Review of new Odeon cinema at Queensgate Shopping Centre in Peterborough

Film buffs can benefit from a £60 million cinema that is now open.

The new Odeon IMAX cinema opened in the Queensgate Shopping Centre, in Peterborough, on Sunday (November 17).

The cinema, which is Peterborough’s second cinema, offers residents in nearby Spalding and Stamford another venue to watch films.

We sent Katie Green along to give it a try…

As someone who has lived in the city my whole life, having a cinema that is in the centre will make life a lot easier, as the alternative always felt more awkward to get to, especially if you could not travel by car.

As you make your way to the entrance, it is two floors up, just past Puttstars. At first, you think ‘how can you fit a cinema in this part of the shopping centre?’, as it seems like it wouldn’t be big enough.

However, when you finally get to the cinema entrance, it goes further back than you would think - almost like the Tardis from Doctor Who!

Straight away you are faced with the eating, drinking and sitting area. Something that was new were self-service ticket machines, which stood out as a modern aspect of the cinema.

The area was bright and blue, in keeping with the Odeon colour scheme. The seating area to the right had a mix of stalls and tables, as well as some comfortable sofas.

This I thought was a relaxing place to wait before you head in to see your film.

Now heading to the screens, there are eight screens in the cinema. I was in screen eight to watch Venom: The Last Dance.

Screen eight did not have loads of seats in it, but this turned out to be positive as I had a good view of the screen.

The seats recline, but you have to push the back rest back physically rather than pressing a button to make the whole seat lie down. The seat was still comfortable though. A colleague of mine who visited on the same night saw beds in the room she was in but said she thought they were a little too close to the screen. There were no beds in my film room but perhaps it’s because it was a little smaller.

A nice addition was also the moving table you have in front of your seat with a cup holder so you have somewhere to place your cinema snacks.

When the film started, there was a good quality picture and the sound was at just the right level so it wasn’t too overwhelming or loud. I’d give the cinema a rating of eight out of 10 and the film itself a seven incase you’re pondering watching Venom.

Overall, the new Odeon is a great addition to Queensgate and because it’s central to the city and in the shopping centre, I think it will soon become the go-to cinema destination, for not only Peterborough residents, but Spalding and Stamford people as well.