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Cinema closes after audience numbers decline

No next attraction: Neptune Cinema at Dockyard has closed. It had suffered from declining audience numbers (Photograph by Blaire Simmons)

The Neptune Cinema at Dockyard has closed and its former operators, who also manage the Liberty Theatre, are now putting their focus on the Hamilton venue.

The cinema in Dockyard had suffered from declining audience numbers in recent years, according to Kylah Forth, manager of Liberty Theatre.

“It was not feasible. It was not making the money. People were not patronising it,” she said, explaining that the last sell-out shows at the 118-seat venue were for the 2010 version of The Karate Kid.

She said the cinema, which closed last month, had been popular with older audiences who appreciated the decor and came out to watch “the old English films”.

The Liberty Theatre and Neptune Cinema have been jointly managed for the past decade. Ms Forth said: “The good new is we are going to upgrade Liberty. It will give us an opportunity to have new seats at the Liberty.”

When asked if audiences are tending to stay away because they can tune in to new shows and recent films through subscription services such as Netflix, Ms Forth said Liberty Theatre, at Union Plaza, still enjoys full houses depending on what movie is being shown.

“People like to see things like the Marvel films on a big screen. There has been a little bit of a declines, but people do still like the theatre experience,” she said

Ms Forth said she did not know if Neptune Cinema will reopen under new management. Its closure comes five years after the 400-seat Southside Cinema was shuttered.

Bermuda now has two operating cinemas, Liberty Theatre and Speciality Cinema and Grill on Church Street.