Kettering Odeon cinema to close as site cleared for redevelopment

The blow comes days after it was confirmed Greene King’s Hobson’s Choice pub is to close this September and be bulldozed for redevelopment.

With the current demolition of two more empty restaurants on the site – Frankie & Benny’s and Mazza – speculation had been rife concerning plans for the eight-screen movie theatre.

A spokesperson for Odeon said: “We can confirm that our Kettering cinema will close in January 2025. The team at Kettering are our number one priority and we will support them in the coming months.”

One member of staff who did not wish to be named said it was ‘outrageous’ a town the size of Kettering would be losing the facility.

Staff had been told the landlord for the site had made an offer to buy Odeon out of the lease early.

The Odeon opened on the site close to Junction 9 of the A14 in 1997 with James Bond blockbuster Tomorrow Never Dies.

Kettering’s original art deco Odeon Cinema was demolished in 1974 to make way for the Newlands shopping centre development.

Hobson’s Choice pub, next to the Odeon cinema in Pegasus Court, is to shut with the loss of 29 jobs on Sunday, September 15.

As well as Hobson’s Choice, the retail area off Pytchley Road is home to a KFC restaurant and drive-thru. Last week KFC said it has ‘no plans to close’.

Movie fans will now have to travel to Corby or Rushden to watch films.