Allison Franklin and Chris Gilson look at the possibilities of having a pop up cinema in West Ealing.
Pop up shops and restaurant are common in London nowadays: an empty retail unit is taken over for a few weeks with minimal fittings and then it’s gone. This concept has now extended to cinemas; films are being shown in places as diverse as old railway tunnels, under motorway flyovers and even abandoned petrol stations.
There are thousands of square feet of unused office space along the Uxbridge Road. This space could be easily used as a pop up cinema. A pop up cinema would need:
- empty available indoor space. There’s plenty of that locally
- a licence to show films
- some comfy furniture (sourced via Freecycle) or people could bring their own
- basic catering
- tickets (Rymans. Sorted.)
Pop up cinemas are very attractive as they will provide a way for people to get together and meet their neighbours and other locals, and not break the bank going to the pictures.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.
If you’re interested in helping out with starting a pop up cinema in West Ealing, pop us an email.
Sounds like an excellent idea. I am looking to create a design for a potential Pop Up cinema in Ealing but cannot find access to details and plans of empty shops, stores and spaces in Ealing. Any ideas of where i can get access to these?
thanks