It's the only cinema in Beckenham and is the best cinema in the borough of Bromley, such is the dreadfulness of the Empire in Bromley. It's the classic local cinema of your youth; the sort of cinema you'd go to nowadays if you lived in the immediate area, wanted to watch a movie on a Wednesday night and could not be bothered to go elsewhere. The screens are small, the sound isn't up to scratch, the seats are uncomfortable and there's no air conditioning, making it awful in the summer.
However, if it were priced based on its shortcomings, this wouldn't be a problem but it isn't. It's priced as if it were a really great cinema, the likes of which you might find in Greenwich or Croydon or out at Bluewater. It isn't. As such, it's a miss for me. If I don't want to drive, I get on the tram and go to the Vue in Central Croydon. If I do want to drive, I'd rather go to Bluewater and make a real evening of it. read more