Dreamland bosses say they remain committed to reopening the park’s iconic cinema building – but first have plans for it to be used for another blockbuster film.

The Grade II*-listed site on Margate seafront, which closed its doors in 2007, was repurposed internally three years ago ahead of the filming of Empire of Light.

Dreamland was given permission to remove seats from the cinema’s two upper-storey screens and install them in the main auditorium, which had last been used as a bingo hall.

The work created an eye-catching reconstruction of the original cinema screen, which featured heavily in the movie.

Park bosses say Empire of Light aroused “much interest” for further commercial use of the building, and earlier this year successfully bid to keep the set in situ for another five years.

It argued it would allow them to use the site for behind-the-scenes tours, fashion shoots and even another film, with talks taking place with a major Bollywood director about shooting next summer.

But the move has sparked concerns about the building’s future, with no long-term proposals yet in place to reopen it.

However, in its application to keep the cinema seats where they are, the park said it is “committed to protecting, maintaining and in the future, reopening this gem of the seafront”.

The documents add that multiple factors significantly impacted the potential future use of the building, such as Covid, the closure of other entertainment assets in Margate and an increase in construction costs.

They add: “Creating a commercially viable plan which can underwrite the investment required to bring the building back into regular, full use is a complicated and lengthy process.

“Many stakeholders will need to be involved and consulted to ensure that the building’s use and longevity are underpinned by the business case.

“The longer-term development plans for the building will be shaped with input from local authorities and engagement with significant organisations, such as TDC, Historic England, businesses, action groups, residents and the local community.”

It added that “significant time” is needed to create a viable and successful plan for the future of the building.

Dreamland is owned by LN-Gaiety Holdings, which bought the current theme park operator, Sands Heritage Limited, in December last year. The ultimate controlling party is Live Nation Entertainment, a company registered in Delaware, US.

It was revealed two months later that bosses had turned down £4 million of government money - from a £22.2 million pot known as the Margate Town Deal fund - to go towards the restoration of the Art Deco building.

Sands Heritage CEO Eddie Kemsley explained at the time: “We will develop a plan for the cinema building that is both financially viable and in keeping with Dreamland’s history of entertainment.

“With that in mind, we have taken the decision not to accept the £4 million from the Margate Town Deal fund.

“We hope this money can be redistributed to other projects to benefit the regeneration of Margate and its legacy of leisure and entertainment.”

As a condition of planning permission to retain the seats, Dreamland has to present a detailed statement of intention for future uses of the site by June 2026.

In the meantime, it intends to make the most of the site’s commercial opportunities, having recently opened it up for tours, with plans to host more.

It said in the planning papers: “We are talking to private clients looking for event space, fashion brands for photoshoots and filming, organisations for exhibition space, brands for product launches.

“Dreamland is also in discussions with a large Bollywood filmmaker who is planning for a building takeover with filming to commence in June 2025.

“Further planning applications for film set usage would inevitably be generated by this.

“It would also create yet more public interest in the building with the potential for extended public access for set tours.”

But the move to retain the seats in situ has sparked concerns there is no plan to invest in developing the building.

Karl Jastrzebski, who objected to the application, said: “This change cannot be considered temporary.

“It suggests the current owners have no intention or inclination to invest in the cinema upfront, particularly as they recently turned down a £4 million grant which they would have had to match-fund to continue with the cinema’s refurbishment.

“This means this heritage asset important to Margate is likely to continue to remain a shell and is effectively mothballed without any end game in sight.

“It appears the present application is predicated on the fact that Live Nation Entertainment can use the existing facilities for commercial gain without the necessity to invest in the building or without any concrete business plan to demonstrate the amount of funds required for the cinema refurbishment.

“No financial case has been put forward to explain otherwise.”

Plans were unveiled in 2021 to turn the cinema building into a 365-day-a-year entertainment centre and a 124-bed hotel, but it is not clear if the proposals have been ditched or could be taken further.

A spokesperson for the park said: “The iconic Dreamland cinema building attracts much attention from both the public and potential commercial projects. We are unable to comment further.”

The building was first used for commercial entertainment in 1867, with the first film shown in 1912 and a cinema opening in a converted ballroom in 1923.

A new movie theatre and restaurant launched in 1935, and in 1973 the cinema was sub-divided and reopened as two small screens, with the main auditorium hosting a theatre stage which was converted into a bingo hall two years later.

Thanet Conservative leader, Cllr Reece Pugh, who describes himself as a “longtime supporter” of the regeneration of Dreamland, says developing the building “provides an opportunity to attract more visitors to Margate and the wider Thanet area”.

“I would personally like to see the cinema reopened but I understand that this may not be commercially viable for Dreamland,” he said.

“However, the building needs to be renovated and can not sit empty for the occasional film set tour for much longer.”