The 25 best cinemas in London

Film fans come for the cosy atmosphere and full-on luxury experience, with leather sofas, armchairs and waiter service – you can order everything from sundaes to sharing platters. It has a real sense of history, too, having opened as the Everyman Theatre in 1920 before being converted into a cinema in 1933.

This central London picture palace is steeped in history: in 1896, it screened the first motion picture shown in the UK (a short by the Lumière Brothers); then in 1951, it played the first X-rated film ever seen here. From 1980 to 2015, it was mainly used as a lecture theatre by University of Westminster, but it reopened as a cinema in 2016 following a £6m restoration project. It's since re-established itself as an independent gem known for hosting special events and director Q&As.

Nestling under Waterloo Bridge is this heavenly destination for film lovers who know their Kurosawa from their Kubrick. Operated by the British Film Institute, it runs brilliantly curated seasons dedicated to directors and A-list actors alike, and hosts the annual BFI Flare LGBTQ+ film festival. As well as four screens showing the latest releases and cult classics, BFI Southbank is home to the BFI Reuben Library, the world’s largest collection of books, journals and digitised material about film, TV and the moving image.

This gorgeous single-screen cinema in East Finchley can fairly claim to be London’s oldest continuously-open cinema: it was completed in 1910 and opened its doors in 1912. Since 1985 it has been run as a charitable trust and the local community is heavily involved in keeping it going. Programme-wise, the Phoenix shows a mix of independent and foreign films, and its auditorium is rightly prized as one of the most beautiful places to watch a film in London.

Located on Tottenham Lane, this larger-than-usual high street cinema has five screens, a downstairs bar-restaurant, and an upstairs bar serving cocktails and canapés. The programming skews mainstream and, in the usual Picturehouse style, comfort levels are sky-high. It’s a smart, charming place to catch the latest blockbuster.

Locals love the Lexi, a friendly little gem of a community cinema run mostly by volunteers where all profits go to charity. With help from that community, it shrugged off a fire in 2020 to expand with a new, crowdfunded second screen and a ‘Lexi Hub’ space. Expect all the same film and arts goodness, only even more of it.

Housed in a grade II* listed building designed by George Coles, the architect behind some of London’s most impressive art deco cinemas, this north London landmark comes equipped with five screens. It used to be an Odeon but is now a branch of the upmarket Everyman chain, which has filled the bar with memorabilia and kitted out the kitchen for its signature Spielburgers. A tasty destination all-round. 

Like all Picturehouse cinemas, this super-popular local has a devoted following who come for the anti-multiplex atmosphere and comfy reclining seats. There are four screens, which allows the programming to range from squarely mainstream to accessibly indie, and the basement bar is a cute spot for a cocktail.

Located in an attractive grade II listed clock tower in Croydon, this community-run cinema screens arthouse films, classic re-releases and new blockbusters in intimate surroundings. The staff (mostly volunteers) are super friendly and the prices affordable – not your standard multiplex offering, then.

Opened in March 2022, this proudly independent cinema specialises in cult classics and arthouse gems from around the world. It also organises regular Q&A events with the directors who make them.  With three screens and two stylish bar spaces, it's a hidden gem nestled in a surprisingly quiet part of Covent Garden.

Shoreditch’s independent cultural centre houses three cinema screens alongside exhibition and performance spaces and a café/bar. Run as a charity, it’s a vibrant arts hub too. Any given week could see it hosting an assortment of gigs, theatre shows, art exhibitions, themed festivals and all manner of workshops. 

Housed in a Grade II* listed building on Notting Hill’s famous Portobello Road, The Electric is one of London’s oldest and loveliest cinemas. Its rich history includes a ’90s stint as a cultural centre for Black cinema and, more recently, a full refurb by the Soho House Group, which still runs it today. And with six luxurious, velvet-lined double beds on the front row, it’s perfect for special dates.

One of the country's oldest cinemas, this iconic art deco building on Islington Green has been welcoming film lovers since 1913. During the punk era, it hosted a famous showcase event featuring the Sex Pistols and The Clash, but these days it's a typically smart branch of the Everyman chain. The single screen has space for 125 cinephiles on some of the comfiest seats in the capital.

Housed in a brutalist building that was once Hackney Central Library, this typically impressive Picturehouse cinema opened in 2011. It’s home to six screens, including one that claims to be the biggest in east London, and doubles as a buzzy social hub. In fact, Dabbers Social Bingo have just opened their second permanent outpost right inside the building.

