Vue is launching its 'biggest screen yet' at Salford Quayside Shopping Centre as the site undergoes a multi-million pound transformation. The cinema chain is introducing a new 'EPIC' experience, described as its 'newest and biggest screen', featuring 'cutting-edge' laser projection technology and 'next-level' 3D sound by Dolby Atmos.
According to promoters, the new technology offers 'up to six times the brightness and ten times the sound channels of a standard cinema'. The upgrade is part of a series of improvements made to the Salford Quays Vue branch.
Manager highlights best big screen experience
Darren Tinsley, General Manager at Manchester Quayside, said: "The arrival of our EPIC screen is the latest in a series of upgrades we've made to ensure we offer customers the best big screen experience possible. Great films leave a mark on you, especially when you see them where they're meant to be seen, in the cinema, with the best seat, screen, and sound experience."
The change comes as the Quayside grapples with dropping footfall. Owners Peel Retail and Leisure have started a £16m investment programme to pivot the site to 'experience-based' retail in an effort to breathe new life into the mall.
Leisure attractions and further improvements
Work has started to transform the upper floors of the riverside shopping centre into a new Hollywood Bowl ten-pin alley and an electric GoKarting track, after receiving the go-ahead on licensing and planning from Salford Council. The firm is also making further improvements to its car park and increasing accessibility.
The large investment builds on a £3.5m cash injection that brought about Kargo MKT on the ground floor in 2023. The street food market has been attracting crowds back to the shopping centre.
Councillor sees positive signs for the centre
Local councillor Jonathan Moore agreed the investments from owners and different businesses at the site were 'a good sign'. "The shopping centre has been on the decline for a really long time," he said. "In all the time I've been a councillor, it's never been particularly busy because people's shopping habits have changed and they don't want the same type of retail centres they did in the nineties. So something clearly needs to change."
"It's now becoming more of a leisure centre rather than a shopping centre, though there will still be a number of shops and the post office on the ground floor. Instead, it's becoming a place where people might go out to eat and then stay to do some activities. I think that's what's needed for it to survive."
Film lovers will be able to enjoy upcoming screenings of Resident Evil, Verity, Digger and Avengers: Endgame Encore at the newly updated screen room.
