THE opening of the Phoenix has been welcomed by The Poly, which up until now had been the only venue in Falmouth to regularly screen movies.

The Poly, best known as an arts centre, claims the new cinema will add to the "rich diversity" of entertainment available in Falmouth.

It states that, with two cinemas, Falmouth is now the only town in Cornwall to offer a complete range of films, encompassing all genres, from brand new releases, art-house, re-released old classics and indie productions.

"This is good news for the community and for visitors to Falmouth," said Henrietta Lilley, the Poly's general manager.

"What makes Falmouth attractive to tourists, in addition to the stunning location and wonderful beaches, its the range of activities that they can enjoy once they are here.

"The Poly offers a very diverse range of cinema and now, with the opening of the Phoenix, there will be an even wider choice of activities to choose from and that has got to be good news for Falmouth."

The Poly has a long history of cinema, dating back to 1910, and is well-known for screening films made by foreign and independent directors that are not shown elsewhere.