The historic cinema Bromley Picturehouse is scheduled to cease operations in August, with screenings and events past this date cancelled.
Bromley Picturehouse cinema is set to close from 1st August, the venue announced over social media yesterday afternoon, putting a recently unveiled memorial to a local actor at risk.
The six-screen, art-deco style cinema has been managed by Picturehouse since 2019 after a significant refurbishment, and two weeks ago unveiled a plaque to local Harry Potter actor Rob Knox – who was fatally stabbed while protecting his younger brother in 2008.
Aaron Truss, trustee of the Rob Knox Foundation and director of ITV documentary (K)nox: The Rob Knox Story, had recently made the decision to move the Rob Knox Film Festival to the venue, and worked with Bromley staff to set up the memorial plaque.
“We were in negotiations for months planning this, planning how to introduce Rob to the community… The hope was that this would be Rob’s forever home,” he said.
Truss had two events scheduled for the cinema later this year, including a Q&A with BAFTA-nominated actor Ray Winstone in October. Since informing him both events have been cancelled, Truss says Picturehouse head office has not been in contact.
None of the people we spoke to for this article have been given a reason for the closure, nor have they been told what will happen to the venue next.
According to Deadline, an email to loyalty scheme members has confirmed Fulham Road Picturehouse, also taken over from Cineworld and refurbished in 2019, will close on 11th July.
Kyri Georgiou, managing director and founder of the South London Film Festival, has been running events at the cinema since 2022, when the venue was home to the first ever large-scale Pride event in the borough.
He said: “I’ve worked with loads of venues, and the team at Bromley were such a breath of fresh air… They really bent over backwards to support the community.”
Like other cinemas across the UK, Bromley has faced a difficult few years following the pandemic. Post-Covid apprehension and a drought of new releases after last year’s Hollywood strikes all contributing to reduced visitor numbers, reportedly causing Picturehouse’s parent company, Cineworld, to look at “a potential disposal of its UK operations”, according to Sky News.
Film Stories has reached out to Picturehouse for comment.