The Northern Light Cinema Sale turns one
This week marks one year since The Northern Light Cinema opened in Sale – and it’s hard to believe how quickly it’s become part of the town. Since opening on 12 February 2025, the independent venue has firmly established itself as a go-to for film fans who want a night at the pictures, right on their doorstep.
Located in Stanley Square, the cinema arrived at exactly the right time: when the town centre was already finding its feet as a place to eat, drink and make an evening of it. Now, it’s not unusual to see people heading over after dinner, popping in post-pint or meeting friends for a relaxed midweek screening that feels like a treat without needing to trek into the city centre or neighbouring towns.
A big-screen return, 41 years in the making
The Northern Light is the first cinema to open in Sale in 41 years, following the closure of the old Odeon on Washway Road in 1984. For decades, a cinema trip meant leaving town. For many locals, that just became the norm – until it didn’t.
Independent cinemas tend to do something the big chains can’t quite replicate: they make the experience feel personal. The Northern Light is a family-run venue from Manero Cinemas Limited (also behind other local cinemas, The Rex and The Savoy), with three screens and a programme designed to suit a wide range of moviegoers. Alongside new releases, it screens independent films, classics, foreign-language titles and live-event cinema, such as National Theatre productions.
That variety matters. It means the cinema can be a family plan in the afternoon, a date-night choice in the evening and a reason to try something different midweek. Then there’s the comfort factor. The Northern Light was built to feel like a proper little escape: modern projection and sound, plus plush seating (including sofas and armchairs) that makes you want to settle in and stay put. There’s also a bar offering drinks and classic cinema snacks.
Accessibility has been part of the offer too, with options such as captions and audio description for many films, plus relaxed screenings for those who prefer a gentler environment. It’s the kind of detail that quietly widens the welcome and that’s exactly what a community cinema should do.
More than a cinema: it’s part of Sale’s new town-centre story
It’s also impossible to separate The Northern Light from the wider momentum around Stanley Square. A cinema gives people a reason to come into the town centre after work; it turns a random Tuesday into plans and it supports the idea that a night out in Sale can be complete without defaulting to neighbouring towns or Manchester city centre.
When it opened, the cinema was described as part of the ongoing regeneration of Stanley Square, bringing extra visitors through the day and into the evening and complementing the area’s food and drink offer. One year on, that’s exactly what it’s doing – and locals are clearly voting with their feet.
Editor’s thoughts
A town centre can live or die on what people can do after 6pm. Since The Northern Light opened, Sale has felt more ‘complete’ – not in a grand, sweeping way, but in an everyday way that makes a difference. It’s given us an easy, low-effort plan: meet for dinner, have a drink then wander over for a film.
For a place like Sale, with its independent shops, bars and restaurants, its community-spirit and increasing confidence in what it offers, The Northern Light Cinema has been a brilliant addition. Here’s to year two!
