Shetland Arts is delighted to announce that it will screen Madagascar 3 – Europe’s Most Wanted on its release date, 19 October, and the much anticipated new Bond film Skyfall on its release date, 26 October, at Mareel Cinema.
These are the first films that Mareel has shown on release date, having spent the first six weeks catching up on the summer blockbusters.
Head of Development, Kathy Hubbard, said: “At Mareel, we aim to offer a variety of films for all tastes. Most of the time we will show films a few weeks after their official UK release dates because this is when distributors are willing to be flexible about how many times a film shows each day. This allows us to put on five or six films a week. However, with huge films like Skyfall and Madagascar 3, which will no doubt be October-holiday favourites, the distributors insist that we show the films virtually exclusively on Screen 1 for one and sometimes two full weeks in order to get them on the release date, as is the case with all the other cinemas in the UK. The programming process is a collaboration between ourselves and City Screen, who do their very best to get us what we ask for, but ultimately, if we want a film on its release date, we have to accept the terms set by the distribution companies.”
The programme also includes regular weekly slots such as Babes in Arms screenings on Monday mornings, Senior Screenings on Wednesday afternoons, and Film Wednesdays, where you will find the best of world cinema, classic films and documentaries.
Shetland Arts is contracted with City Screen, owners of the Picturehouse chain of cinemas, to programme Mareel, liaising on the cinema’s behalf with companies like Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Disney and many more large and small film distributors.
Kathy Hubbard added: “On Monday mornings we negotiate with film distributors on which films to continue showing from the previous week, according to audience demand and box office figures from across the UK. This means that our films for Friday – Thursday go on sale on Tuesday, so please pick up our weekly listings flyer on Tuesdays, check the Mareel and Shetland Box Office’s websites, or check the Shetland Times on Friday for film times. We will also be producing a monthly information leaflet about forthcoming films, so you can get an idea of what’s coming soon.”
Jo Blair, Senior Programmer from City Screen added: “I look forward to working with Kathy and the team at Mareel in the long-term to provide a varied film programme, and also some of the key films of each year on their UK release dates. It is a pleasure to book films into such a stunning venue.”
There are many ways to book your Mareel Cinema tickets. Get them from Shetland Box Office in Mareel and/or Islesburgh Community Centre, over the phone on 01595 745 555, or online at www.mareel.org and/or www.shetlandboxoffice.org.
