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Is London’s Indie Cinema Subculture Dying? Think Again.
As blockbusters dry up and audiences tire of endless streaming, London's cinema scene is ditching new releases and going back to the classics. Is film a dying industry or is it just rebranding?
By Isabella Pettitt
A
t one point in time, picture houses were the ultimate escape, a few hours spent in a darkened room, escaping reality in front of a flickering screen.
While streaming spending in the UK grew 13.2% last year a new movement is just waiting to happen. Cinema-goers are becoming increasingly picky, with many saying they would rather wait for a film to stream than pay for the cinema experience. Another layer to this could also be that many people feel embarrassed to go to the cinema alone, with 53.3% of London locals saying that they would when asked this question.
“The industry is yet to fully recover from lockdowns, with fewer films being made and streaming becoming increasingly dominant,” says Sam Elsen, a manager at The Prince Charles Cinema (PCC). Tucked just off Leicester Square, the PCC is dodging the bullet that has seen UK cinemas fighting to survive. “The PCC has been building an audience and reputation for decades,” says Elsen “we have a large membership and listen to our members…we are not reliant on new releases.”
Digital communities are now stepping in where marketing has failed, cinema-goers are becoming a collaborative network of campaigners. HAYAO is an online European community of cinema-gores who advocate for cinemas to resurface in everyday people’s lives.
“Our goal is to become a community of enthusiasts and professionals in this field who can be put in touch with each other for job opportunities and networking. in the meantime, we are dedicated to celebrating cinema as a cultural institution and a place where people can meet, as well as new release in theatres.” By blurring the lines between being a fan and being a professional, these networks make sure that passion for the big screen is not lost, and that there is a sustainable career path for the next generation for filmmakers.
Images from the Electric cinema and the Cruzon Soho
Images from the Electric cinema and the Cruzon Soho
Community driven projects have never been in higher demand; while the number of UK venues have fallen by roughly 6% since the pandemic, London remains the odd one out, with Londoners making just as many trips to the cinema as they did over a decade ago, with the growth of boutique cinemas such as The PCC, Electric cinema in Notting Hill, and the Everyman in Islington on the rise, they have doubled in just two years now making up 24% of the adult audience. This suggests that actually audiences do leave their sofas, however they are looking for a premium experience if they do so as they are paying premium prices.
London’s cinema scene in 2025 is proof that “the death of the cinema” has been over exaggerated. Although the fact that streaming is continuing to climb, cinemas are changing their experiences to be premium film watching at their picture houses, opposed to streaming on the small screen. Whether it’s through movie marathons at the PCC or networking with communities like HAYAO, London is ensuring that it’s silver screens are a part of culture and that London's silver screens will not surrender to modern day convenience.
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