The collective joy of watching something on a cinema screen has been gone far, far too long. Happily, the un-lockdown process means that London’s cinemas can begin reopening on May 17. And they are. With a vengeance.
Not every cinema, mind you. The bigger blockbusters don’t roll into town until later in the summer and one or two of the bigger multiplexes (and Peckhamplex) will be holding fire accordingly.
But there’s plenty to dig into in May, including the newly Oscar-festooned ‘Nomadland’ and ‘Sound of Metal’, plus ‘Rare Beasts’ and Kelly Reichardt’s much-praised ‘First Cow’.
And there’s much more programmed besides: BFI Southbank is running a Robert Altman season and Dream Palace, a season of films made for the big screen, and Prince Charles has a special 35mm screening of ‘Shaun of the Dead’ lined up.
Look out, too, for Barbican’s annual Chronic Youth fest, showcasing emerging filmmakers from around the world, and The Castle is welcoming back its film clubs, CineReal and No Bollocks. Pitching to a very different audience, Ciné Lumière is launching something called CinéBabies, in which under-twos will be poring over the landmark films of the Nouvelle Vague. We think.
There are new cinemas (Curzon Hoxton), big refurbs (BFI Southbank, Watermans, Genesis, Ciné Lumière, Phoenix Cinema), programming shifts (Regent Street Cinema is moving away from repertory films), extensions (Archlight, Lexi), and generally an air of positivity and cautious optimism.
Here are all the confirmed reopenings to date:
May 17
BFI Southbank
Prince Charles Cinema
Lexi, Kensal Rise
Selfridges Cinema
Archlight, Battersea
Everyman
Olympic Studios, Barnes
Ciné Lumière, South Kensington
Genesis Cinema, Bethnal Green
Rio Cinema, Dalston
Curzon (Soho, Bloomsbury)
Phoenix Cinema, East Finchley
The Castle, Homerton (soft launch, fully reopens May 21)
May 21
Rich Mix, Shoreditch
Late May
Watermans Arts Centre, Brentford
Cineworld
Picturehouse
June 4
Curzon (Mayfair, Richmond, Wimbledon, Hoxton)
June 25
Regent Street Cinema
July 6
ICA
TBC
Peckhamplex
Close-Up, Shoreditch
Odeon
Vue
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