Is the Odeon out of the picture?

Canterbury students are disappointed with the standards of the Odeon Cinema complex. 

The cinema has traditionally provided a cheap and fun venue for students and families of all ages. Students in Canterbury visit the Odeon cinema, situated a convenient five minute walk from the Christ Church campus for a relaxed and cheap outing. There are, however, some who feel the complex is not of the same high standard that we have come to expect of the Odeon chains across the country.

On their website, the Odeon, Canterbury specifically targets students, boasting that their cinema complex’s film releases “have strong relevance to subjects covered in the national curriculum, provoking discussion and debate in an inspirational way”.

With only two screens, the students themselves feel that the cinema provides a very limited choice in films, and that other social venues are a more appealing option. 

 Showing a very restricted choice of four screenings of Alpha and Omega, Attack the Block, Thor 3D and Water for Elephants, the educational experience promised by the complex seems miles away. As far away, in fact as the Ashford Cineworld complex, which by contrast hosts a respectable eight screens, a broad choice of 22 films to choose from and discount, student screenings every week.

With a number of shops in the area already undergoing refurbishment, the future for the Canterbury Odeon remains unclear. What is certain is that the venue is proving to be increasing unpopular for students who are opting to spend their limited budgets elsewhere.