THE huge success of the Largs Community Cinema project's first screening has sparked hopes of more blockbuster movies coming to the town.
Some 150 film-goers came to Barrfields Theatre last month to watch Barbie - and there are plenty more family films on the wish-list of those behind the initiative.
The screening made a profit of almost £325, Largs Community Council has heard.
The project, using a mobile cinema facility hired from the Ardrossan Church of the Nazarene, was the brainchild of Largs Community Council member Patricia Perman, who died last month after a short illness.
LCC secretary Linda Smith said the inaugural event was a great success and had sparked hopes of similar screenings in the future, with the Spiderman, Avatar and Wonka movies all suggested.
Community councillor Jamie Black said: "One of the major advantages of having a community cinema on your doorstep is that it avoids the 45-minute journey in your car to Linwood to go to a multiplex, when you can see a movie locally and it is five minutes from your door.
"Ideally it needs to be the right movie which can target families and younger ones."
Louise Riddex, North Ayrshire Council's North Coast locality officer, suggested that it might be worth looking at movies which are dementia friendly, to add to the town's existing efforts to support people in the local area who are living with dementia.
Classic Laurel and Hardy movies were also suggested as potential candidates for future showings, with LCC member Frank Alexander pointing to the experience of former Vikingar cinema projectionist Willie McIntyre, a member of the Sons of the Desert Laurel and Hardy Society.
Willie gave the project his blessing in an exclusive interview with the News before the opening night.
Mr Alexander said: "Willie can provide, at a nominal cost, a number of Laurel and Hardy films which would be popular with the older generation.
"It could be a staggered film event, in which a number of films could be shown during the day, and it could be popular with elderly people in the town.
"Willie said he would be prepared to help out."
The community council agreed to gauge public opinion on future film possibilities, while Mr Alexander will look into the Laurel and Hardy idea in more detail.
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