For months work has been ongoing behind the doors of Belfast's old Debenhams store to breathe new life into the vast space left empty when the retail giant folded.
Now shoppers can catch their first glimpse of what has been going on as the initial part of the transformation of the prime city centre space has been revealed.
This weekend The Avenue cinema officially opens on the first floor in CastleCourt, a brand-new luxury cinema concept which will see customers get cocktails and food delivered to their seat.
READ MORE: The Avenue at Castlecourt seek staff for 'most unique cinema experience'
It is hoped the unique offering, a £5.2milion investment which has created 50 jobs in the process, will attract customers to come and stay in the centre and is a big draw for this part of the city which has seen numerous business close their doors.
Leona Barr, Centre Manager at CastleCourt Shopping Centre, told Belfast Live: "It is pretty amazing actually, when Debenhams closed back in May 2021 you are left with a huge prime retail space facing out onto Royal Avenue right in the heart of Belfast, it was 120,000 sq ft.
"We had to move in line with the times and what customer expectations are and the high street is changing and evolving and I think that mix of leisure and retail and car parking under one roof is very attractive to customers so it's great to be able to officially welcome The Avenue cinema here and know that our shoppers can have that cinema experience in such a unique and luxurious manner."
The 28,000 sq. ft space boasts nine lavish 60-seat auditoriums each kitted out with state-of-the-art technology, high-tech laser projection and plush sofa and armchair seating.
It is just one part of the redevelopment of the Debenhams site and Leona said there is much more to be revealed in the coming weeks about what else is planned for this space.
"It's hard to believe you are in the Debenhams space, even watching this coming up from the ground up over the weeks, the finished product has wowed everyone, they have done such a good job on it," she said.
"It was such a vast space and I know Debenhams was close to people's hearts, it opened in 1990 so it will be 33 years coming in April so we are almost at that anniversary but now have this new offering.
"There is more to come and in the next weeks and months we will be able to unveil what we are doing. There is more of a leisure offer coming to sit beside the cinema on the first floor and some more new retail on the ground floor of the old Debenhams space."
The Avenue, named after the cinema which previously occupied the same area, is a new venture for the Omniplex Cinema Group.
It has been two years of work but bosses have been talking about the idea for around six years, wanting to re-imagine the conventional cinema experience for the Northern Ireland audience.
The unique cinema, café and bar present a laid-back and charismatic city destination, redefining the movie-going experience.
The Avenue will offer classic snacks such as freshly made popcorn and sweet treats as well as a food and beverage offering, serving a selection of chef-prepared food, cakes and pastries, alongside coffee, wines, beers and cocktails. Whether you’re indulging in the small plates; hand-stretched sourdough pizzas; loaded nachos and gourmet burgers.
Paul Anderson, Director of The Avenue Cinema, Café & Bar said: "Two years I have been living and breathing this, The Avenue is our new full service cinema offering, with a full bar with cocktails, pints and a lovely selection of wines, by the glass or by the bottle. We will have a nice champagne on offer for any treats and special occasions and there's going to be a full kitchen team, head chef, sous chef.
"We will be serving your favourite drink and favourite food to the cinema seat, you can order and get it delivered to your seat."
Talking about why they thought this concept would be a hit with cinema fans, Paul said: "I think customers want more and we are seeing demand for more quality fittings and quality from a cinema perspective. We wanted to combine a welcoming night out feel in a cinema environment and that's really what this is.
"This is The Avenue, this is separate to Omniplex as a group but we are very proud of Omniplex, I think we are very good at what we do and from a multiplex perspective Omniplex is still fantastic but if you want a more night out feel, or elevated cinema experience, this is the venue you want to come to."
He added: "You can sit in your seat here on the sofa, put your feet up on our foot stools here and order lovely food to your seat, you can order really nice cocktails or wine, or you can also get soft drinks and a whole selection of drinks that we have delivered straight into your screen.
"We have waiters and waitresses serving you, so it is unique in that sense and these are smaller more intimate screens and that is deliberate because we want to give really high levels of service for each screening."
Paul said talk for a concept like this started six years ago and CastleCourt ended up being the ideal location when the opportunity came up two years ago.
"Six years ago we thought, how could we do this, we just had ideas rumbling around as to how we would do it," he said.
"We wanted a city centre location, that was crucial and it just so happened we are here in Debenham's old space and one door closes and a door opens for us and we saw an opportunity here and it just made sense.
"CastleCourt has great access, a city centre location, great car parking, just a great location.
"We chose the name The Avenue, we wanted a new name because this is so different to Omniplex, we wanted to give this a new brand identity because it has such a different offer. We researched the history of cinema in Belfast and it just so happens we are in the same airspace as the cinema that used to sit on this site and it was called The Avenue and that was its last name before it closed in 1982 I think. We thought it was appropriate and a nice ode to cinema in Belfast history."
He added: "We are just excited to get open on Friday, 10th and get people in to see their reaction and we are hoping everyone is going to be wowed by what we have done and we are just delighted to finally get there."
Scream VI, Creed III and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania are amongst the first films to be shown in the brand-new cinema. Tickets for The Avenue Cinema cost £14 for adults and £10 for children. The Avenue will have off-peak pricing between Monday to Friday before 5pm costing £12 for adults and £9 for children.
It will be open 10am – 12am, seven days a week and ticket holders will also be able to avail of three hours of parking at CastleCourt for the price of one hour.
Tickets go on sale March 6 at www.theavenuecinema.com.
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