Lumiere Romford Celebrates Early Success and Unveils Ambitious Next Stage Line-up.

Lumiere Cinema in Romford is the place to be!

Just four months after its opening, Lumiere, the borough’s newest cinema, is already celebrating a significant level of success. Located on the site of the former Premier cinema, Lumiere has quickly established itself as a vibrant hub for the local community, fulfilling its promise to offer more than just a mainstream movie-going experience.

Since opening in late March, the cinema has not only screened all major new releases and a plethora of classic films but has also become a versatile venue for a variety of organizations. It has hosted events for the NHS’s Refugee Week, the Polish Film Festival, Focus Music School’s concert, and New City Colleges’ award ceremony. Beyond these partnerships, the venue has also championed international cinema, screening acclaimed films from smaller regions that have captivated large audiences. The cinema has also run its own successful events, including the Romford Film Festival, and will soon be the event venue for the 2025 Havering Small Business Awards.

The cinema, which operates a walk-in and membership model, is also celebrating a major milestone that will pave the way for exciting future changes.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: when we decided to create a membership model that would save our customers money, so many people told us we were making a mistake. ‘Nobody’s going to agree to that,’ they said,” remarks Spencer Hawken, Chair of the Romford Film Trust. “However, here we are, fast approaching 4,000 members, and we’re covering all of our overheads with just 1% occupancy. I’m not going to lie; I genuinely cannot think of many businesses that can classify themselves as a success with only 1% occupancy—it’s ridiculous. But then, this was the whole purpose of creating not just a new cinema, but a new cinema charity.”

Hawken adds, “We are about to turn a massive corner and become the ‘Prince Charles Cinema of the East.’ Having reached this break-even point means we can now stop focusing solely on just what follows film, but also the specific types of film content we promised to deliver from the offset. Our customers are going to see a significant change in our lineup over the coming weeks and some real physical changes to the venue starting in October.”

The new lineup has already begun, featuring recent sing-along and quote-along screenings of films like Grease and Clueless. This week, the cinema is screening the influential far-eastern film In the Mood for Love, alongside its inspiring 9-minute short film, which is receiving its first-ever public airing at Lumiere. The weekend’s schedule is packed with other classics curated to match Mercury Shopping Centre’s “POP-CON” event, including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the black-and-white version of Parasite, Seven Samurai, Summer Wars, The Colors Within, Spirited Away, and The Handmaiden. The centre has also arranged for a DeLorean, (the car from Back to the Future) to be stationed on the top level, with the cinema offering a free screening of the iconic movie to compliment the visit. 

Lumiere also continues its popular Mystery Movie Marathons, which have showcased some of the greatest films ever made. This week features a spaghetti western marathon, with future marathons dedicated to science fiction, monster movies, and more. For horror fans, the cinema is collaborating with Darkside Magazine on August 30th to host “Nasty Fest,” a festival screening a selection of formerly banned films from the ’70s and ’80s. The event will also feature guest appearances from actors in the films and merchandise stalls. In October, the cinema will screen the “100 Greatest Horror Films” as voted for by the public every single day for a month featuring 6 – 7 horor classics each day.

Starting next Friday, the cinema will launch a “Bad Movie Night” running every few weeks and showcasing some of the worst films ever made for a fun, interactive night out.

From September, film fans can expect a major expansion of the daily schedule, with five to six classic films screened every day. The cinema will offer a total of 35 different movies each week, including new releases, independent films, live recorded stage plays, opera, ballet, and a variety of international and art house cinema offerings. From December 1st, Screen 7 will show five classic Christmas movies daily up until Christmas Eve, including sing-alongs and quote-alongsof family favorites like The Muppet Christmas Carol and Home Alone, as well as more unconventional festive films like Die Hard and Gremlins.

In addition to film, September will see the start of a monthly quiz night, with the first stand-up comedy night scheduled for November.

“The venue hasn’t changed as much as we would have liked by now, but we’ve made enough changes that those who attended the previous cinema can see what’s happening,” Hawken notes. “Our screens have new light engines, most are upgraded to 4K, and three of our screens now have 7.1 surround sound, which is a huge upgrade. We offer wholesome entertainment for families in a clean, and most importantly, safe environment. Our entire team is so looking forward to the next six months as we move into a new part of this venue’s journey, offering not just a mainstream cinema experience with all the latest releases but so much more as well.”

You can see what’s coming up by visiting http://www.lumiereromford.com

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