VIDEO and PICTURES: Behind-the-scenes as Walsall's Light Cinema gets finishing touches

Work began on the multi-million-pound cinema 14 months ago and now the first movie theatre in the town for more than 20 years is gearing up for its grand opening.

The latest big-money Hollywood blockbusters including secret spy capers, high-octane hero flicks, beautiful biopics and romping rom-coms will finally return to Walsall town centre.

The venue is Light's fourth cinema in the UK and will boast 1,200 seats and eight screens in its complex.

Its largest screen will include 268 seats and Walsall Council have been told by the operator they anticipate to show more than 200 films, operas, plays and concerts at the venue this year alone.

The facility should be a huge draw for punters, owing to the fact it will be the first in the country to boast the latest hi-tech extreme screen, which aims to provide a more intense experience through high quality audio and visual screens.

More than 40,000 film fans are expected to flock to the new cinema when it opens on Friday, March 18.

The cinema will also feature a new café bar which features stage lights and rustic furniture. It has been aptly named the Green Room.

It is planned the cinema will be showing baby-friendly films at the canal side facility as well as screens for autistic viewers and those with dementia.

The majority of the structural work is completed, with the finishing touches being applied to the venue.

Rows for the cinema screens have been sorted but seats still need to be fitted and there is still a vast amount of painting and decorating to be done to have the cinema ready for its March opening date.

The cinema will be the centrepiece of the £12 million Waterfront development alongside top-chain restaurants Bella Italia, Chiquitos, Hungry Horse, Pizza Express and TGI Fridays.

Three of the above are now trading, with Hungry Horse to follow this week.

The doors to the TGI chain are expected to open later this month, but no official date has been announced.

Councillor Adrian Andrew, who is the business and employment chief for the council, has been at the heart of bringing the cinema and the Waterfront development as a whole to the borough.

He was recently given a tour of the facility.

He said he was 'very excited' about the development, which will 'greatly enhance' the leisure offer in the town. He added he 'cannot wait' until work is completed.

Around 24 full-time posts and additional weekend positions within the cinema will be created. Job hopefuls attended a recruitment event last week at Walsall's Council house on Lichfield Street.

Speaking at the recruitment event, Phil Dove, the general manager for Light, praised the 'great talent pool' in Walsall and said the staff they hire will be the ones who make the 'whole project work', adding that it would be the 'best cinema in the area'.

He said: "We've met a wonderful calibre of candidates who will make this the best cinema in the area.

"There's a great talent pool in Walsall; they're the ones who will make this whole project work."

It has been two decades since Walsall town centre had a cinema after the old Cannon, previously known as ABC, closed in Park Street back in 1993 to make way for the regeneration of that road. It was replaced by the building now occupied by Poundland and Pure Gym near The New Walsall Art Gallery.

Work on the cinema comes as a series of regeneration projects have been carried out or are being planned.

The Old Square Shopping Centre has been given a revamp, which includes Primark opening, as part of the first phase of the £21m transformation.

The whole Waterfront development is expected to be completed early in 2017 as developer Kier Property aim to return in the summer to deliver phase two, which includes some additional restaurants.