Until now, Bournemouth has had 2 Odeon cinemas practically next to each other. Both of them were in gorgeous historic buildings full of character, but were also a bit of an inconvenience as I would always book the wrong one! That is until they made the choice to close both and open a super cinema in the new BH2 complex.
Featuring 10 screens, including an Isense one and a special kid's one. This is an experience like no other. Upon entering the cinema, you could tell they hadn't scrimped on anything. From luxury food (hand made pizza and wine- yes please!) to mix your own drinks stations and posh popcorn, there was literally something for everyone.
We were allowed to wander around the cinema and explore before getting settled to watch our film of choice (Hidden Figures). This included walking into every screen and going "oooooooooh" at the size and luxury feel of it all. Sitting on as many seats as possible and spending a good 10 minutes playing in the designated kid's screen.
The kid's screen is something special and I really think that Odeon have hit the nail on the soft play head. Whilst the screen itself has no more than 40 seats, there is a soft play area at the front near the screen. It's a common fact that most kids don't sit still, so Odeon created this screen especially for those moments. The soft play area is full of bean bags and comfy shapes for them to lounge on whilst the movie is playing, the small screen means that you won't be losing your child and it means that kids can have a great introduction to the cinema. I also think Odeon have the potential of making some sensory friendly screenings, making it truly accessible.
Once we had amused ourselves with the kids screen, we headed to our screen and had the choice of sitting where we wanted. Of course we headed straight for the super luxury seating. For an extra £2 per ticket, you can sit in one of the recliner seats. And let me tell you, it's worth the £2 spend. Whilst I can tolerate standard seating and enjoy premier seating, the recliner seating is like sinking into a comfy sofa. And as the name had already told you, the seats recline and a leg rest appears. Add that to a swing arm table, massive arm rests and a middle section that can be lifted for date night snuggles, you can feel like a home away from home in these beauties.
The film we saw was amazing, Hidden Figures is one of those movies that I couldn't wait to see and it 100% lived up to expectations and more. I love a film with some strong, powerful women and this one just knocked it out of the park. I would say that I hope it does well in the awards season, but knowing it's already outsold LaLa Land is enough for me!
The new Odeon BH2 is one that exceeded all my thoughts about it, it's made me fall in love with the cinema even more and had had me booking to see pretty much everything I want to see. Congratulations Odeon, you've ticked all the boxes.
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