Independent cinema welcomes ‘Barbenheimer’ boost

The release of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer on the same day (July 21) has provided cinemas across the country with a boost, including The Majestic Cinema in Lynn.

Alice Finlay, the Assistant Manager at The Majestic Cinema described the simultaneous release of the two blockbuster films, as an “overall surreal win for independent cinema” with turnout being “bigger and better than we expected.”

She said: “Each showing would be packed out with excited cinema lovers, eager to experience the highest anticipated movie weekend of the year. Our admit levels soared and it’s been the busiest we have seen The Majestic in a while.”

The Barbie movie especially has gained a huge social media following, with many fans posting pictures of themselves at the cinema watching the movie.

According to Alice, the cinema’s social media was flooded with selfies and check-ins from audience members.

“People of all ages were queuing all the way out of our front doors dressed in the pinkest outfits they could find,” she said.

The staff at The Majestic also joined in with the fun, wearing their coolest pink outfits during the opening weekend.

Alice highlighted the efforts of her team at the Majestic during the busy weekend, saying that it was “high-fives all round for getting through another 200+ people after each showing.”

The release of the two movies on the same day meant many decided to watch the films as a double feature, seeing both on the same day.

Alice said: “it was incredible to see the people of Lynn and the surrounding areas looking forward to seeing these two movies.

“Seeing more and more young people interested in film is always a joy for us.

“Whether you were team Barbie or team Oppenheimer, the excitement in the air brought a new light to the place, and reminded us why we love what we do.”

The phenomenon of ‘Barbenheimer’ has been welcomed as providing an economic boost to cinemas recovering from the impacts of Covid-19, which Alice stated were particularly felt by independent cinemas.

She, however, was positive about the future of The Majestic.

“We’ve had some massive blockbusters post-covid to help us get back on track. Barbenheimer being the most recent cinema resurgence aid. It’s safe to say that the cinema industry is back and stronger than ever,” said Alice.

Looking ahead, The Majestic is planning more projects to help encourage individuals to visit the cinema, including events exploring the history of the cinema building.

One of the key attractions of The Majestic is its low-cost tickets, typically around £4-5.

Alice said: ‘”We think it is extremely important to remember the cost-of-living crisis we’re all going through at the moment.

“The rising cost of virtually everything definitely puts a doom and gloom lens on life. Despite this, we are thrilled to still have a loyal audience who will always find time to come and watch films with us.

“We offer a whole experience here at The Majestic. The comfy seats, the authentic cinema snacks, the friendly customer service, as well as this week’s must-see. We have modelled our prices taking all of this into consideration, staying affordable for those who love film.”

Finlay finished by saying, “It is definitely hard to compete with the big chains, but we’ve stayed afloat so far and will continue to do so, being a big part of the Lynn community.”

Reporting by Amelia Platt

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