Growing up in Sunderland: Remembering Sunderland's lost cinemas - from The Roker to The Cora

After the sudden closure of Sunderland’s Empire Cinema in July 2023, the city centre was left without a single film theatre.

Reporter Tony Gillan takes us through a lost era when Wearside was full of picture houses – from The Regal and The Roker to The Cora and all the others inbetween – for a new short film from the Sunderland Echo.

Going to the pictures was a popular pastime on Wearside and across the North East. Do you remember which cinema you would always visit with your family, and the first film you went to see there?

Well, grab your ice cream and popcorn to settle in for a trip down memory lane.

Watch Sunderland’s Lost Cinemas Remembered in full on Shots! TV here. And if you want to enjoy even more from Wearside Echoes, join our Facebook community here for memories, pictures and stories from Sunderland’s past.