UCI Cinema (Norwich)

This review is actually for the Odeon cinema in Norwich, as Odeon took over the UCI chain and this cinema a couple of years ago. The cinema is situated in the middle of Riverside in Norwich, near Nando's, a JD Wetherspoons, Old Orleans and next to the currently shut bowling alleys. Around ten years ago, cinemas in Norwich were quite limited. There was the old Odeon cinema in Anglia Square, which had really seen better days, and an ABC cinema in Prince of Wales Road. Today, the old Odeon cinema is run by Hollywood Cinemas, a local chain, and the ABC cinema is now Mercy nightclub. In their place are the now Odeon at Riverside, and the cinema at Castle ...  Read the complete review

A few years back we only had a couple of mainstream cinemas in Norwich, both of them were a bit old and not really that well equipped with the latest digital sound etc. With the new Riverside development we got a 14-screen UCI complex which would bring all the blockbusters as well as all the smaller releases that never even got a look in previously. Needless to say the majority of people defected to these new surrounding which left one cinema closing down and the other being vacated before being taken over by a local chain. The Norwich UCI is in a great location, in the city but not actually the centre. It sits in the riverside development amongst restaurants, ...  Read the complete review

The last time I went to the UCI in Norwich with a group of mates we were stopped at the entrance to the multi-storey car park by a man carrying out a survey. "Are you here for the Cinema?" he asked. "Yes," we said. "And where have you travelled from?" "King's Lynn." The man looked at us as if we'd just said "Singapore", before commenting "wow, that's a long trip." For those of you unfamiliar with East-Anglian geography, the journey from King's Lynn to Norwich is around 45 miles. But my friends and I make it regularly, because this Cinema is actually worth it. The UCI ...  Read the complete review

[Update]I had to change this opinion because the positions are now reversed! I prefer Ster to UCI, but mainly for reasons of convenience than anything to do with the service. The following opinion has been modified throughout. [End update] The UCI in Norwich was the cinema of choice for me and my friends for some time, mainly because Ster Century, in the middle of town, wasn't nearly as good service-wise when it opened. However, the problems have been ironed out for the most part, and because Ster is closer, we tend to go there now. To be fair, UCI was the first real multiplex in the city, and got it right from the start, but now there is little of ...  Read the complete review