Council bosses claim a six-screen cinema can become the "epicentre of town" - despite residents saying the site is "often very empty".

The Ashford Cinema, formerly a Picturehouse, opened at the town's Elwick Place leisure complex at the end of April.

The site is now being run by Ashford Borough Council (ABC) after the Cineworld-owned chain surrendered its lease.

Authority chiefs have put The Big Picture Limited, an independent leisure consultancy, in charge of operating the venue, which opened in 2018.

Concerned residents shared worries over the scheme when ABC, which owns the complex, announced its intention to step in earlier this year.

One opponent said it "wouldn't trust ABC to run a bath" while others feared the move would waste taxpayers' money as the site is "never busy".

But The Big Picture's co-founder, Keith Pullinger, says the company can make the site a success as it is a "catalyst for regeneration".

"Picturehouse was very unlucky with the pandemic, the actors' strike in Hollywood and the sudden rise of streaming during that time,” he said.

"That's why we want The Ashford Cinema to be for everyone moving forward, as those things had a massive impact on the industry.

"Had us and the council not stepped in, then this place would have probably been stripped down altogether."

The cinema features six screens totalling more than 1,000 seats, with its smallest having 81 and largest 230.

It also has a restaurant for 50 guests, hall space with another 50 seats and a further 20 spots on its terrace.

It saw about 100,000 admissions in 2023 but Mr Pullinger believes the new team in charge can build footfall by up to 40%.

His company is based in central London and oversees cinemas in countries including Saudi Arabia and Romania, but the Ashford site is its sole project in the UK.

“It will be important for us to be creative and find new content, including from possible international markets," Mr Pullinger added.

"We are not going to stand still and rely on Hollywood films.

"Other places like Cineworld are great at bringing through an audience, but we feel like we can do that and create a family experience.

"We intend to focus on mid-range films as well as blockbusters, and feel like this year and 2025 are going to be strong.

"Films like Deadpool and Wolverine and Inside Out 2 are coming soon which, although different, can both attract many people.

"So there is a lot of unfulfilled potential here and we aim to be a hospitality brand as well as cinema operator."

Unlike Picturehouse which leased the site off ABC, The Big Picture is being paid by the authority to run the venue.

But the council says it has not ruled out finding another lease operator in the future.

Meanwhile, the cinema will continue to employ the 26 staff members who worked under the previous management.

ABC insists stepping in to run the facility was "the only viable option in the short term" to save jobs and the attraction.

Although it is forecasting a deficit of £348,850 in its 2024/25 budget, council leader Noel Ovenden says its potential is too big to ignore.

The Ashford Independents representative for Wye ward said: "We want there to be a buzz around the place and for people to think of it as a community space where people can come and bring their family.

"It is placed within our town centre and that creates a focal point for people to come to as we need an anchor for Elwick Place.

"Quite often the town centre and high street can be empty after 6pm which I don't like, and that's why our new cinema should be an entertaining epicentre, as well as profitable.

“Once it succeeds, it will snowball and lead to a better experience across Ashford for everybody."

Two of the films currently being shown are The Fall Guy and Kingdom of The Planet of the Apes, with Garfield and Bad Boys: Ride or Die due to be added later this year.

There is also a kitchen serving pizzas, toasties, burgers and hot dogs, plus a bar and new pick and mix stall.

A new ‘AAA’ membership costing £17.99 sees cinemagoers able to watch as many films as they like each month.

A 'Magic Monday' deal, whereby tickets cost £6.99 all day, is also being offered, while regular adult tickets range from £11.20 to £12.90, with children gaining access for £7.60.

At Cineworld on Eureka Leisure Park, Ashford’s other cinema, prices range from £12.99 to £14.99 for a standard adult ticket.

Ben Hammond, general manager of The Ashford Cinema, believes the site’s offers will prove key in seeing more people return to the complex.

"Physically, not much has changed compared to when Picturehouse was here,” he said.

"But they created a great foundation and that's why the core of the team are still here and excited to start now at The Ashford Cinema.

"We'll of course look at our pricing a lot as we aim to be busy and active throughout the week.

"It's about having great-value offers for families and all the ages, so it's really about opening up this whole cinema and everything we can offer to the community."

Some of the units at Elwick Place, which cost £75m to build, have never been occupied.

Twenty-seven jobs were lost when Macknade closed suddenly in October 2022, while the Leo and Sage cafe also closed in December last year.