An alliance of cinema-goers, film writers and local artists have united to condemn the Competition Commission’s provisional decision to request Cineworld, the new owners of the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse, to sell or close one of its cinemas in the city.

Last year’s acquisition by Cineworld PLC of City Screen Ltd, the company behind the Picturehouse cinema chain, was recently referred to the Commission. Their provisional report found that ticket prices were at risk of rising as a direct result of the buyout in three locations across the UK: Aberdeen, Bury St Edmunds and Cambridge. Their reasoning was that cinemas tend to set prices in line with local competitors, and that audiences between the cinemas were shared to a significant degree.

A large group of Picturehouse supporters have come together to expose these findings as fundamentally flawed. The Commission’s report has unfairly ignored the following facts:

The Picturehouse and Cineworld cinemas have strikingly different programmes and settings, making them very different propositions with only minor audience overlap (which was the reason cited by Cineworld for purchasing the Picturehouse chain in the first place)

The Cambridge Arts Picturehouse is home to an array of in-house skills and screen technology (like the much-valued ability to run 70mm screenings), the likes of which are almost impossible to access outside of London

The Arts Picturehouse hosts renowned events like the Cambridge Film Festival, is the base for long-term community projects like the Cambridge Film Consortium, and stages other cultural events such as exhibitions, school activities and film education

There are many audience members who, if deprived of the quieter ambience of the Picturehouses under threat, would simply stop going to the cinema altogether – this is especially true of older audience members

Local independent competition still exists in the form of the VUE cinema in Cambridge’s The Grafton shopping centre

The social atmosphere engendered at all three Picturehouses under threat, from the welcoming and knowledgeable staff to the variety of food and drink available in the bar, is one that would irrevocably disappear under new management

An online petition has been set up at Change.org to demonstrate the strength of support for the endangered Picturehouse cinemas, rapidly attracting over 500 signatures within 24 hours of being launched. Details of the campaign’s arguments against the decision can be found there.

Supporters are also urged to write directly to the Competition Commission with their concerns. The deadline for responses is Tuesday 10 September 2013.

High profile supporters of the campaign to keep the Arts Picturehouse open include Cambridge’s MP, Julian Huppert, and Cambridge City Council.

Toby Miller, host of the ‘Bums on Seats’ film review show on Cambridge 105, said:

“The Arts Picturehouse is the beating heart of film in Cambridge. It provides a completely different experience to the two major multiplexes in the city, by offering something to all those who want more than just another Hollywood blockbuster. The range and depth of screenings and events hosted there is second to none in the region, and its loss would be a devastating blow to Cambridge’s cultural landscape. The risks involved in losing the Arts Picturehouse far outweigh any possible benefits connected to ticket prices. We urge the Competition Commission to reconsider its decision or to seek an alternative to the forced sell-off.”

Also supporting the campaign is TAKE ONE, the official review magazine of the Cambridge Film Festival, and local blogger Mark Liversidge, whose detailed analysis of the financial arguments in the report can be found on his website The Movie Evangelist.

Notes for editors

1. Any interested party is invited to respond to the Competition Commission’s provisional findings, in writing, by no later than Tuesday 10 September 2013. To submit evidence, please email: [email protected] or write to:
Inquiry Manager
Cineworld/City Screen merger
Competition Commission
Victoria House
Southampton Row
LONDON
WC1B 4AD

2. Further information about the campaign to support the Picturehouses can be requested by contacting TAKE ONE at: [email protected]

3. MP Julian Huppert’s letter to the Competition Commission can be found on his website (http://julianhuppert.org.uk/)