Culture in London

Going to Cinema and Theatre in London can be pricey, especially if you go at peak times (evenings and weekends). But, there are plenty of ways to save money with discounted tickets, cheap days, online vouchers and Pay What You Can Events. But if you’re a regular cinema or theatre goer – it might be with getting a membership. Here’s our guide to the best value theatre and cinema memberships in London. How to decide which membership is worth it for you? If you’re considering buying a cinema or theatre membership, chances are you’re already going regularly. But how do you decide which venue deserves your loyalty and hard earned cash? More expensive memberships may feel as if they tie you to one specific venue. But there are plenty of chain memberships, and low-cost lifetime memberships if variety is your bag. Membership schemes can come with other benefits too. Apart from access to free and discounted tickets, other perks include: Priority booking Members only events and screenings Discounts on associate streaming services Members spaces (cafés and bars) Discounts off food and drink But if you’re mainly going to see occasional shows or big blockbuster movies, it’s worth noting that sites like TodayTix and TKTS will help you find lower cost seats. And cinema chain Vue sells tickets every day, and it’s only slightly more in the West End at There are also regular voucher code and discount schemes at Odeon, Cineworld and Vue including Meerkat Movies and O2 Priority. Summary table of Cinema Memberships in London Membership Type Annual Price Free Tickets Discounted Tickets London Cinemas Other perks Link Odeon Limitless Big Chain 170 unlimited 21 10% off food and drink click here Everyman Luxury Chain 99 7 Bring a free guest on mondays 14 10% off food and drink click here Picturehouse Arthouse Chain 90 5 £3 off 13 Access to members bar and roof terrace, 10% off food and drink click here Curzon Luxury Chain 50 5 20% off 10 10% off food and drink click here BFI Independent 37 2 up to £2 off 2 10% off food and drink, No booking fees for BFI festivals click here Prince Charles Cinema Independent 15 0 £2.50+ off plus regular £1 screenings Leicester Square 15% off food and drink, local business discounts click here ArtHouse Crouch End Independent / Arthouse 25 2 25% off 2 25% off food and drink click here The Phoenix Independent 35 3 £2 off East Finchley 10% off food and drink click here The Garden Cinema Independent / Arthouse 20 (lifetime) 1 £2 off, bi-weekly free screenings Covent Garden Members' online community click here The Lexi Independent 35 3 £2 off Kensal Rise 10% off food and drink click here Rio Cinema Independent / Arthouse 30 2 up to 20% off Dalston 15% off food and drink click here The Castle Cinema Independent 30 2 up to 20% off Clapton 10% off food and drink click here Regent Street Cinema Independent 85 2 £2 off Regent Street 15% off food and drink click here Chain cinema memberships The advantage of joining chain cinema is that you’re not tied into one venue, and (depending on your membership), you can make use of it outside of London too. Odeon Odeon has had a bit of an upgrade in recent years, and Odeon Luxe cinemas come with recliner seats. You can get cheap Odeon tickets via voucher code schemes. But, at a month (or for the Luxe cinemas, including West End, where a single ticket can cost over ) Odeon’s Limitless plan is pretty good value. If you want to see the latest films with your feet up, this is a very good option. Cost: - a month Where can I use it?: Any Odeon in the UK (apart from the West End for the cheapest membership) Membership types: Monthly What you get: Unlimited film screenings, advance previews, 10% off food and drink. Everyman Everyman is one of London’s more expensive cinema chains, and you’re mostly paying for fancy interiors and very comfy sofa seating. These cinemas are great for date nights or seeing films with a long running time in comfort. These are luxury cinemas and the prices reflect that. The cheapest membership gives you 6 free tickets a year, money off food and drinks and you can bring a guest for free on Mondays. The top-tier membership is a very steep per month, but it gives you unlimited access for you and guests for a year. But considering a peak time ticket costs around , going once a week would be decent value. Cost: From per year Where can I use it?: Everyman cinemas across the UK (London venues include Hampstead, King’s Cross, Muswell Hill and Screen on the Green, Islington) Membership types: Three levels from – per year Picturehouse Like Everyman, Picturehouse has the style and programming of an indie cinema, but it’s a fairly large chain (owned by Cineworld), with venues across the UK as well as all over London. In London, there are two levels of adult membership: West End and London. The former comes with the added perk access to the members bar and roof terrace of Picturehouse Central, which is a pretty nice spot for co-working and costs per year. You can also sign in up to three guests to the members' bars. The London membership is per year, excluding Picturehouse Central. All memberships come with UK-wide discounts on tickets, priority booking, discounted food and drink and five free tickets a year. Cost: – per year Where can I use it?: Any Picture House in the UK (excluding Picturehouse Central unless you have a West End membership). Other London cinemas include Finsbury Park, Hackney, Dulwich and Ritzy in Brixton Membership types: Adult, Student (full-time education), and Over 60s What you get: At least 5 free tickets per year, discounted tickets, priority booking and for the London West End membership, access to the members bars at Picturehouse Central, Finsbury Park Curzon Curzon is the original of what we’ll call the ‘big three’ of luxury cinema chains. Curzon Soho and Curzon Mayfair which are both much-loved London cinemas. There are no member spaces with their memberships. But the public cafés and bars are great places to hang out. Aside from free and discounted tickets, one of the biggest perks is 20% off Curzon Home Cinema rentals. If you like beautiful independent cinemas and watching arthouse films at home, the Classic membership is great value for money. Cost: Annual fees of (Classic local), for Classic or for Cult Where can I use it?: Any Curzon cinema in the UK for the Classic or Cult memberships. Membership types: Under 25, Classic and Cult What you get: Five free tickets a year (or a week if you get the Cult membership!), 20% off tickets for you and a guest, 20% off Curzon Home Cinema rentals, 10% off food and drink. Cheapo tip: Look out for periodic