shop near the cinema, said: "It must have been a sudden thing. It didn't look like they knew they were going to shut because the latest films are advertised. I don't know why it's such a secret."
Scaffolding is attached to the back of the building where a skip is filled with debris, but otherwise there is no sign of work taking place at the site.
Jon Cousans, manager of a flower shop nearby, said: "The manager came in on Saturday and said there was a problem with maintenance. She didn't say what had happened, just that they were hoping to be open on Monday."
Families hoping to watch seasonal classic are likely to be disappointed.
Councillor Gail Engert (Liberal Democrat, Muswell Hill) said: "It's going to be an enormous disappointment. There's nowhere convenient and easy to go and a lot of the big cinemas are a lot more expensive.
"Enchanted and The Golden Compass, all those wonderful family films, and children are going to be disappointed."
Pay and display machines in the cinema's car park were also out of order on Tuesday, leaving drivers confused about whether they could use it. Large signs warn that cars without a ticket would be clamped.
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Muswell Hill
Journal News |
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