UK's oldest working cinema closing its doors

BBC

The UK's oldest working cinema is closing its doors, the BBC understands.

The Electric Cinema, in Birmingham, which dates back to 1909, is shutting for the foreseeable future with the last the film screening listed for Thursday.

Southside Business Investment District (BID) officials have expressed "dismay" at the news of the historic property shutting.

The BBC has attempted to contact the cinema's owners.

The cinema's closure has been confirmed to the BBC, but no other details have been revealed.

Organisers of the city's Flatpack Festival, which has used the venue for 18 years, say they have been told it is not available this year, because the building's lease is coming to an end.

Tributes to the much-loved building have poured in across social media platforms.

David Baldwin posted on X: "I have complex feelings about that building related to my time there (and its former owner), but it is a significant loss to the city."

Dr Helen Ingram said: "It was extremely popular and hosted the most *amazing* events. I’m absolutely gutted."

The Electric, with an art-deco frontage, has two screens which have shown 35mm films as well as digital.

Built in a converted taxi rank in Station Street, it showed its first film on 27 December 1909 and showed silent films with piano backing.

In the 1970s, the cinema showed adult movies before moving to mainstream showings alongside art house films.

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