Matinee film screenings at the National Media Museum in Bradford have been axed after they only attracted an average of 16 people in the City of Film.

Bosses at the museum yesterday revealed plans to cut “unsuccessful screening times” at its Pictureville and Cubby Broccoli screens from Mondays to Thursdays – with the earliest screenings starting at about 6pm instead of lunchtime.

They also confirmed changes to its film programme, including cancelling one ‘senior screening’ a week and moving its ‘watch with baby’ sessions for parents with children aged under 12 months, from weekly to monthly.

A spokesman said the new timetable from October 12 would offer films at times that are “most convenient for most people”.

Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, Bradford Council’s executive member for culture, said she was not concerned the changes reflected badly on Bradford, which was designated as the world’s first Unesco City of Film in 2009.

She said: “It is a business, so it needs to look at what works and what doesn’t, but these are just small changes. It doesn’t take away what the museum offers to film nationally as well as in Bradford.”

Senior screenings will now only take place on Thursday mornings at 10.30am. The ‘watch with baby’ sessions will move to 10.30am on the first Wednesday of each month.

A media museum spokesman said it would also hold second screenings in its Pictureville and Cubby cinemas at around 8pm on Mondays to Thursdays.