This once grand cinema, opened by no other than Richard Branson himself, has slowly deteriorated into a shell of it's former self. Ironically during it's many name changes, ranging from Virgin to Ugc to Cineworld, the carpet has never changed! Yes look down onto the floor, past the popcorn and chav children laying about waiting for their parents to finish in the pub across the road and you will see duck tape. Which fully demonstrates how much anybody actually cares about the place. It is falling apart from the inside out and desperately needs a refurb. However all the companies that take over seem to realise the place is haunted by poor management and an embarrassing hat for the staff to wear, so make a hasty retreat.
Enter this place for an opening night blockbuster like Harry Potter at your own peril, many a souls have aged 100 years waiting for the long queues (with at most 2 people serving on box office) to die down. I would hazard a guess that the staff themselves are over worked and like many of the customers in the growing queue have given up hope.
You may notice I have given a ££ rating. The food is expensive. Whilst there has been a recent price drop, do not let that fool you. Everything has just shrunk down. Whilst it is arguably competitive in ticket prices, for an extra £1 you can easily go to Vue in Bolton and have a far superior viewing experience. No queues, no numbing seats and arguably a less moronic audience to share a film with.
Like a bad date, Empire Wigan gets what it wants from you and doesn't care how. The insincerity of those who run it is unbelievable. Here's a tip, as I firm believer in complaint I have taken issues up with several of the managers. The response is always the same a wander around the issue but actually suggesting nothing before being fobbed off with free tickets. Great, free films and I can come back to find more things to complain about. Everyone's a winner as they say! read more