discounts throughout the year, (such as Black Friday in November, and Christmas deals) where you might be able to save around 40% on an annual membership Independent cinema memberships Buying memberships is a great way to support London’s arthouse and indie cinemas. If you’re a film buff, or want somewhere to watch great indie films, cinema classics or non-English language films, check out these memberships. BFI The British Film Institute is the home of UK cinema and hosts the London Film Festival and BFI Flare: London LGBTQ+ Film Festival each year. The BFI is the perfect place for cinephiles, with regular seasons of classic films, independent and experimental films as well as new releases. It’s also just a lovely place to hang out, with a beautiful bar area, library, and café. Some events sell out quickly, especially with special guest Q&As with people like Jackie Chan, Jodie Foster, and Robert De Niro, but members get priority booking Cost: annual fee Where can I use it?: The BFI Southbank and The BFI IMAX. Membership types: Standard annual membership What you get: Two free tickets a year, discounted tickets for members and up to three guests, exclusive events, priority bookings. No booking fees on BFI festivals, BFI Imax and BFI Southbank Prince Charles Cinema, Leicester Square The PCC is another legendary independent cinema in London It’s also one of the few cinemas where audience participation is encouraged, during select films at least. Often programming cult films (The Room screenings are notorious), quote-a-longs and even sing-a-longs; the Prince Charles Cinema is a raucous night at the movies. It’s also arguably the best value cinema membership in London. With an annual membership from and lifetime membership for [priceamount=60], it’s also a serious contender for the best value cinema membership in London. Member rewards include regular [priceamount=1] screenings, discounts off tickets, and local business discounts. Cost: annual or lifetime membership Where can I use it?: The Prince Charles Cinema, Leicester Square Membership types: Annual or lifetime membership What you get: discounted tickets for members, exclusive events, priority bookings, regular screenings. The ArtHouse, Crouch End The small, two-screen neighbourhood cinema The Arthouse is a cosy place to catch independent, non-English language films, and as you might have guessed – arthouse cinema. But you can also catch the latest major releases, and the venue also hosts live music and comedy events too. Members get two free film tickets a year, plus discounts on other bookings and drinks and snacks. The classic membership costs a year, with 2 free tickets a year and 25% discounts on ticket sales and food and drink. There are heavily discounted memberships for 15-25 and over 60s too, both available for (same member perks) Cost: – annual membership Where can I use it?: Art House Crouch End Membership types: Annual or lifetime membership What you get: Two free tickets, 25% off ticket bookings, 25% off drinks and snacks The Phoenix, East Finchley North Londoners are spoilt for lovely cinemas. The Phoenix is one of the oldest cinemas in London, and shows new releases, independent films, arthouse films, classic films and special screenings. As of mid-December 2024, the cinema now has two screens and has upgraded its soundsystem too. Locals (and non-locals) can join as friends of the Phoenix with annual single or joint memberships which range from to (there’s a level, which is more of a wealthy patron type affair), there’s also free memberships for 15-26 year olds. Perks include 3-4 free tickets, off bookings and 10% off in the Café, Bar. Cost: - Annual memberships Where can I use it?: The Phoenix, East Finchley Membership types: Annual, multi-tier, single What you get: Three free tickets, discounted ticket booking, 10% off drinks and snacks The Garden Cinema, Covent Garden Although it may be Art-Deco in style, The Garden Cinema is one of the newest independent cinemas in London. With a focus on arthouse and classic cinema, it also offers one of the cheapest annual memberships in London at just . Members get off tickets, as well as bi-weekly screenings. There is a community aspect to The Garden Cinema too, with members only events and an online area to chat with other members and even suggest screenings. Cost: annual membership Where can I use it?: The Garden Cinema, Holborn/Covent Garden Membership types: Annual What you get: One free ticket, discounted ticket booking, member events, advance booking Theatre memberships Theatre memberships are arguably better for early access to popular shows, rather than big ticket discounts. But, if you’re a regular theatre-goer, these are some of the best value membership schemes in London. Theatre Club As the name suggests, Theatre Club is a member-club for different shows. It covers West End plays, musicals, fringe shows and comedies. Previous shows have included Pretty Woman: The Musical, Disney’s Frozen, Les Miserables, Hairspray and Leopoldstadt. Members can access tickets for listed shows at lower rates. Cost: From to Where can I use it?: Multiple Theatre venues across London Membership types: Annual, multi-level What you get: Discounted tickets to select shows ATG Theatre Card ATG runs many of the UK’s major commercial Theatres. If you see an ad for a big West End show, there’s a good chance it’s on at an ATG venue. So if you’re a Theatreland regular, this membership might be for for you. You can make ticket savings on select shows, as well on booking fees or exchange fees if you need to switch a booking. And, as with most theatre memberships, priority access will help you to secure tickets to shows that are likely to sell out. Cost: Where can I use it?: ATG venues Membership types: Annual What you get: Discounted tickets, savings on transaction fees, cloakroom pass, food and drink discounts Central Tickets (Seat-filler membership) Central Tickets is a seat-filling agency, where members get tickets to shows including plays, musicals and classical music concerts for as little as to around , and that includes major West End productions. It’s free to join, so you may as well! You just have to book one show every 12 months to retain access. Interested in more arts and culture discounts? Check our guide to museum and gallery memberships.

Culture in London

The Best Value Cinema and Theatre Memberships in London

Where To See Art in South East London For Free

Culture in London

The Best Value Cinema and Theatre Memberships in London

Where To See Art in South East London For Free

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