My Local Cinema Part 2
I last wrote about my local cinema in late October 2025. The Sidcup Storyteller had shut and the local authority, Bexley Council, was negotiating with the management of the Castle Cinema in Hackney to run the establishment. Fortunately for all, a deal was struck and the cinema re-opened just before Christmas under the new name of the Castle Sidcup. I had the pleasure of seeing Zootropolis 2 there just after New Year and enjoyed not only the film but the cosy and friendly atmosphere of the newly refurbished cinema. It is convenient to be able to see new films locally and the fact that it is one bus ride away or a leisurely walk in good weather, makes it far more likely that I will actually go to see new releases, rather than watch them at home. The Castle Sidcup also has very competitively priced ticket prices which makes it a more inviting prospect compared to the two local chain multiplexes.
I last wrote about my local cinema in late October 2025. The Sidcup Storyteller had shut and the local authority, Bexley Council, was negotiating with the management of the Castle Cinema in Hackney to run the establishment. Fortunately for all, a deal was struck and the cinema re-opened just before Christmas under the new name of the Castle Sidcup. I had the pleasure of seeing Zootropolis 2 there just after New Year and enjoyed not only the film but the cosy and friendly atmosphere of the newly refurbished cinema. It is convenient to be able to see new films locally and the fact that it is one bus ride away or a leisurely walk in good weather, makes it far more likely that I will actually go to see new releases, rather than watch them at home. The Castle Sidcup also has very competitively priced ticket prices which makes it a more inviting prospect compared to the two local chain multiplexes.
The Castle Sidcup is an independent, community-driven cinema, run by the same small team behind The Castle Cinema in Hackney. Not being part of a chain, the Castle Sidcup is striving to show a broad variety of cinematic content. This will include the best new releases, outstanding independent films as well as family favourites. There are also future plans to screen cult classics and host film clubs and special events. The management also intends to facilitate a range of accessible and community-focused screenings including baby screenings, relaxed screenings and more. The cinema also supports audio description, HoH subtitles and amplified audio. All of which is intended to make the Castle Sidcup an invaluable community asset and sounds very promising.
I am quite interested that the Castle Sidcup is available for private hire. I think it would be nice to have a screening of a classic film such as John Carpenter’s The Thing and have a few friends join me. For someone with a keen interest in cinema, that would be an excellent birthday present. There is also the potential for wider events and activities. I used to attend lots of small, independent film festivals in the eighties and nineties. Such events are less common these days and tend to be overshadowed by larger, more corporate undertakings or longstanding events that have become too commercial. I’d be interested to learn what the cost and logistics would be of putting on a Contains Moderate Peril film festival. I shall investigate accordingly. In the meantime it is reassuring to have a local cinema once again and I shall endeavour to use it more over the year ahead.
My Local Cinema
In a misguided fit of enthusiasm, I briefly considered booking tickets to go to London next month to see Predator: Badlands at the IMAX cinema at Waterloo. However, I balked at the price and when I considered the train journey and the fact I’d be going on my own, apathy got the better of me. I decided to wait until the film becomes available on Disney + etc. Hence cinema’s loss is streaming’s gain, which seems to be becoming an all too familiar story. I’ve only been to the cinema once this year and that was to the British Film Institute, where I saw an old classic, Electra Glide in Blue, rather than a new film. Last year I went to the cinema three times. All visits were to my local venue, the Sidcup Storyteller. Sadly that cinema has been closed since the end of July and its future has hung in the balance. Its absence has been keenly felt as it provided a pleasant and convenient local service.
In a misguided fit of enthusiasm, I briefly considered booking tickets to go to London next month to see Predator: Badlands at the IMAX cinema at Waterloo. However, I balked at the price and when I considered the train journey and the fact I’d be going on my own, apathy got the better of me. I decided to wait until the film becomes available on Disney + etc. Hence cinema’s loss is streaming’s gain, which seems to be becoming an all too familiar story. I’ve only been to the cinema once this year and that was to the British Film Institute, where I saw an old classic, Electra Glide in Blue, rather than a new film. Last year I went to the cinema three times. All visits were to my local venue, the Sidcup Storyteller. Sadly that cinema has been closed since the end of July and its future has hung in the balance. Its absence has been keenly felt as it provided a pleasant and convenient local service.
The Sidcup Storyteller cinema temporarily closed because its operator, Really Local Group (RLG), went into liquidation. RLG faced wider financial difficulties, which led to the closure of its venues and a temporary closure of the Sidcup cinema for a refurbishment and transition to new management. The cinema was expected to reopen under a new operator, supported by Bexley Council in September. Sadly, finding a replacement operator with the necessary experience has proven harder than expected. However, it would appear that the management team behind Hackney’s Castle Cinema are looking to run the Sidcup Storyteller, which seems very reassuring. The Castle Cinema is an independent, crowd-funded community movie theatre and not affiliated to any corporate behemoths.
As there is no timetable at present for the re-opening of the Sidcup Storyteller cinema, I shall have to look to nearby alternatives for my immediate cinematic needs. There is the Vue cinema in Eltham High Street and Cineworld in Bexleyheath Broadway. They’re not my first choice as I’ve had issues with them in the past, such as film’s being shown in the wrong aspect ratio and lighting being insufficiently dimmed. They also seem to favour the most commercially viable films to schedule. Hence you don’t always get as much choice as you would like. Plus they tend to attract younger viewers who struggle with the social etiquette associated with a trip to the cinema. Therefore, I hope that an appropriate deal can be struck between the Castle Cinema management and Bexley Council, resulting in the Sidcup Storyteller cinema re-opening its doors soon.
