Odeon Cinemas

This is not really the best place to go for a normal movie as it tends to attract a lot of shitty little kids who talk and cause trouble. The Odeon also has a number of old fashioned peculiarities such as numbered seats, and the curtains closing and the lights coming up just when you think the film’s about to start. However, I must put in a good word for the Senior Screen showings at 11am on a Thursday morning. For just £3.50 you get a film, a cup of tea and up to three biscuits. Come early as they’re always busy then I’ve heard it said that it’s only the Seniors that keep this old place going. The variety of films shown is very wide, all being recent run stuff that’s on the point of coming out on dvd, but ranging from obvious candidates like The King’s Speech to (oddly) teenage fare such as anything with Owen Wilson and/​or Ben Stiller in it. You’ll notice if you go to other towns that their Odeons all have the same films at their SS showings, albeit on a different day or a different time, so clearly the schedule is decided at head office level. Val the lady in charge here though really looks after her Seniors, and even runs regular coach trips for them e.g. to the Black Country Living Museum (fabulous place!).

I love this oldie style little cinema. Much nicer than the massive newer ones in my opinion as you can properley relax and enjoy the film. Though that said it is very basic but being the cheapest cinema by far in Bristol and right in the centre it is my favourite.

Some people like the charm of these old cinemas but I just find them outdated and uncomfortable. I have visited this one three times and it isn’t the worst cinema i’ve been to, but it isn’t great. I am 5ft 11 and I find it hard to sit for long periods in this cinema without back ache. Also if you need to find your way to the door during the film, good luck. I walked straight into the end chair and nearly ended up on someones lap because it was so dark. Another bad note is the amount of scummy kids who go here because it is cheap. My advice… wait until Orange Wednesday and go to Vue or CinemaDeLux.

This is the cinema i used to go to when i was younger, it was nothing fancy up to what there is now, i can remember having to queue outside not sure if people still use it!

The Odeon is one of the first places I think of when someone says ‘Let’s go watch a film!’. In other cities, the Odeons are big and overbearing in their city centers, but this one really fits in. It certainly looks like it needs some TLC on the exterior, and interior, but weirdly, that is what I really like about it, and think that, aside from a little scrub up, they shouldn’t do anything else to the building!
The cinema rooms are huge, and can get very very warm in the summer and too cold in the winter, but that still doesn’t deter me from liking it here. It gives you the feeling like you’re a teenager again, somehow.
Prices have kept relatively quite low too, and they have various discounts if you’re a senior citizen, a student, a kid and even a family. I would say that this is the most low key, friendly, unpretentious cinema in Bristol. Thumbs up.

Normally you wouldn’t be fussed to read a review about a huge chain but the Bristol branch of Odeon Cinemas is different, not because of the facilities or members of staff, but because it is no longer the Top Dog on the cinema scene.
Before the arrival of the Showcase Cinema de Lux at Cabot Circus, this three screen cinema was the only one in town (with a central location). I rarely go there anymore but did so the other week because it had better times for a particular film than the Cinema de Large, sorry, Lux.
The reason I would recommend going is that the prices are cheap and crucially, you wont be vying for elbow space as the place is empty! I went on a Friday night around 8pm and was one of only ten, maybe fifteen people in the whole room. We got to watch a film in piece and quite and if nothing else, this might be a great place to go as a couple as you’re bound to get the whole of the back row to yourself!

Ok so it may not have great sound or picture quality, and the air conditioning is usually broken when it should on and on when it should be off, but this used to be the number one cinema in town, before that big shiny evil* Showcase De Lux came along. So we used to have use this cinema pretty much every week. Since Showcase opened they’ve had to re-​position themselves slightly, which has worked out great for us because the tickets are so much cheaper.
I hate going to busy cinemas, that’s just me, I don’t particularly enjoy sitting that close to strangers and having to listen to their opinions, so even though I had planned to see a film at Showcase last night (a Friday night), I wasn’t thrilled by the prospect. But as I was trying to book the tickets using their online service the system crashed three times, and their automated telephone robot wasn’t any help either. I got so annoyed with the response I got from their customer service team I thought well I want to give my money to the Odeon instead.
We had a really great night in the end (Despite the woman next to me trying her best to ruin the film; ‘who’s that?’ ‘What’s happening?’ ‘BLAH BLAH’…Aaaah Shut up and watch the film! See I told you I hated it.) It wasn’t over crowded at all and it’s closer to the centre of town, so closer to the bars if you want to go out afterwards
They don’t have ice though, which is slightly annoying as diet coke + warm cinema (+ rum) = warm diet coke (& rum).
*It’s not evil

A small, fairly run down old cinema, the Odeon has been here since long before the flashy new cinema at Cabot Circus. Due to the competition, the prices at this Odeon have been lowered dramatically, making it an absolute deal for a student with a love of films but little money. There are only a few staff here, and they are very friendly, though a little prone to getting mixed up with the fancy computerised till. The popcorn is very tasty, and far more reasonably priced than it is at larger, newer cinemas. The seats are passably comfortable, though sitting in Premier is slightly nicer, if a bit pricey. The technology has recently been upgraded to allow the cinema to show 3D films with glasses, but this does cost more, and to be honest I don’t see why people get so excited by this technology, as I find it makes little difference to the experience of a film, and can even give you a headache.

