Bad news as Sunderland's cinema reopening leaves less to moan about

This week's unalloyed good news, that Sunderland's cinema has reopened, has been met with stony silence by the elders of the city's online whinging community; for now.

Following the 2023 collapse of the Empire chain, the council acquired the premises, leased it to Omniplex and the flicks has reopened, complete with posh new seats after 10 months standing idle. Not bad going, considering.

It has created jobs, has free parking and 12 screens. We can now see the new sci-fi film Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes; anthropomorphic monkeys knacking each other. What more could you want?

Naturally, there will be grievances about perceived problems. It's too big. Too small. Too close to the sea. Wrong colour. Needs to be moved slightly to the left. Whatever.

Based on long, depressing experience, we assume there will be dissenters who won't support the cinema (or do anything for the city they claim to support).

No, they will simply have to go elsewhere because (insert name of non-existent problem/problem people imagine only exists in Sunderland).

Yet, at the time of writing, to our knowledge there is no cinema-related whining thus far.

Passionate whingers are, for now, having to simply change subjects which offer terra firma for face twisters: Holmeside, potholes, the need for more shops they would never use... A sort of moaner's methadone.

Meanwhile, we have to say customarily, most people have reacted positively to positive news.

We were taken with one particular comment on Facebook of: "I can guarantee that the same people who whinged about it closing will find something to whinge about that it's reopening." Quite.

Hurrah for Omniplex then. Just don't forget to use it citizens; along with every other business here.

Reader ‘centricity’

Meanwhile, in completely unrelated news, we think Sunderland AFC personnel might not read this column. No, really.

Last week we dealt with the endlessly amusing topic of corporate gobbledegook. So did club bods peruse it?

Following news that a new club bigwig "aims to establish greater levels of leadership and ensure a renewed commitment to fan centricity can be fully embraced throughout the club", I think we should be told.