Blockbuster movies and fantastic live entertainment have helped the Regal Theatre in Stowmarket make 2018 their best year ever.
The theatre in Ipswich Street is celebrating the busiest year on record and 2019 could be even bigger thanks to a major refurbishment and expansion.
Admissions in 2018 increased by more than 4,000 year-on-year, with a record 67,628 people visiting the venue between January and December.
The Regal opened as a 600-seat cinema in 1936 and was saved from closure by Stowmarket Town Council in 1971. Since then a stage, cafe and bar have been added alongside dressing rooms, a digital projector and a 7.1 sound system.
David Blackburn, Stowmarket Town Clerk, said: “This is a tremendous achievement for the Regal Team. The new record shows how popular the Regal Theatre is within the town.
“We wish to build upon this success and are looking forward to announcing our exciting plans for the future of the theatre in the new year.”
On their Facebook page the Regal Theatre posted: “Thank you to the 67,628 people who visited the Regal in 2018, our busiest year ever!”
Manager of the Regal Theatre, David Marsh, said: “2018 has been an amazing year for the venue, we’ve increased admissions by almost 7%, with brilliant movies like Bohemian Rhapsody, The Greatest Showman and Mary Poppins Returns doing some tremendous business.”
David also highlighted the success of the past few months, saying: “December has been a great month, we’ve had some fantastic live entertainment on stage, Andy Ottley’s Elvis Tribute and Cara Lea’s Showcase were both sell-out shows and we enjoyed a very busy week with Stowmarket Operatic & Dramatic Society’s production of the Dick Whittington pantomime.”
The Regal is popular with families thanks to the Pocket Money Movies they offer at weekends. Tickets for selected films are £2.50 per child with “well behaving parents going free”.
They also offer event cinema where audiences can watch concerts and plays from the country’s most prestigious venues. Coming up in January they have The King and I: From the London Palladium.
Currently they are screening Aquaman, The Old Man and the Gun and blockbuster Mary Poppins Returns.
To read more about the expansion plans for The Regal see here.
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