Worthing’s Dome Cinema, a Grade II* listed architectural treasure, has just completed a dramatic transformation that makes it a poster child for the future of independent cinema. With plush new screens, improved accessibility, and a bold embrace of both tradition and technology, the Dome represents what’s possible when cinemas invest not just in seats and screens, but in community, character and the long view.
As audiences return with cautious optimism—buoyed by recent smash hits like Wicked, A Minecraft Movie and Sinners its venues like the Dome that are helping redefine the new normal for UK cinema.
A Century in the Spotlight
First opened on April 15, 1911, as The Kursaal, the Dome was originally a multi-purpose venue with roller skating, live music, and fine dining. Just months later, in October, a small upstairs cinema opened to show silent films—often accompanied by its flamboyant owner Carl Seebold on piano. Worthing had entered the motion picture age, and the town never looked back.
Yet the Dome’s journey has not always been smooth. In the post-war decades, the building fell into disrepair. By the 1980s, it was teetering on the edge of demolition. It took a combination of community passion, campaign efforts, and eventually lottery and heritage funding to secure its survival. In 2005, after a significant restoration, the Dome reopened fully—its original features lovingly preserved, its purpose reignited.
I had the privilege of working alongside Belle Stennett on that relaunch many years ago, helping to tell the story of a building that means so much to Worthing. To see the Dome now, once again making headlines with bold investment, is deeply gratifying.
2025: The Year of the Dome’s Reinvention
This year marks one of the most ambitious upgrades in the cinema’s 114-year history. As of spring 2025, the Dome now boasts four state-of-the-art auditoriums, including a brand-new screen created in a former function room. Now featuring plush sofa-style seats, tables at armrest levels and cutting-edge laser projection it’s not just a feast for the eyes, but for the whole body.
Screen 1, the grand dame of the building, received a 4K laser projector in January and now sports a larger screen, with new curtains and traditional tabs enhancing the theatrical atmosphere. Screen 3 has been transformed into an intimate, luxury space with 64 premium seats and Dolby 7.1 surround sound. The new auditorium—now Screen 4—brings an additional 57 seats into the fold, each crafted for maximum comfort.
Even the foyer toilets have had a makeover—a nod to the idea that in today’s experience-driven world, every detail matters.
“Our goal was simple,” a Dome spokesperson told me. “To offer a cinema experience worthy of our building’s legacy—comfortable, accessible, and unforgettable. It’s not about competing with the big chains. It’s about doing things the Dome way: community-first and cinema-forward.”
UK Cinema: Up in Admissions, Down in Price
The Dome’s reinvention comes at a pivotal moment. According to figures from the Cinema Advertising Association, UK cinema admissions rose by 2.3% in 2024 to 126.5 million, despite a dip in average ticket prices—from £7.92 in 2023 to £7.73 in 2024. This suggests that while audiences are returning, pricing and value have become more critical than ever.
The dip in price is partially attributed to the previous year’s blockbuster bubble, where premium pricing on hits like Barbie and Oppenheimer skewed the average. Yet the broader picture is clear: audiences still crave the magic of the movies, especially when given quality content and quality surroundings.
Cinema First chair Iain Jacob summed it up best: “When great films are combined with all of the investments we have seen in the modern cinema environment, audiences follow their passion for a fantastic trip out.”
That quote could just as easily describe the Dome’s philosophy.
The Local Cinema’s New Role
More than ever, local cinemas must function as more than screening venues. They are community anchors, cultural hubs, and sanctuaries for shared experience in a time of digital isolation.
The Dome understands this intrinsically. It has diversified its programming to reflect the community it serves: mainstream blockbusters, British indies, live-streamed theatre and opera, children’s events, and even accessible screenings for people with autism and sensory sensitivities. Its new layout supports social cinema—with seating designed for couples, families and friends to chat pre-show, relax with drinks, and experience film as an occasion again.
It’s a model that other independents are watching with interest.
“We believe in cinema as an event,” said the spokesperson. “But it has to be more than popcorn and posters. It’s the lighting, the acoustics, the welcome. It’s feeling like your local cinema is something you’re proud to show off to friends. We want people to fall in love with going to the movies again.”
Learning from the Past, Building for the Future
Part of what makes the Dome’s revival so compelling is its understanding of history—not just in the bricks and stained glass, but in the way the cinema adapts.
During the COVID pandemic, the Dome—like every other cinema in the UK—was forced to close for months at a time. Some thought it might not survive. Yet it did what many others couldn’t: it used the quiet months to plan ahead, envisioning a stronger, more versatile cinema for the post-pandemic world.
The 2025 upgrades are not reactive—they are the result of long-term thinking. The cinema’s leadership recognised that today’s audience expects more than a film. They want comfort, technology, atmosphere and, crucially, a sense of being valued.
This is especially important in towns like Worthing, where the community’s identity is tied closely to its cultural institutions. The Dome is not just a place to watch Inside Out 2 or Wicked—it’s a place where locals come together, celebrate their history, and dream about the future.
A Model for UK Independents?
While larger cinema chains like Odeon, Cineworld, and Vue have faced turbulence in recent years—from spiralling lease costs to digital disruption—many independents are finding their own path through creativity and reinvention.
Venues like the Duke of York’s in Brighton, HOME in Manchester, and now The Dome in Worthing are proving that smaller doesn’t mean weaker. In fact, with their deep community ties and flexibility, they may be better placed to respond to shifting audience behaviours than their multiplex rivals.
Final Curtain – or Just the First Act?
What Worthing’s Dome Cinema demonstrates is that the future of cinema lies not just in content, but in context. In a beautifully restored Edwardian palace by the sea, a team of passionate locals has created something quietly radical: a cinema that honours its past, embraces its present, and plans boldly for its future.
Yes, the industry is changing. Yes, competition is fierce—from streaming giants to home entertainment systems. But for all the headlines, one thing remains constant: people still love going to the movies.
And in Worthing, thanks to the Dome, they now have more reason than ever to do just that.