Whilst most cinemas were worried about keeping their doors open during the pandemic, one resilient picture opened for the first time during Covid-19. 

The Ritz Cinema, located on the top floor of John Peel House in Workington, opened part-way through the pandemic in October 2021, and has remained open ever since. 

Manager Martin Harvey, who also runs The Gaeity in Whitehaven, said it was "great start" to be able to open the new 3-screen cinema in time for the latest James Bond flick. 

"It was a risk for us to open when the circumstances were unstable, but we have been thrilled with the support and response we have had since opening," he said. 

The Ritz prides itself on a comfortable and modern cinematic experience, of which Martin has been "blown away" by the feedback received so far. 

"The feedback from our customers has been so positive, and we’re glad to know that the cinema is as comfortable and inviting as we set out for it to be.

"One of the things we enjoy hearing the most is some of the best seats in the house are the front row, not many cinemas can say that," he said. 

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The cinema, owned by family-run business Graves Ltd, are looking forward to bringing the next big blockbusters to the screen, including Sonic the Hedgehog and Morbius over the coming weeks. 

"If there’s anything you’d like to see then we’re always happy to hear from our customers as we want to put on the shows you want.  

"To help reward our customers for their support of our business; we have just launched our own loyalty card scheme. The loyalty card scheme works by rewarding our customers with points on cinema tickets, that they can then use to claim free food and drink from our kiosk," Martin added.