An independent cinema, music and events centre is due to open in Reading’s Broad Street Mall this summer.
Really Local Group has signed a deal with Moorgarth, owner of Broad Street Mall, to transform a 14,000sq ft space in the centre to provide a platform for Reading’s established creative communities in art, film and music.
Really Local Group will repurpose the ground and first-floor unit of the former Argos store to provide a four-screen cinema. In addition, the new space will include food kiosks, outdoor terrace seating area and a café bar run by Compound Coffee, their first venture outside London.
The design, by Lyttelton. Yates, uses a bold colour scheme to create a sense of uniformity and symmetry throughout the venue. Both the floorings and walls of the food kiosks, terrace seating area, private hire room and the cinema lobby will be a sage green in tribute to Reading’s colour palate and to unify the neighbouring spaces. The entrance, café and the outdoor seating area on the upper level will be in a vibrant yellow to draw footfall to its warm and welcoming aesthetic, while the carpets, walls and seats in the cinema screening rooms will be a saturated blue.
All of the film and events programming will be carried out in house by a venue team based in Reading and will be a mix of art house, event cinema, locally produced material alongside more mainstream films.