The Rex Cinema in Wilmslow has reopened after a refurbishment that closed the two-screen independent cinema for several weeks in September, and its Dining Shows, where pizza or fish and chips are brought to your seat, are back on the programme.

Owner Tony Mundin said the work included remodelling both auditoriums, new seating, lighting, laser projection, the bar, the foyer and full redecoration. Operations manager Molly Andrew told the Manchester Evening News that the foyer now has additional seating, a relocated bar and "an incredible retro-style canopy that adds a real touch of character". The cinema reopened in late September.

How the Dining Shows work

At a Dining Show you choose either a Pizza Club or a Fish & Chips screening, and the ticket includes a drink and a dessert. The food comes from local independents, Wood Fire Smoke for the pizzas and Fosters Chippy for the fish and chips, according to the cinema.

"You pick up your tickets and drink from the bar and are seated as normal. Then we come round with the pizzas or fish & chips and hand them out in the screen," Ms Andrew said. "These are eaten during the trailers, then we come round with dessert trays for everyone to choose from just before the film starts. These are our most popular shows and we do them every week."

Upcoming dining screenings named by the cinema include Wicker, Wild Horse Nine, The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping, Avengers: Doomsday, and festive films including Love Actually and Ebenezer. Current dates and times are on the Rex's Dining Shows page.

Prices and opening times

According to the Manchester Evening News, standard tickets cost £13, with under-16s £10, under-fives £5 and concessions £11.50. Luxury seats cost £16 and sofa seats for two £32. Dining Show tickets start from £30. The Rex opens Monday to Wednesday from 4pm and Thursday to Sunday from 1pm. It is at 23 Alderley Road, Wilmslow.

The two screens are the 60-seat Ballroom and the 150-seat Balcony. As well as new releases and older films, the Rex shows live and recorded performances from the National Theatre and the Royal Opera, plus children's and Christmas screenings in the run-up to the festive season.

A cinema since 1936

The Rex first opened in 1936 and ran as a cinema for nearly 60 years before closing in 1995. The Mundin family restored the building and reopened it as a cinema in December 2018.

Sources: reporting by Emma Gill in the Manchester Evening News (1 November 2026), including quotes from operations manager Molly Andrew and ticket prices; the Rex Cinema Wilmslow website; and owner Tony Mundin on LinkedIn on the refurbishment. Prices and times can change, so check with the cinema before booking. This article was produced with the help of AI tools and checked by an editor against the sources above.