Cineworld

Quite rude staff here I’ve found. They do not advertise that if you don’t have an expiry date on your student card that it isn’t valid, so I ended up having to re-​queue in a long refreshment queue the last time we went. Lots of parking and other entertainments to do if you’re waiting for the start of a film, so it could be worse!

Competed to my last Cinema experience at Manchester Printworks, Cineworld felt like a gleaming civilised gem, warm welcome, easy booking, clean studios and plenty of well kept on site amenities including an OK priced bar. Being able to relax with your favourite tipple on your big screen adventure is a real treat. It has a down side though — £9.90 to see a film on a Sunday afternoon is a bit of a blow to the funny bone. It will certainly make me check out its competitors more of future occasions. Home could end up winning hands down.

My favourite cinema, and it isn’t even particularly local. The best thing about the place is the Unlimited card — I’ve had mine so long I can’t even remember the cost anymore but I think it’s around £16 per month for unlimited films. Plenty of screens so there’s always something to see too! The concessions could do with some better options (I know this makes me sound like a loser but I honestly think cinemas would make a killing offering some slightly healthier options!) but for an ice cream blow-​out the Baskin Robbins counter is pretty awesome. Lovely staff too, happy to recommend (or even dissuade) movie choices!

I would give Cineworld more stars if they just managed not to get things so wrong from time to time. I keep coming back out of convenance rather than it been my chosen place to go. The last time (Star wars) was okayish but the film at the beginning was ever so slightly out of focus (it was put right once I got up and complained). The time before that (Mockingjay) they had cancelled the showing, I had booked online and was pretty annoyed although they did sort us out to my satisfaction by refunding us and offering us a free film (Bridge of Spies).
I always find it hard to review a service like watching a film, as all you really want is a quiet, clean space and somewhere comfortable to sit (I don’t tend to pay for the over priced food). However if I had my choice of cinema I guess I miss old independent ones (although we do have Home Mcr) it is not the same, I miss the sense of occasion I used to get when I visited the ‘Everyman Cinema with my grandma was I was a kid in Hampstead.
I live in hope of seeing some of the classics on a big screen once more, but suspect that will have to wait for me to hire a screen one of these days, I have to say I will never forget seeing the Ealing comedies on the big screen, for now I will just have to express my disappointment at the larger companies and their complete lack of community feel and sticky floors.

Decent cinema, made much better when you get an unlimited card. Would definitely recommend to a friend, very handy that you can bypass the downstairs queues and just buy tickets at the food/​drink counters or at the bar.
Looks much better now that downstairs has been renovated and has a coffee shop in. Sometimes I’d rather just have a brew, rather than fizzy drink and popcorn!
Staff are dead friendly too

Not the best cinema I’ve been too: it feels like it needs a bit of change, newness, renovation: sits are not comfortable (compared to what is offered nowadays) and screens and sound are not crazy, but I did not have a bad time there: the place is good, nevertheless, it could be better ;)

Omg, it was so warm in the cinema tonight!
Seriously!!! I paid £9.20 and the place was nearly fully booked and absurdly it was so humid indoors. I didn’t really enjoy watching the movie tonight since I was feeling so hot.
However, the seats were comfy and lots of leg space.
Won’t come again though!

Not a bad cinema. Usual range of the latest releases plus special live opera and theatre nights relayed from a stage somewhere. They’ve changed to Baskin Robbins ice-​cream range now which is a shame as Ben and Jerry’s was much nicer. You can get a cineworld card for £16.40 a month which if you go twice a month on weeknights or a weekend would be worth it. Costs nearly a tenner for an adult ticket otherwise. Comfy cinema seats and clean toilets. Parking is free but hard to find at busier times. It’s also easy to get here by bus or tram with the stops a couple of minutes away.
There’s also a tesco close by which could be handy. Plus the usual Nandos, Bella Italia etc chain restaurants and a bowling alley with lots of video games. Also a casino where you can get a 2 course meal and a cinema ticket for £12.95 on a Sunday or Thursday night. I done this and it was pretty good, although you have to bring a passport to join up with the casino.

Now I wouldn’t call myself a lazy man, but I definitely am a fan of convenience.
Living in South Manchester, I’m spoilt for choice in the fact that Stockport Cineworld cinema is only 15 minutes walk away, or I can jump in the car and drive to Didsbury in the same amount of time and get to an 11 screen cinema over Stockports which although has only 1 less screen is definitely more of a «local cinema» with less screenings of the big movies and less special events.
I’ve always found Cineworld to be a great chain and like the fact that I can book online and save 10%, plus the lobby doesn’t sting you too much for ice cream and drinks, while my wife can never go past the pick n mix without filling up a carrier bag sized bunch of treats.
So Cineworld Didsbury is definitely more multiplex cinema and I like the fact that I have both options on more doorstep — I’d also definitely recommend downloading their location based app which makes it really easy to choose what to see when home and away.

