The Plaza opened in February 1936 with a seating capacity of 1,176 in stalls and circle. It was designed in an art deco style by noted Bristol based cinema architect William Henry Watkins.

 

WTW Cinemas acquired the freehold of the premises in May 1997 and conducted an extensive reconstruction and refurbishment of the building. The modernisation programme enabled The Plaza to open on 10th July 1998, with patrons showing their approval with attendance levels exceeding expectations.

 

In recent years the Plaza has received the RAAM UK Independent Cinema Of The Year for 2006 and was runner up in 2009.

In 2013 the technical team were voted UK Technical Team Of The Year by the BKSTS and certificates were presented to the team at a prestigious award ceremony at the London headquarters of Dolby Studios.

As recently as May 2014, The Plaza received the Best Cinema Award at the What’s On Cornwall Awards Ceremony at the Eden Project, voted for by readers of ‘The West Briton’, ‘Cornishman’ and ‘Cornish Guardian’ newspapers.

 

The Cinema currently has four screens, all of which offer state of the art sound and vision equipment. All screens have wheelchair access, screens one and four are on the first floor, accessible via a platform lift (weight limit applies), and screens two and three are on the ground floor.  Hearing loop systems are also available and subtitled screenings are also shown (for both check with the cinema for details). All screens are fully air conditioned.

 

A licensed bar off the foyer also enables drinks to be taken to the seats.

All screens are now equipped with Digital NEC projection, and full Dolby Stereo Surround Sound. Screen 1 has 7.1 Dolby Stereo whilst screen two has the capability to show 3D movies through the Real D 3D projection system. Screen 2 also has a 35mm projector, enabling the cinema to show 35mm presentations.

 

In January 2013 The Plaza commenced live satellite transmissions of theatrical shows, concerts, opera and ballet. These have proved very popular enabling Cornish audiences to see shows from The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, The National Theatre in London, Bolshoi Ballet, The Globe Theatre and many more in the comfort of the Plaza without having to traval long distances. Up to date details of live transmissions can be found on the ‘What’s On’ page of the website. In 2014 The Royal Opera House announced that The Plaza is in the top ten best attended independent cinemas in the UK for their live transmissions.  

 

Film critic Mark Kermode is a regular visitor to the Plaza and holds an obvious affection for the cinema. He regularly hosts 35mm screenings at The Plaza.

The Plaza continues to host many regional premieres and organises a series of specialised series of programmes under the ‘Sundays at 8’ banner (during the autumn, winter & spring seasons).

In 2015 The Plaza has also played host to the premiere of Poldark including live transmission on BBC Spotlight and a Q&A with the stars and director of the show. 

The cinema has also hosted the Roughcut 90 Second Film Challenge in association with O-Region and Dogbite Studios, giving local film-makers the opportunity to see their films on the big screen.

For the recent film listing, click here

Ticket Description
Adult (15+yrs) - £7.80
Child (3-14yrs) - £5.70

Senior (65+ years) - £5.70

All Seats After 7pm £7.80
3D Glasses - £1 Buy Once > Keep > Reuse

Monday Saver Tickets - All Seats on Mondays £5

Family Ticket (2 Adults & 2 Children or 1 Adult & 3 Children) (Before 7pm£23.50

Live or as live performances may vary in price

Customer Notice - Children under 3 years not admitted, except for parent/baby specific performances.

For all age restricted films (12A, 15 and 18 certificates) at WTW Cinemas, photographic indentification and proof of age may be requested. Failure to produce such photographic identification and proof of age will result in NO ENTRY. Photographic proof of age cards can be obtained from www.citizencard.com