I have a soft spot for Odeon — it used to be the only cinema around, and now that Cinema De Lux has opened in Bristol, odeon seems to have been largely ignored by the public. It is a shame because, although the seats may not rock back or the sound system be as mind-​blowing, the Odeon does what a cinema is meant to. It shows latest releases at a very reasonable price — half the price of the Cinema de Lux for the same film. It doesn’t play 3D but for other films which you might want to see, then please give Odeon a go.

Ah Odeon… the name rings a bell somewhere far off in my memory as a child. I rarely see any of these, so I was surprised to find one when I first arrive in Bristol. I was even more surprised (and disappointed) to realise it was the only one… until recently that is. Now that Cinema De Lux has opened, the Odeon cannot be far off from closing down. Its very dated, dreary and cramped inside. I saw a film in here and the seats were so close together I felt like I was sitting on an aeroplane. The screen was also disappointingly small.
On the positive side, it offers student prices of about £3 so I have been in when I couldn’t be bothered to walk all the way to Cabot. Also, the very cheap children prices are worth it as a child probably wouldn’t care about the small seats and slightly smaller screens.

In old broadmead, just opposite one of the back entrances to the galleries, the odean is situated in between Wilkinsons and H&M. It’s a fairly small cinema, and it served Bristol for a long time before the multiplexes were built on the outskirts. It hasn’t quite managed to keep up though, and it’s badly outdated (like, until recently, its surroundings).
There’s 3 screens and a confectionary booth just after you come in, but the theatre rooms have small screens and the chairs are not comfy in comparison to their bigger rivals. It’s location must be the reason it has kept in business for so long, but the opening of the new and shiny showcase cinema at Cabot Circus will probably spell the beginning of goodbye for the Odean.

Back in the old days, when the idea of an out of town ‘multiplex’ was the stuff of a madman’s dreams, the Odeon ruled over a quaking Bristolian public with an iron fist. Now we have more than enough of the American multiscreen complexes, the Odeon has lost its way a bit.
The location is one plus, it’s now one of only two cinemas in the city centre, but the facilities are very outdated. It only has three screens and, unlike the Orpheus which has chosen to screen some more leftfield fare to distinguish itself, it continues churning out regulation Hollywood crap.
The only plus is the Saturday Kids’ Club, where an adult and a child get in for a grand total of £1 (that’s 50p each!), unlike most others where the grown up pays full whack. It’s also opposite a Tesco Metro which is handy for stocking up on cheaper, less sugary munchies.

Not as bad as the Odeon in Southampton but definitely one of the worst I’ve been to. It’s a wonder it’s still in business with so much more on offer, from the plush new Cinema de Lux to the independent Cube Cinema and the Cineworld at Hengrove or Vue at Cribbs. Where it used to have the advantage of being the only city centre cinema, it no longer has this benefit. Yes, it’s cheaper than Cinema de Lux and probably quieter but the screens are small, the chairs uncomfortable and the carpet sticky from years of popcorn and soft drink spillages. A last resort to see a film that has sold out elsewhere methinks.

This cinema has been here for a while. It is a little dated and small, however to compete with the new bigger cinemas recently opened in and around the city, they have reduced their prices which results in a much better value evening out. Not normally a massive queue, but good to book ahead for popular films as the screens have a smaller capacity compared with some other cinemas.

The cinema seems ok and i’ve been there to watch hot fuzz and in her shoes. There are only 4 screens which is a real limit to what movies they show. Not the most useful of cinemas if you don’t want to see the most popular kid’s movie or whatever is top of the box office.

Cheap and nasty place to watch your films. The cinema has about 3 screens which provide a poor view unless you sit in the overpriced premium seats. The sound doesn’t seem too good either but at least the cinema is in the centre of town and easily accessible.

Not a bad place to go, but its always swarming with kids, if you do here make sure to sit at the back, because otherwise you won’t enjoy the experience.

not the widest range of movies. but GOOD popcorn! the seats infront are so big you cant see over them! Never busy, always pretty quiet and sometimes the movies are late, doesnt always have the latest movies and not that many showings .the seats arent very comfortable and the nachos arent great. the drinks are watered down TOO MUCH! the lighting isnt great, and there is no difference with the premier seats too ordinary seats. so you just get charged extra for nothing!

this is a good place to go if you didnt plan on going to the cinema
i like it
but like vue better

The film: American Gangster. The venue: Odeon Cinema in Bristol. Situated in one of the busiest parts of Bristol’s city centre, this branch of Odeon is a small sometimes cramped cinema. It does not have the gloss of a posh cinema (where are the bottle holders in the back of screen 1?) and the stairs as the main point of access does not make the cinema a good choice for disabled patrons. Service is minimal, the pricing is inflated and the current renovation of the female toilets meant the queue was as long as American Gangster itself however the Odeon’s location saves the cinema from oblivion since it is the only central cinema.