As regulars will tell you, watching a movie at the Soho Curzon feels special – you’ll be surrounded by film lovers without it feeling pretentious. The smart basement bar is a semi-hidden gem in a busy part of London – very much an 'if you know, you know’ kind of place – and the toilets are covered in vintage film posters. What’s not to love?

Instantly recognisable by its striking glass and brick exterior, Greenwich Picturehouse is the number one destination for film lovers in southeast London. Its comfy upstairs bar, the Crow's Nest, is a prime spot for people watching over Greenwich High Road, while the downstairs galley café serves very decent snacks and drinks. Like all Picturehouse cinemas, it’s a neighbourhood destination that locals have really embraced.

It’s still less than a decade old but Picturehouse Central already feels like part of the central London furniture. With an indie-meets-mainstream philosophy, the programming has an inclusive feel to it – as does the whole stylish edifice, which occupies a corner of Piccadilly’s old Trocadero centre. The main staircase, complete with a film-themed mural, is a fitting gateway to the movie nirvana within. There are seven screens, a comfy bar-restaurant and an upstairs members’ bar with glorious West End views straight from a Roger Deakins viewfinder. On the downside, the pandemic does seem to have done away with that formidable pick ‘n’ mix counter for good.

This all-in-one cinema, library and café-bar aims to make film history and culture accessible through its online archive. It even has its own well-respected film journal, Vertigo. As befits its location in trendy Shoreditch, the sole screen tends to show arthouse classics that you’ll want to dissect afterwards over a craft beer or strong coffee.

Regulars at Crouch End’s ArtHouse are so devoted they voted for it droves. You say: ‘Friendly atmosphere’, ‘interesting Q&As with actors and directors’, and ‘cheap popcorn’. We say: ‘Sold’.

This two-screen Dalston treasure is all about serving its local community with smart programming, mini festivals, Q&As and LGBTQ+ screenings. And the local community loves it right back: a rumoured threat to sell it during the pandemic was met with a vociferous Save the Rio campaign by its passionate membership. Happily, the 1930's art deco picture palace survives and thrives, with plans for refurbishment and the possibility of a third screen ahead.

The cinema that Quentin Tarantino goes to and Edgar Wright raves about is a beloved London landmark. The PCC’s passion for everything from silver screen classics to cult curios draws in film lovers from far and wide, but it's recently been threatened by redevelopment. After a grassroots campaign to save it attracted 164,000 signatures, it now has ACV (Asset of Community Value) status. This means that if the building is put up for sale, the local community has the right to buy it back first. Its future isn’t safe yet, but it’s definitely looking brighter.

Since it opened in 1913, The Castle in Clapton has been a cinema, a bingo hall, a shoe factory and a snooker club. Now, after raising £57,000 on Kickstarter, a local couple has restored it back to its former filmic glory. There’s an art deco bar and two screens, as well as comfy armchair style seats. It's an exquisite cinema experience. 

It ain’t fancy, and yes, the carpet has been known to get a little sticky, but you’ll forgive almost anything for tickets costing an inflation-busting £5.99 all day, any day. Established in 1994, it’s a South London institution that local celebs – Olivia Colman, John Boyega – swear by, with six screens showing the latest blockbusters, as well as foreign language and indie films. It’s the perfect cinema for the cost of living era and a local institution (it even cameoed in ‘Rye Lane’).

Lucky old Whitechapel, having the Genesis as its local. This gorgeous cinema – one of the world’s 50 most beautiful – offers an unbeatable combo of cheap tickets (£7.75, Monday-Thursday), moreish snacks, comfy seats and a deep love of movies. It also has proper East End entertainment heritage, sitting on the site of the 19th century Eagle Public House Music Hall. Happily, the Genesis is now striving to safeguard its future with a five-year plan to redevelop its building with new student accommodation and potentially open a second location.

One of London’s oldest purpose-built cinemas, the Ritzy has been an iconic Brixton institution since it opened in 1911. It even survived the Blitz. The Ritzy’s film offering ranges from big blockbusters to specialist fare (Icelandic folk-horror, anyone?), and Upstairs at the Ritzy hosts events like Reggaeoke, rare-soul nights and the regular Tuesday evening Queenstown Sessions. The Ritzy is way more than just a cinema, it’s a cultural hub – a worthy pick as Londoners’ favourite cinema.