Ulverston’s historic Roxy Cinema has announced an additional Christmas Eve screening of the much-loved festive classic It’s a Wonderful Life after its traditional morning show sold out ahead of time.
The annual 11am screening of Frank Capra’s 1946 film has become a firm favourite with local audiences, regularly attracting full houses.
This year, demand proved so strong that the cinema reached capacity well before Christmas, prompting management to schedule a repeat performance at 5.40pm on December 24.
The film, regarded as one of the greatest Christmas movies ever made, stars James Stewart as a desperately frustrated businessman who is shown the true value of his life by a visiting guardian angel.
Donna Reed appears as his girlfriend and later wife Mary, with Henry Travers and John Barrymore also among the cast. Its closing scenes, set on Christmas Day, are widely considered among the most uplifting in cinema history.
Explaining the decision to add an extra screening, the Roxy’s proprietor Charles Morris said: “Over the years, our Christmas Eve show of this all-time feelgood Christmas film has increased in popularity until we are now at the stage of having sold out well before the date.
"So in order to avoid disappointing people we are arranging another show later in the afternoon.
“I regard these Christmas shows as the climax of our year’s entertainment. It is always a happy atmosphere and for me it is as much a part of Christmas as the carols, the presents and the turkey dinner.
"We always do a bit extra by way of a brief supporting programme of nostalgic and humorous filmlets and we sing carols and sip mulled wine at the interval. And of course there are mince pies at the end.”
The additional screening will finish at approximately 8.15pm.
Tickets for the 5.40pm show are now on sale both online at www.nm-cinemas.co.uk and at the Roxy Cinema box office during normal opening hours.
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