Cineverse cinema’s debut week in Hastings draws crowds

Cineverse Hastings owner Prabhi Dugh. Photo / Jack Riddell

The young new owner of a Hastings cinema says he’s had strong first-week crowds, with a Bollywood showing proving particularly popular.

Cineverse Hastings opened at the former site of Focal Point Cinema on Heretaunga St East on August 1.

Owner Prabhi Dugh said the opening week was way busier than the team expected.

“The support from the Hastings community was pretty unreal,” he said.

“People have been loving the atmosphere, the good seats, and they’re just excited that they’ve got something fresh and fun to do.”

In Cineverse’s opening week ticket prices were lowered to $15 for adults and $14 for children, but prices will increase slightly from this week onwards.

“It’ll be $17.50 for an adult ticket going forward, but when you have a VIP card, the price will go down to $16 just by having the card, which is completely free,” Dugh said.

VIP cards can be picked up on the Cineverse website or at the cinema.

Ticket prices at Napier’s Reading Cinema are $16 for an adult ticket, while Focal Point Havelock North charges $17 for an adult ticket.

Pugh said affordable snacks had also proved popular with Cineverse customers, with a jumbo popcorn costing $12.50 and a jumbo popcorn and drink combo costing $15.

Dugh said the first week featured sold-out showings of Marvel’s latest blockbuster Fantastic Four: The First Steps, but the Punjabi film Chal Mera Putt 4 was the big hit, with multiple sold-out sessions.

He was looking forward to seeing how Disney’s Freakier Friday and the new horror thriller Weapons would perform over the second week.

Dugh is aiming to build a community of movie lovers and wants to host as many events as possible to keep people coming through the front door.

“The main goal is to keep hosting more events for different sectors of Hastings as we can,” he said.

Planned events include morning tea sessions for retirees, work functions, ladies’ nights and more.

“I just want people to keep coming in and enjoying what Cineverse has to offer,” Dugh said.

Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and has worked in radio and media in Auckland, London, Berlin, and Napier.