“Smallest cinema in Europe” to be the first in Ilkley for 40 years

ILKLEY last night saw the opening of its first cinema in 40 years.

The former site of nightclub Il Trovatore on Leeds Road opened with a showing of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner: The Final Cut.

The cinema will also show the James Bond film Spectre, Michael Fassbender in Macbeth, Everest and Minions for the kids.

The last cinema the town had was the Essoldo, which was closed and demolished in the 1960s.

The Ilkley Cinema will show 30 screenings a week at its 57-seater site.

It will be the smallest 4k (4,000 pixel resolution) cinema in Europe according to cinema, usurping the 68-seater Cinema dei Piccoli in Rome which held the title previously.

The cinema’s projection equipment is Ultra HD 4K provided by Sony. The site has full air-conditioning, a bar lounge and an auditorium.