Ashford Picturehouse at Elwick Place comes under new ownership

By Easter 2024 the Ashford Picturehouse at Elwick Place will come under new management. Picturehouse Cinemas will hand the six-screen cinema and restaurant to Ashford Borough Council who will operate the venue with an industry specialist.

The location will continue to give audiences in Ashford access to a great range of films and events. The council aims to continue the entertainment offer in the town centre, alongside the popular range of eating, drinking and leisure venues at Elwick Place. All staff will remain employed at the venue.

Clare Binns, Managing Director of Picturehouse Cinema says: “It’s been a pleasure to serve our customers in Ashford, and we want to thank the audiences who have visited the Picturehouse over the years. We’ve taken the hard decision to leave Elwick Place but know the cinema is in safe hands with Ashford Borough Council. We’re excited to see how they’ll grow the venue and continue to show films at this beautiful state-of-the-art cinema in the coming years.”

Cllr Noel Ovenden, Leader of Ashford Borough Council says: “We have been in discussions with Picturehouse over how we could maintain Elwick Place’s entertainment offer, and we are pleased to be able to keep the cinema operating for the benefit of our residents, wider community, town centre tenants and regular cinema goers.”

The council is stepping in to take over the day-to-day operations with an industry specialist providing expert advice and support.

We are currently in a transition period with the anticipated handover happening before Easter, however for the moment it’s very much business as usual for cinema goers.

Picturehouse Members will be contacted directly about any time remaining on their account and customers with pre-bookings will be notified about their upcoming ticket bookings.