Odeon Banbury

The Regal Cinema was built for an independent operator and was designed by architects A.P. Starkey and Frederick Adkins. The Regal Cinema opened on 7th October 1940 with Ralph Richardson in "The Four Feathers". The four storey facade was built of local yellow stone. Inside the auditorium, seating was provided for 897 in stalls and circle levels.

By 1946 it was operated by Southan Morris’s chain S.M. Super Cinemas Ltd. They were taken over by the Essoldo chain in August 1954 and it was re-named Essoldo on 31st May 1956. The Classic Cinemas chain took control in 1972 and the cinema became the Classic Cinema. It was twinned, re-opening on 28th January 1973 with screen 1 in the former stalls seating 470 and screening "The Godfather". Screen 2 opened the following day with "Endless Night screening in the former circle, now seating 241. Initially the projection in this screen was via a periscope mirror system for the downstair projection box (today a new projection box has been built to serve this screen).

The Classic was re-named Cannon in 1986 when the Cannon Group took contol of Classic Cinemas, then in 1996 it became the ABC when that company took over.

Odeon Theatres took over and re-named the cinema Odeon in October 2001. Seating is now provided for 422 (+4 wheelchair spaces) in screen 1 and 225 in screen 2.

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