It was the place to be for a generation of Greater Manchester kids. In the 1990s, film fans from our region and beyond will remember heading to their Warner Village cinema to see the latest blockbuster.
Created by Warner Bros and Village Cinemas, the chain of multiplex cinemas began with a branch in Bury before expanding across the UK to the likes of Birkenhead, Ellesmere Port, Preston and more.
The most notable Warner Village Cinema was in Leicester Square, London and the venue would often roll out the red carpet to host Warner film premieres, Cheshire Live recently reported.
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In Bury, the Warner Brothers cinema was opened in June 1989 by Cabaret and New York, New York star Liza Minnelli. Later renamed Warner Village, the 12-screen cinema was located on the Pilsworth Industrial Estate.
Many cinemagoers will also remember a chain being located in Bolton. Located in Middlebrook Leisure Park, the cinema opened around 1998.
Cinema listings published in the Salford Advertiser in June 1998 show that films like City of Angels, Anastasia, Deep Impact and Scream 2 were among the first to be screened there. That same year, it was locally reported that the Bolton cinema could be in for a round-the-clock treat after Britain's first 24-hour cinema licence was awarded as part of a local council drive to encourage a night-time economy.
Many from Greater Manchester will remember going to a Warner Village cinema for the first time. The bold Warner Bros logo outside could also be spotted across the car park and was always a landmark that caused excitement.
But by the 00s, we started to see the cinema chain disappear across the UK. On March 3, 2004, Cheshire Live reported how the Warner Village Cinema at Cheshire Oaks had changed its name to Vue.
The article read: "The acquisition of the Warner Village circuit took place last May by Vue Entertainment, in which key stake-holders include Boston Ventures, Clarity Partners and Legal & General Ventures. The new organisation comprises 40 cinemas throughout the UK with more than 25 million attendances each year."
As part of the rebranding process, it was announced that all Vue cinemas, including the one in Birkenhead, were going through a major 'refresh' program focused mainly on the public main foyer areas. Changes included casual seating added in foyers, new staff uniforms and more.
At the time, Tim Richards, chief executive of Vue, said: "We are very excited about the launch of the new brand across the UK. Among many other initiatives, the cinema refresh program will deliver a noticeable positive change to our customers. This is just the beginning of a very dynamic future for Vue."
Vue Cheshire Oaks also said it was opening an additional screen due to the continued success of the cinema, which opened in 1999. Today, both sites remain home to Vue, but many still have fond memories of the Warner Village days.
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Today, the Bolton site remains a Vue cinema, attracting hundreds of customers ever week. But the popular multiplex on the Park 66 site in Pilsworth, Bury, stood for more than 20 years before it was abandoned.
In April 2016, the MEN reported how bulldozers had moved in to demolish the deserted cinema. The Warner building was taken over by Vue in 2004 but closed in June 2010, to be replaced by the Vue Bury at The Rock shopping centre as part of a £220m regeneration of the town.
The old cinema site has been empty for six years – apart from a short period in August 2010 when travellers moved into the area. At the time, M.E.N. reader Lisa Marie Stevens filmed the diggers razing the building to the ground.
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Despite its eventual demise, the Pilsworth cinema held many happy memories. It was at the Bury cinema that Danny Boyle’s sister, Maria, first saw his box office hit Slumdog Millionaire. She told the M.E.N. in 2010: "I always have to go and see Danny’s films two or three times before I can be objective about them.
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"The first time I saw Slumdog at the local cinema in Pilsworth in Bury, it’s difficult to get away from thinking about it as something my twin brother has made. It was the same with Trainspotting and the others but on the second viewing, I can usually watch it properly as a film."
Today, the lost Warner Village Cinema chain is confined to the history books. But we still have fond memories of visiting its Greater Manchester sites.
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