Quite a way down from the centre of Manchester, pretty average cinema usually full of students or occasionally dead, ridiculously priced snacks and pretty sluggish ticket office. Yet definitely a good day out to come here to watch your favourite film.

Back in the day, a couple of years ago, I broke my knee. I’ll be honest, after six weeks cooped up on a sofa having to hop around an apartment on crutches and inform your nearest and dearest when you want a cup of tea (to be fair to my mother, she offered them every five minutes, so I had no need to bug), the outside world seems a little scary. You’ve been told you can walk, but you’re not quite strong enough to yet. You still feel fragile. One dodgy look from one wayward-​looking person can send you into a blind panic with the vulnerability that the clinging to the crutches brings.
If none of this makes any sense, this was after my skiing accident, which I’ve mentioned before in my Unilocaling history.
So, where to go and celebrate the fact that your leg is healed but still feeling shaky? Somewhere enclosed, somewhere you can sit down for prolonged periods of time, somewhere with entertainment and cuddles from the person next to you. Maybe you know them, maybe you don’t. It’s probably better if you do, though. A cinema it was, to see Watchmen, and to get me out of the house. Didsbury was the perfect option because we could park nearby enabling me to hobble towards the vast entertainment complex without too many problems.
I felt pretty darn safe here, considering my invalid disposition. I even spotted someone else on crutches although this isn’t too rare just after the ski season. Everything was easy to navigate, it was bright and colourful, clean as a whistle, and more than anything it felt less like the sleek Odeons and AMCs and more like the Showcase cinemas my father used to take me to when I was little. It was tacky, but in a really good way. And more than anything, it just felt so good to be out. But what else do you get? Oh yes, you get Ben and Jerry’s SCOOPED ice cream. Not the rubbishy little tubs, nope. Scoops. So that sold it to me. Since then I’ve followed in the footsteps of my film buff other half and got myself a Cineworld card at a mere £15 a month, meaning you can go as many times as you like and not have to pay for tickets. I mean, the thing pays for itself after two goes. The prime location on Wilmslow Road and surrounding entertainment such as bowling and utterly perfect chain restaurants for kids make it a great place to take the family and keep them occupied and well fed for the afternoon. Bowling… now THAT’S something I haven’t done in years. Parrs Wood, I’ll be gracing you with my presence regularly…

Fairly average cinema… it stinks and it’s uncomfortable. This one has lots of scallies in it.

This is at once one of the most expensive and one of the least expensive cinemas in Manchester. How I hear you ask? What is this witchcraft of which you speak? The answer is simple enough, if you just visit for a one off evening showing then you are going to pay almost £7 for a ticket, which if you are seeing an Eddie Murphy comedy is about £7 a laugh. If you happen to be a student visiting between Monday and Thursday and you print a 2-​for-​1 voucher from online savings website Student Beans (
) then you’ll be paying about £2.65 each. And if you buy a monthly ‘unlimited card’ for £13.50 then you can see as many films as you want in a month (at any cineworld branch, except the big London ones) which means that if you saw two films a week you’d be paying about £1.60 a visit. Brilliant.
Warning — they have assigned seating here which just seems irritating.

As far as monster multiplexes go, this isn’t too bad! There are loads of screens, including an IMAX, so there’s nearly always something on that you want to see. Unfortunately, though, you might struggle to find independent and arthouse films here unless they’re a ‘bigger’ title.
The sheer volume of film screenings isn’t the only good thing about this place. It’s also very accessible, with a bus stop right outside and a huge car park behind it. So whether you’re driving or at the mercy of public transport, getting to or from it is no problem.
However, there are loads of things that annoy me about Cineworld, too! Firstly, the prices are ridiculously high, especially if you’re going to see a 3D film. They also have quite a strict policy against bringing your own food and drink in. And I know they enforce it, as I’ve seen ushers searching people’s bags and confiscating stuff! Finally, the place is always rammed, often with children and teenagers. So you might have to face a huge queue, particularly on Orange Wednesdays, and you may struggle to find a screening that’s quiet!

Parrs Wood Cineworld is your classic suburban huge cinema studio situated in a complex that includes the likes of Pizza Hut, Chiquito’s, Burger King and Nando’s. It’s the kind of place you go to and hang out when you’re too young to go to the pub.
They’ve got loads of screens showing all he biggest mainstream blockbusters and kids films several times a day, and you can even see films in 3D. If you want to see something, you can basically guarantee it’ll be on here. As well as the standard popcorn and fizzy drinks shop, its also got a full bar so you can have a beer or a glass of wine before your film if you so desire. If you do this, you will probably have to leave the film to go to the toilet, and miss the crucial moment of the film. Still, its nice to have the option.
Its really more of a family cinema experience, and its in any way arty or cultured. On Saturday mornings kids can see films for a mere quid. If you’re going on a date though, I recommend staying away from the noisy youths and going for The Cornerhouse instead.

