The lettering above the front door to the new Everyman cinema on Whiteladies Road says it all: ‘Hello Bristol. Sorry it took so long’

It’s a front door which has not been open for almost 15 years but on Friday morning swung open once again with X Men: Apocalypse the first film to be shown in screen 1 at 10am.

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“I can’t tell you how excited I am,” one new visitor told an usher on her way in. She didn’t have time to see a film on opening day but promised that she would be back soon.

It was the theme of the morning with most punters just popping their heads around the door to convince themselves that the historic Whiteladies Picture House really had reopened.

Standard adult admission is £13, with an opening programme alongside X Men of A Hologram for the King, Florence Foster Jenkins, Sing Street and Mustang.

“I’m just so glad that you’re open,” an older visitor said, taking in the opulent lobby area as the smell of popcorn began to fill the air.

Popcorn isn’t the only smell though. There was also the aroma of sanded wood as the final finishing touches were put in place, the sound of drilling occasionally interrupting the songs of Elbow, Portishead and George Ezra on the stereo.

Soon before midday, one member of staff was hard at work with a dustpan and brush. Not a piece of popcorn nor speck of dust will be able to be seen on this new floor, framed by some of the original marble columns.

It is befitting of a cinema that when it opened in 1921 was described as being “worthy of the status and traditions of Clifton”, where art and education were as important as entertainment.

Not only was it the first cinema to be built in Clifton, but it was also the first in Bristol to incorporate a restaurant, cafe and ballroom.

“We were here when it was last open,” one half of a bespectacled couple said in a fabulously plummy voice. “It looks fantastic. I hope you do well.”

Read more: The History of the Whiteladies Picture House

See our film listings for full details of films screening at Everyman and all other Bristol cinemas