A cinema chain has confirmed the sudden closure of its Slough branch just days after the public noticed the phasing out of film screenings.

At 11:20pm last night (Thursday, December 8) Empire Cinema Slough took to its social media to post a cinema closure notice - which is to shut with immediate effect.

The notice makes reference to British Land's redevelopment of Slough Central, which will see the western side of Queensmere Shopping Centre closed from January 2023 as the works get underway.

Many shops and restaurants in the area have already shut down or relocated amid the uncertainty.

Empire Cinema Slough has said: "Clearly, as these works progress around the cinema, trading will become increasingly difficult.

"As a result, and after careful consideration of these factors, and particularly the reduced footfall in the town centre they will cause, Empire Cinemas have taken the decision to close the cinema and will review its own cinema redevelopment.

"We would like to thank all customers past & present for their support over the years."

Slough Observer:

The full notice can be seen on the cinema's website and Empire Cinema Slough's Facebook account.

Rumours of the closure had been rumbling online after an Instagram post from @sloughofficial_ was made public on Wednesday night.

It showed an anonymous messenger saying 'Slough Empire Cinema is apparently closing on Thursday'.

In response, one commenter said 'it's bad news, definitely miss going to cinemas' and another said, 'what's Slough got left?'

What do you think about the sudden closure of the Slough cinema? Let us know in the comments or email your thoughts over to daisy.waites@newsquest.co.uk