I do love me some Cineworld. I don’t go there that often, as Parr’s Wood is not exactly local to me, but I’ve never had a bad experience there. Since it is out of the way, like Becca points out, the queues are shorter, the atmosphere more relaxed, and there’s a delicious absence of bell-​ends clogging the place up.
The prices are good, there’s a Tesco nearby which saves you from getting fleeced by the exorbitantly priced confectionery, and the screens themselves are great. The place is also kept clean and tidy seemingly all the time, which just adds to the charm.
If you live in Fallowfield, Withington or Didsbury, it’s a much better choice than the Odeon or AMC in town, but people, especially students, don’t seem to realise it exists a lot of the time. Which is a pity, but then again, if they did, they it may well lose a lot of the peaceful charm it has.

I like this cinema very much. It is outside Manchester so less busy compared with Printwork and the cinema is very neat. You probably can see the same films as the one in city centre.
It is more family friendly and venue is much cleaner.
Only downside is I heard it is a bit expensive compared with other cinemas. But if you want to watch neat and nice atmosphere venue, it is good place to watch!

So, what if you live in Withington or Didsbury and fancy a film, but can’t be bothered navigating the city centre and the Printworks? Well, dear pilgrim, wonder no more. Instead, hop on the number ¹⁴²⁄₄₂ bus and you’ll be there momentarily. And once you get there, bask in the peace and tranquillity of the out-​of-​town entertainment complex. Chain restaurants! Bingo! Bowling! And of course, Cineworld.
I’ve only been to this cinema a couple of times, but each time have been struck by the clean and tidy surroundings and the efficient layout. It’s a far cry from the Odeon, which annoys me with its confusing numbers and uppy downy stairs and whatnot. Cineworld is an oasis of calm compared to the Odeon, with a pretty good bar to boot, which is always useful if you’re a bit early for your showing (or like me, you’ve arrived too late for your showing and now have 45 minutes to wait til the next one) and fancy a nice cold pint. The other refreshments are as you’d expect. Ice cream and popcorn and fizzy pop and pick ‘n’ mix. All horrendously overpriced and totally unnecessary because you just ate, remember. But that’s what the cinema’s all about, so load up with an armful of fake nachos and fake cheese and prepare to munch your way through whatever blockbuster or other you’re seeing.
The auditoriums are great. The seats are comfy and well spaced, and they must do a lot of in-​between-​screenings cleaning, because I was really struck by the tidiness (again). In terms of picture and sound quality, all was well. I guess the only big negative about my visit was the film, Watchmen. But that’s less down to Cineworld, and more down to Zack Snyder, so I’ll take it up with him when I’m next in LA.
For a city centre dweller, there’s no need to go to Parr’s Wood, but for all of those in studentland who’d rather not make such a trek, it’s a great alternative. The queues are usually smaller than those in the city centre and there’s a mahoosive 24 hour Tesco nearby, so you can kill two birds with one stone and get some shopping in after your film (I wouldn’t recommend you do this beforehand, as you’ll look like when Mark took his shopping to the party in Peep Show.) Alternatively, there’s a Lazer Quest, if you fancy pretending to be a space-​age warrior…

Cineworld is in an ideal position within Paars wood as it is nextdoor to a variety of eating places as well as bowling lanes which makes it the ideal place to visit for a childs birthday, or just for some family fun.
The cinema is slightly cheaper than ones in town, and has a slightly roomier seating. Theres a lot of screens there, and Ive found they will often play films for slightly longer than other ones in the area — ideal for when you think you may have missed a film.
Staff have always been friendly, but as I feel is typical with cinema reviews now, I would always reccomend taking your own sweets and snacks as the prices are still sky high. The cinema also takes parts in a lot of offers, so make sure to have a good search online to see if they have any cheap tickets available before you attend.

The best thing about Cineworld cinemas is the unlimited card which makes going to the cinema free (well, for a monthly charge of course). In these cash strapped times you can get your money back after 2 trips (well, one and a half to be precise). Beware of buying food though, the costs are as astronomical as any other cinema and would immediately defeat the money-​saving point of the card. The cinema sits next to an array of eating out places so you have a good range to chose from for any pre-​film bites to eat. The car park is big, and although is often full (particularly on Orange Wednesdays) it just spills over into the college parking which is a short stroll away. Very close to both bus and train stops.