With heritage of over a half a century The Phoenix Cinema, operated by The Pickaquoy Centre, reveals changes to signal the beginning of the next era for the business.
In order to revitalise the cinema post pandemic, the creation of a new logo, a new membership and their own social media platforms have been developed.
These changes form the start of a longer-term strategy with significant funding support from Screen Scotland’s Recovery Fund For Independent Cinemas and the Creative Scotland Emergency Fund which is earmarked for developments that will help the cinema recover post-Covid and ensure long-term sustainability.
The new logo design is a reflection of the logo from the original Phoenix Cinema which closed in 1998.
The cinema today pays respect to the past with the old projector on display in the foyer and the clock to the right-hand side of the screen, both of which came from the original Phoenix Cinema.
James Linklater, Managing Director of The Pickaquoy Centre, said: “We wanted to create something that was more immediately recognizable and closer to the original logo, but equally reflects what we’re trying to do. The Phoenix bird is symbolic of rebirth which is appropriate for the cinema – that it is always evolving.”
Another new development is the brand-new membership, ‘Phoenix Infinity’, which gives members infinite access to all regular film screenings, 20% off event cinema tickets and 10% off all kiosk purchases for just £19.99 per month.
In addition, there is the free loyalty card where after nine films, customers can attend their tenth film for free. And since last October, ActiveLife members receive a 20% discount on all cinema tickets.
James continued: “Given the impact on cinemas from the pandemic, and competition with streaming platforms, our focus is to improve the overall viewing experience for the customer as well as finding ways to make it more accessible.
“With the fantastic range of films available, we hope that cinema lovers will find the new membership an affordable way to enjoy several films each month on the big screen.
“We are very grateful for this further support received from Creative Scotland and Screen Scotland as it gives us the ability to develop this part of the business and ensure its longevity for years to come.”
For those that don’t know where to find upcoming films, there will now be a weekly ‘What’s On’ in The Orcadian as well as a new Facebook and Instagram account dedicated solely the cinema.
Victoria Rhodes, Cinema Supervisor, said: “Since we reopened last year, we’ve been monitoring feedback from customers. Many have said they don’t know what films are being shown. Running a weekly ‘What’s On’ in
The Orcadian and creating our own social media platforms, in addition to the website and our weekly email, will hopefully give customers more opportunity to see what’s coming up so they don’t miss any films they’d like to see.
“We know that there are a lot of people out there that are really into cinema, and The Phoenix Cinema is your community cinema. We are always looking for feedback, or even suggestions on what to show, so please get in touch!”
You can email your feedback directly to The Phoenix Cinema. to phoenix.cinema@pickaquoy.com. Click the What's On page to see what films are coming up and subscribe to our weekly email.
The Phoenix Cinema is now on Facebook and Instagram @thephoenixcinema, follow their accounts to see regular updates of current films being shown.