SKIPTON’S Plaza Cinema will be welcoming back film fans from Monday, May 17 after being forced to close because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The animated family film Peter Rabbit 2, voiced by James Corden, will be shown twice daily for four days, with other big hitters lined up including Oscar winner Nomadland, the documentary Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In, and The Sound of Metal, about a heavy metal drummer, played by Riz Ahmed, who suddenly loses his hearing.

The cinema will also play host to the three day long Hinterlands Film Festival, from Friday, May 21 to Sunday, May 23, kicking off with ‘Then There Was Everybody’, with live accompaniment, followed by seven more films over the weekend.

Charles Morris, managing director of the Plaza, said: “We look forward to welcoming our patrons back again. It’s been a long, frustrating time for everyone but recently we’ve been busy behind the scenes getting everything ready for reopening.

“We’ve had the projector serviced and all the upholstery thoroughly cleaned and all the measures are in place for ensuring everyone’s safety.”

Other films in the coming weeks are horrors, The Conjuring : The Devil Made Me Do It, Spiral: From the Book of Saw, and A Quiet Place II; Disney’s new Cruella, with Emma Stone and Emma Thompson, and in June, the Oscar winner The Father, with Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Coleman, followed by Supernova, with Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci,and finally, the long awaited Marvel Studios Black Widow, starring Scarlett Johansson

Mr Morris added:“We’ve been waiting a long time, but we really have got a strong line-up of films now that we are finally allowed to reopen, and the cinema really is the only place to see a film. “

Skipton MP Julian Smith recently paid a visit to the cinema during a visit of businesses in the town. He said ‘Whilst the business has been able to take advantage of government support schemes and grants it is brilliant that it is able to reopen allowing people to enjoy these local attractions once again.’

People are being recommended to book in advance via the website:www.nm-cinemas.co.uk.”