The cinema is approaching its twentieth anniversary of screenings in the Old Town High Street and, after previous closures during successive lockdowns during earlier stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, had reopened in July with reduced seating capacity in order to allow social distancing. Other health precautions, including a policy of requiring its audience to wear masks, were also kept in place, and owner Rebecca Marshall says that during October and November audiences were returning in numbers which were approaching at least a break-even financial level. But as the Omicron variant emerged to threatennew rates of infection in the run-up to Christmas, attendances collapsed.

CREDIT: Electric Palace Cinema

December was “terrible” according to Ms Marshall, and January bookings – individual and venue hire – were “at an all-time low”, almost non-existent. Although much of the staffing of the cinema is undertaken by a team of 30 unpaid volunteers, there was almost nothing coming in to cover the part-time payroll, film licences, and rent and other overheads of the building. 

Previous closures of the cinema during lockdowns were financed by grants totalling over £54,000 from two rounds of the Cultural Support Fund administered by the British Film Institute (BFI). A third round was on offer in November – the Kino cinemas in Hawkhurst and Rye received more than £111,000 each under it and the Kino-Teatr in Hastings nearly £80,000. But Ms Marshall says that, at that point of time, the cinema appeared to be on a positive financial trajectory and would not have been eligible. An application is now being made this month to the BFI’s Emergency Resource Support fund but, even if that is successful, the cash is unlikely to be forthcoming for some months.

Ms Marshall says that, if the cinema is enabled to survive the current crisis, she will be looking to change its business model to render it less dependent on day-to-day ticket sales and bar profits. Events with special guests, live music and cabaret have all been successful in the past, and she intends to aim at building a higher profile of the venue within the local community. 

• Donations can be made on www.gofundme.com/f/save-the-electric-palace-cinema-hastings