EVERY time I walk through Time Square and turn my head towards Cineworld I can't help but sigh.

Around this time of year, I usually do a round up of my favourite films of the past 12 months as well as movies I'm looking forward to in the new year.

But it feels a bit of a futile exercise right now. I can probably count the films I have seen on the big screen in 2020 on one hand.

Every Cineworld cinema in the country is shut and no one knows when they are re-opening – it is being reported that some of them could close permanently.

Rewind back a year and it was a very different picture for Warrington.

The 13-screen Time Square cinema opened on December 11, just months before the Covid-19 era made its stark impact on box office figures.

There was much fanfare. The launch was in time for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and there was 'premiere' style invite-only party on December 10 to show off Cineworld Warrington's flagship 'Superscreen'.

Warrington Guardian:

And do you remember the stories we ran on the old Buttermarket Street Odeon – marking 25 years since we last had a town centre cinema?

There was such an outpouring and so many memories were shared that it felt like the whole of Warrington had something to say about the magic of cinema.

READ MORE > The films we love to remember watching at the old Odeon cinema

So it meant something to people – and it certainly meant something to me – to see Cineworld open its doors.

Now it feels like the pandemic has stolen the vibrancy and potential from Time Square – or at least put it into hibernation.

It is unbelievable really. This £142.5million vision for Warrington was finally realised after more than a decade last December – only to be snatched away about three months later.

The market's move has been a success and the Gravity trampoline park has been warmly welcomed but they have been hampered by government enforced temporary closures and restrictions and any further development of Time Square will be slow.

We have all lost a bit of confidence in how things were.

Of course, Cineworld Warrington reopened after the first lockdown but, on the whole, either people did not want to go with a mask on or did not feel safe doing so.

READ MORE > What going to the cinema is like while wearing a mask and social distancing

When I visited in August, there were just three of us in a screening of Unhinged.

Can it ever be the same? Have we got too used to seeing new films like Disney's Mulan pop up on our streaming services?

Warrington Guardian:

Next year is not looking good for cinema fans either. It is being reported that the void of uncertainly surrounding the pandemic means Warner Bros will be streaming all of its 2021 film releases on the platform, HBO Max.

So whenever I step out of Time Square's car park and see the imposing structure of the development's 'anchor tenant' I sigh.

It is a forlorn sight and a statement of things to see those doors shut and, even after the vaccine is rolled out, has the damage already been done?

In an increasingly busy world where we multi-task and struggle to put our phones down, the immersion of cinema is a powerful thing.

Sometimes a film is not just a film. It is a shared moment. It becomes an enduring memory.

I remember the first film I saw – The Land Before Time at Buttermarket Street Odeon with dinosaur toys tucked in my backpack and I remember the first film my son watched with me alongside him – Paddington.

I treasure trips to the cinema I once had with my late dad, bonded with friends over big screen experiences like Star Wars and remember my mind being blown by the big screen theatrics of Christopher Nolan's Inception.

People say cinema is expensive but it can be special and, in that way, priceless. I hope Netflix and Disney+ never replace it and I hope with all my heart Cineworld bounces back.