CINEMA-GOERS have nothing to fear when the Holloway site is sold to a new owner, the Odeon has said.

The cinema told the Tribune that they have no plans to close despite the freehold of the multimillion-pound Grade II-listed building being advertised to buyers.

The 500-seat film-screening venue is currently owned by French bank BNP Paribas, who bought the site in 2014 for just over £7million.

They have leased it to Odeon Luxe under a contract that expires in 2038.

It is understood that at that point the new owners would be able to renegotiate or end the contract.

The Odeon came under fire when it first took over the landmark picturehouse in 2020 and attached large blue signs to the historic building.

Members of the Islington Archaeological and Historical Society said that it was “completely out of keeping with the original architecture”.

Renovations entailed stripping back the number of seats in the cinema.

There are now 499 fully reclining seats across seven screens.

The Holloway Road cinema’s history stretches back to pre-war years, having first been built in 1938.

Designed by American architect C Howard Crane, it included a 3,006-seat auditorium and a 220-seat restaurant above the foyer entrance.

The first film to be shown was The Hurricane, an adventure film directed by John Ford, and starring Dorothy Lamour and Jon Hall.

An Odeon spokesperson said: “The freehold being listed for sale will have no impact on the day-to-day operations of Odeon Luxe Holloway. We remain open for all our guests”.

BNP Paribas were approached for comment.