2000s The Electric closed, however, on 12 December 2003. The cinema was put up for sale and was quickly purchased by local film director and producer Tom Lawes. After a £250,000 refit and renovation, the cinema reopened on 17 December 2004. The building was restored to its 1930s Art Deco look from photographs taken during that period. In recognition of its centenary in December 2009, local MPs Tom Watson, Khalid Mahmood and Richard Burden raised a motion in the House of Commons stating that the House: 2020s At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, the cinema enacted a mass redundancy of its staff. Lawes informed the staff in March 2020 that most would be made redundant rather than furloughed, with just three employees put on to furlough. As of July 2021, the cinema's website stated: "The future of The Electric Cinema Birmingham faces an even bigger issue than that of Covid due to the impending end of its 88 year lease. As the freeholder has yet to make a decision about its plans for Station Street, we are not currently in a position to reopen the cinema. This uncertainty has also meant we have been unable to apply for the Cultural Recovery Fund or other financial support to assist us financially through the period of closure." In November 2021, it was reported that the cinema would reopen under new ownership before Christmas, having been taken over by Kevin Markwick, who also runs the Picture House Cinema in Uckfield, East Sussex. It reopened on 20 January 2022, after an estimated £100,000 had been spent on its refurbishment. It is managed by owner Kevin Markwick and his daughter Katie. The cinema has two screens, both able to show digitally-shot films and one also able to show films in 35 mm. References External links Cinemas in the West Midlands (county) Culture in Birmingham, West Midlands Buildings and structures in Birmingham, West Midlands