Everyman now expects its Lichfield cinema to open in the second half of 2027, not early 2027. Councillors get a progress report in private on Tuesday.
Everyman now expects its new Lichfield cinema to open in the second half of 2027. In April the company was planning for an opening in the first three months of that year.
The four-screen cinema is being built inside the former Debenhams store at Three Spires Shopping Centre. Lichfield District Council’s overview and scrutiny committee will get a progress report on it on Tuesday 17 November. That part of the meeting will be held in private.
Overview
- When will it open? Everyman’s latest stated expectation is the second half of 2027.
- What changed? Its annual results in April assumed a Lichfield opening in the first quarter of 2027.
- What does the council say? Its project page says building work should finish by December 2026 and the cinema is expected to open in 2027.
- What happens on Tuesday? Councillors discuss a 14-page cinema progress report with the press and public excluded.
What Everyman has told investors
Everyman Media Group is listed on the London Stock Exchange, so it reports its plans to shareholders twice a year.
Its results for the year to 1 January 2026 were published on 28 April. In the section on whether the business can keep trading, the company set out the assumptions behind its forecast. One of them was “the opening of a new venue in Lichfield in the first quarter of 2027” (Everyman Media Group, full year results to 1 January 2026).
Its half-year results followed on 3 September. They covered the 26 weeks to 2 July 2026. This time the company grouped Lichfield with two London sites:
“Planning continues for new venue openings at Lichfield, Elephant & Castle and High Street Kensington, with openings anticipated in H2 2027 and funded through free cash flow. The timing and phasing of capital expenditure is dependent on access to the properties being granted.”
That is from the Everyman interim results announcement. H2 2027 means July to December 2027. The statement does not give a month for any of the three venues.
| Source | Date published | Opening it gives |
|---|---|---|
| Everyman full year results | 28 April 2026 | First quarter of 2027 (a forecast assumption) |
| Everyman interim results | 3 September 2026 | Second half of 2027 |
| Council project page | current | 2027, with the date to be confirmed by Everyman |
Where the building work is
The council’s cinema project page says construction is expected to be finished by December 2026. After that, Everyman and the other tenants carry out their own fit-outs. The page says “a specific opening date will be confirmed by Everyman closer to opening”.
The same page tracks each stage of the build:
- demolition of the multi-storey car park and site clearance: complete
- groundworks and drainage: complete
- fire protection and stairways: complete
- major steelwork, roofing, drainage and facade works (summer to autumn 2026): 80% complete
The latest update lists the roof covering and glazing on the new terrace, windows on the first floor and brickwork around the ground-floor glazing. Internal walls and dry lining are the next stage.
The scheme also includes food and drink units and a new public plaza outside the cinema.
What it has cost the council
The project is a joint venture between the council and Evolve Estates, which owns Three Spires. The council first approved £5.349 million from its capital programme, with Evolve investing on a 50:50 basis.
In July 2026 Full Council approved a further £5.56 million. The project page breaks it down:
- £2.84 million to finish the redevelopment
- £2.72 million for the council to take full ownership of the completed building
The council says full ownership means it keeps all of the rental income. The page puts the extra cost down to “market conditions, design development and the complexity of converting the former department store”.
Tuesday’s meeting
The overview and scrutiny committee meets at 6pm on Tuesday 17 November in the Committee Room at District Council House, Frog Lane. The council says the meeting will be streamed live on its YouTube channel (agenda, Lichfield District Council).
Item 11, “Cinema for Lichfield Progress”, runs to 14 pages of the papers. It is not published. The agenda excludes the press and public for it under paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972. That paragraph covers information about the financial or business affairs of any particular person, including the council itself.
Earlier in the same meeting, in public, the committee takes an update on the wider Birmingham Road site next door. That report covers the linear park, the Lichfield Gateway homes and talks about a hotel (Birmingham Road Site update, 17 November 2026). We reported the hotel talks last week.
What it means for you
- Do not expect films in the former Debenhams early next year. Everyman’s own latest statement points to the second half of 2027.
- Building work around Three Spires should ease by the end of the year if the council’s December completion date holds. The fit-out after that happens inside the building.
- You can watch the public part of Tuesday’s meeting on the council’s YouTube channel. The cinema item itself will not be shown.
We will report any opening date when Everyman or the council publishes one.
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