Secret Cinema have built an enviable reputation for putting on surprise-fueled film events. After buying your ticket you’re given costume advice and told when and where to show up, but you don’t actually find out what you’re going to be watching until the credits rolls, unless you’ve guessed it because of events in the run up. Hiring actors to put on a show and make you believe you’ve actually stepped into the world of Lost Boys, Bugsy Malone, or whatever the movie might be, they’re alone in putting on such ambitious, grandious screenings. And over the whole month of June they’ve gotten the biggest yet.
Putting on the same film for 31 nights, and selling out pretty much every time, you’ve still got chances let to head to Secret Cinema’s latest extravaganza. Asked to dress in rugged overalls and bring along an item to match a chosen ‘job’, it’s set in a vast central London warehouse, although from there, the sky’s the limit. I won’t tell you what the movie is, but for Secret Cinema veterans, it’ll be a surprise, and even if you’ve seen it before (as I had), it plays well a second time around, even if it’s unfortunately in 3D.
But the grandiosity of this month’s repeated spectacle unfortunately becomes its undoing. With four floors to explore, despite the numerous crew dotted around, it’s easy to feel lost in the experience as organisers have really failed to give the event any real structure. It feels like you’re forgotten about the minute to get in, any while there are career-specific tasks throughout the night, there’s every chance you’ll miss them.
Take a bag full of drinks too, because the bars dotted around, and food options too, cost a fortune. And this is on top of the £35 ticket. Still tempted, find out availability here.