The Mockingbird Cinema and Kitchen, based in the Custard Factory, will become a full-time cinema from November 18 – officially launching with the Warner Bros’ mega-release Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Following 12 months of entertaining audiences with cult favourites, from Brat-pack classics to rib-tickling horrors, The Mockingbird will now be showing the latest blockbusters straight from Hollywood.
The 100-seat cinema will typically offer four screenings a day, seven days a week, with special offers and concessions available to its customers.
Traditional cinema refreshments, like nachos, popcorn and sweets, will be available from the box office. However, for those who want to make a day or an evening out of visiting The Mockingbird, the cinema’s kitchen and bar will be open, offering a wide variety of southern American inspired food.
Popular picks from the menu include chilli-cheese fries, cuban sandwiches, pulled-pork burgers and vegan burritos. The cinema’s co-owner and chef, Anthony Duffy, has also designed a specials menu and cocktail menu that will change to compliment the films on show.
As an example, those booked in to see J.K.Rowling’s latest offering, will have the chance to dine on a ‘fantastic feast’ or search through the cinema’s library for a menu of magical cocktails.
The cinema’s owners spotted that customers loved the quirky additions of movie-related meals and themed cocktails, so they wanted to make that a key part of the cinema experience they have on offer.
He said:
We knew people wanted something a bit extra when we started putting on film nights where themed food and drinks were on offer as a tribute to what we were screening.
One of our biggest successes was hosting a sold-out screening of The Big Lebowski, where every customer got a White Russian and an In-N-Out Burger. We still get people emailing us asking if we’ll be putting on another event like it. Well we’ll be doing it permanently now.
He went on to explain that he and his fellow co-owners wanted to make The Mockingbird a destination for film and food lovers; where they could spend all afternoon and evening enjoying the cinema and bar.
James Brown, head of programming, said:
People love cinema. It’s an experience for a lot of people – to go out, maybe eat beforehand, buy snacks and enjoy a movie. We wanted to recreate and better cinema that experience with The Mockingbird and excited to disrupt the traditional market offering.
We’ve aimed to create a destination in the Custard Factory. A place where people can join us for food, films, drinks and even dancing at the weekends, when our resident DJs take over the decks to spin some soul, disco and funk.
The bar will be open from 11am to 11pm Sunday to Thursday, then from 11am till late on Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets cost £9.50 for adults and £7.50 for concessions with a special ticket offer of £5 for the 11am and 2.30pm screenings of Fantastic Beasts.