Vue Cinema Nottingham — Attraction in Nottingham

I went to Vue on opening day and I was excited to visit after Cineworld closed, and the marketing around the new and improved screens and 'VIP' seats raised expectations. It's also very useful to be able to get a refund for your tickets if you buy them online - and they're cheaper online too. The interior looks a lot more modern than before with a few more food and drink options (although they STILL do not have milk to make ice cream milkshakes - they had the exact same problem when it was a Cineworld!), and they've put in a seating area with enough room for prams and wheelchairs. However, overall, that's where the improvements stop in my opinion.

In light of people using streaming services more, they've chosen to reduce the number of seats and improve them, making it more spacious than before. The 'VIP' seats they were referring to are faux-leather seats with a recliner. I think it's a nice touch, but its a manual recliner so you have to physically recline your body to lay back and since it doesn't lock into place and there isn't a foot rest, it's feels awkward to use. The seats have a strange curve that works well if you recline, but if you choose to sit upright, it's very uncomfortable. Overall, the seats seem worse and to be honest, it was difficult to sit throughout the whole film as I kept having to shift my position to be more comfortable.

The screen doesn't look much better, despite the laser projection, and the room itself was very warm (but this could be due to the heat).

Overall, I think I'll go back to the Arc in Beeston instead of coming back here again anytime soon as it's a much better experience for a similar price.

Edit: As an able bodied, relatively tall and relatively young person in good health, I found the seats very uncomfortable to use. If you have any accessibility requests, no matter how small (even if it's your height or age), I would sincerely advice not to visit this cinema, but of course you can read other reviews and have a think about it for yourself.

With the school holidays here as well, to parents of children and young people who are neurodivergent, I think the seats might be a bit too distracting for them and may even misuse them. But on the plus side, with a bit of strength, they could rock back and forth in the seat if your young person would find that soothing.

After considering these accessibility needs, I have since lowered my rating. It's very disappointing that this our new flagship City Centre cinema yet has so many issues that seemed to be overlooked and isn't accessible for various communities. I don't think they'll be here as long as Cineworld,...

Elio 5/7/25 10:50am Screen 6

We were excited for this new cinema to open, but it was a bit of a let down on our first visit today. They're definitely still working through some teething issues after opening not too long ago. But the issues were the most basic things you expect of a cinema, so first impressions weren't great. The lights were set far too bright in there, to the point where we could barely see the trailers. It made the screen look washed out, like there was no colour or detail. I get that the lights need to be up while people take their seats, but they were blinding, they need to be turned down. Then the film started, but the lights were still on. We all waited a few minutes for them to be switched off, but we couldn't actually see the film well enough, so in the end I had to miss the first few minutes of it to go and ask someone to turn them off. Annoying! A few people left not long into the film, and I think it was just too hot in there for some people. I'd read a Nottingham Post article earlier in the week about the air conditioning not working in a lot of the screens, with people having to just leave, so I'm guessing it's still not been fixed. It was uncomfortably hot, no air flow. The seats are comfy and a big upgrade from the horrible flip-up seats that were there before, but the back of the seat doesn't lock in place, it reclines as you sit back into it, whether you want it to or not. So if I want to sit upright, I can't really, which wasn't always comfortable. Honestly it makes me want to go slightly out of the way and go to Showcase next time, where the reclining seats have controls. Probably won't go back to Vue for at least a few months to give them chance to sort these issues out. The non-existent air con in particular was a...

2 stars (below average) on the balance of good facilities but poor service.

Cineworld must sort out its website. On the last 2 bookings made, it crashed multiple times during the booking process. The first took 4 attempts to reach payment and the second took 3 attempts to reach payment. It feels near unusable and the frustration deters me from trying again.

The movies themselves were fantastic. The facilities delivered on this for the quality of sound and picture that felt immersive and awe inspiring. The seats weren't the comfiest but not terrible either. Staff were all friendly, and I can take it or leave it with the overpriced food - and I left it.

On the second booking, however, I was notified 2 hours before the showing that the movie had been cancelled and I would receive a refund. This was due to unforeseen circumstances, although I wonder whether it had anything to do with just 2 other seats booked at the time of booking… This was disappointing because not only was I looking forward to the movie, but I also had it planned around a meal booked. It also left a bitter taste to be informed a mere 2 hours before the showing. Fortunately, Broadway Cinema in Hockley had availability (just) to save our movie, but the late booking also meant a later showing which led to us being late for the meal and having our table given away. Thankfully, the restaurant was understanding of our situation and ensured our night wasn't ruined. Cineworld also never did send that refund…

After this, I will be reluctant to use Cineworld in the future. It's a shame as the venue has high value screens/sound but with the website glitches, last minute cancellation and no refund, I would rather go somewhere...