Europe
RAF Mildenhall movie theater reopens after 22 months
Stars and Stripes
December 30, 2021
The movie theater at RAF Mildenhall, England, reopens for base audiences Friday with a screening of the blockbuster flick “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” With a set of showings over the weekend, the theater will end a 22-month shutdown resulting from COVID-19. (Kyle Alvarez/Stars and Stripes)
RAF MILDENHALL, England — The base big screen will be showing films for the first time in nearly two years, as some weekend screenings end the long hiatus at the Mildenhall movie theater.
The reopening kicks off with a bang. On Friday at 6 p.m., the theater will offer “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
The latest blockbuster featuring the famed comic book character has been phenomenal at the box office, grossing $1.16 billion worldwide since its release Dec. 17. It is the first film of the pandemic era to gross over $1 billion.
The following day, moviegoers can watch “The Matrix Resurrections,” also at 6 p.m.
Sunday will feature two showings: “Sing 2” at 2 p.m. and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” at 6 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased only at the box office and will not be available online. For a regular showing, tickets cost $6.50 for adults and $3.75 for children. Tickets for a first-run showing cost $7 and $6, respectively.
Social distancing will be required. Family units or groups may sit together, but moviegoers will be asked to allow spacing between parties.
The theater will still be closed on weekdays and will offer showings only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until further notice.
For more information on what movies will be shown, go to www.aafes.com/exchange-stores/Movie-Guide/showtimes-RAF-Mildenhall.htm. The theater can also be reached by phone at 01638-71-4955.
The base closed the movie theater in early 2020 at the onset of the pandemic. As it reopens, the U.K. is in the grip of another surge in COVID-19 cases, this one brought on by the omicron variant of the coronavirus.
A Wednesday post on the 100th Air Refueling Wing’s Facebook page that announced the reopening drew comments from nearly two dozen people, many of whom waxed nostalgic and expressed joy that movies will soon be back at the theater.
