YORK now has four commercial cinemas and an astonishing 32 screens, following the opening yesterday of the new Cineworld at Monks Cross.

The cinema, which is situated within the community stadium leisure complex and has created up to 80 jobs, has 13 screens, including a giant IMAX theatre and ScreenX, a "270-degree viewing experience".

A spokeswoman said it also included two ViP viewing screens, which provided the "next level in cinema comfort with an exclusive lounge, complimentary dining, and luxury reclining seats the moment guests walk through the door".

She said guests had an exclusive private lounge, complimentary dining and unlimited snacks.

“Guests are also treated to experience the ultimate in relaxation with supersized, specially designed leather reclining seats and individual tables,” she said.

“Cineworld York also offers a Baskin Robbins ice cream counter, rollover hot dogs, ICEE frozen drinks and a Starbucks for customers to enjoy.”

Customers are able to book tickets online for just £3 at the Monks Cross cinema until Tuesday, with prices then reverting to £11.

Cineworld’s opening marks a remarkable turnaround for York’s cinema offer, which at one stage in the 1980s saw the city with only one picture house, the former Odeon in Blossom Street, now the Everyman - following the closure of the old ABC cinema in Piccadilly.

Vue then opened at Clifton Moor, providing an easy parking, out-of-town cinema going experience, and then the former Press headquarters in Coney Street was partially converted into the City Screen cinema.

Cineworld’s 13 screens, Vue’s 12, City Screen’s three and Everyman’s four makes a grand total of 32 commercial screens for York.