City leaders give update on Sunderland's empty Empire Cinema site, with talks for new operator in 'advanced stages'

City leaders are in the “advanced stages” of agreeing a lease with a new cinema operator for Sunderland’s vacant Empire Cinemas site, it has been confirmed.

Empire Cinemas announced several cinema closures with ‘immediate effect’ in July 2023 after going into administration, a decision which left Sunderland without a multiplex cinema.

Sunderland City Council had already acquired the Sunniside Leisure building, where the cinema was based, before the national announcement from Empire Cinemas.

In recent months, the council has revealed spending proposals for the refurbishment and re-fit of the Sunniside Leisure complex.

Capital investment proposed for the 2024/25 financial year aims to bring vacant units at the leisure complex back into use, with council documents confirming the local authority was in discussion with “a number of potential tenants”.

At a council scrutiny committee in December, 2023, it was confirmed the council was “actively in dialogue with three or four potential operators” looking to take on the site and to run it as a cinema once again.

This week, Sunderland City Council’s Labour leader confirmed the council is in the “advanced stages of agreeing a lease” for a cinema operator at the site.

Although the name of the company has not been publicly announced, it is understood that this will happen in the coming months.

The update comes following a Sunderland City Council cabinet meeting on January 31, 2024, where the Sunniside Leisure complex was discussed by senior councillors.

Due to commercial sensitivity, the report was discussed during the private part of the cabinet meeting, with both the press and public being excluded.

The title of the report, published on Sunderland City Council’s website, was “letting of space at Sunniside Leisure”.

Neil Guthrie, city council development director, previously confirmed the council was looking to “sign an agreement with somebody” in early 2024 “to operate a cinema from that existing site”.

Speaking at the Economic Prosperity Scrutiny Committee on December 5, 2023, he said: “It hasn’t been absolutely straightforward because of the administration position with the existing leaseholder.

“We’re looking to terminate that lease, we have taken control of the building, we have got some viable offers on the table, but also we need to manage the existing contractual lease and do that through to termination”.

The council development boss told councillors: “The likelihood is that we will sign an agreement with somebody early in the new year to operate a cinema from that existing site.

“The plan will be that will be there certainly for the medium term”.

City council leader Cllr Graeme Miller, speaking this week, indicated that this process was moving forward, and that the council hoped to share more information soon.

Cllr Miller added: “The council has been proactive in seeking a new cinema operator since Empire collapsed last year, and we are in the advanced stages of agreeing a lease, that we hope to be able to share more about soon.”