Melton cinema owners celebrate 10 years at The Regal

But Jacob and Bryony Mundin have turned The Regal into a roaring success over the last decade, with many among their loyal customer base becoming friends.

And next Wednesday evening the Mundins celebrate their 10th anniversary at the Art Deco-style King Street picture house with a party based around a preview showing of the British movie, Allelujah.

Guests will be served Prosecco and canapes while Jacob plays classic film music on the piano.

Reflecting on their time at The Regal, Bryony told the Melton Times: “When we started at the cinema, Jacob and I weren’t married and now we are married with three kids so it’s been quite a journey for us over the last 10 years.

“It’s such a wonderful place to work. We’ve loved being part of the community in the heart of the town.”

The cinema has been entertaining audience since it opened back in 1934.

But prospects looked bleak for The Regal when it closed for several years due to falling attendances, prior to the Mundins taking it over.

The couple have taken an innovative approach to attracting new customers.

“We’ve learned quite a lot over the years, about the programming and what times people want to come and which films will work,” said Bryony.

“We’ve built up a really good customer base over those years.

“And we recently started adding in more special events to diversify.

“We do cream teas and breakfasts and pizza nights.

“We started adding in more accessible screenings to open the cinema up to more people.

“We’ve got baby-friendly screenings, caption screenings and relaxed screenings and they are all gaining in popularity.”

The couple have been looking back at some of the many movies they’ve run over the last decade.

Bryony said: “Philomena, with Dame Judy Dench as an Irish mother giving her child up, was incredibly busy.

“The one that’s really done it for us since Covid is Top Gun Maverick, with Tom Cruise.

“That one just ran and ran. I think we could play it now and I think it would still sell out because it was such a brilliant film and it attracted all ages.”

The biggest challenge for the Mundins was having to close for extended periods during the pandemic and then having to ensure audiences were safe when they reopened.

They described the £100,000 government funding they received during the closure as ‘a lifesaver’ for the business.

Then the delayed release of Daniel Craig’s last outing as James Bond - No Time To Die - brought audiences back in numbers.

“That James Bond film coming after Covd was brilliant for us, we so needed a boost at that time,” said Bryony.

“It brought out people who wouldn’t have come out to the cinema otherwise.”

She added: “Our cinema is more of a community than the larger multi-screen cinemas.

“We know so many of our customers and I really feel like they know us.”

Click HERE to buy tickets for the birthday event and to see upcoming films.