Fulham Road Picturehouse Closes This Week
Historic cinema thanks fans for '94 years of movie memories'
The Picturehouse cinema on Fulham Road
July 8, 2024
Fulham Road’s historic Picturehouse Cinema will finally close its doors this Thursday, 11 July.
The cinema, which has been an iconic Fulham Road landmark for over 90 years, has become one of the victims of a “restructuring” programme being carried out by Picturehouse’s parent company, global exhibitor Cineworld.
The cinema is announcing the imminent closure to passers using these famous words:
“ Here’s looking at you kid” and “So long, partner”.
Its message continues: “ Thank you for 94 years of movie memories. We are closing our doors on 11 July.”
Picturehouse, which is the luxury boutique arm of Cineworld, had originally made the announcement to members of its loyalty scheme. In an email titled “A fond farewell to Fulham Road”, it said: “We’re very sorry to announce that we’ve made the tough decision to close Fulham Road Picturehouse from Thursday 11 July. Between now and then, you can continue to enjoy all the cinema has to offer.”
The closure means that Fulham is left with just one cinema, the Vue at Fulham Broadway, though Kings Road already has one luxury Everyman Cinema and a second is coming soon in the new Gaumont development.
The art deco building housing the six screen cinema had been given a 1930s-style renovation in 2019, when it switched from Cineworld and reopened as Picturehouse. However, since the pandemic, fewer people have been visiting cinemas, with venues across the country suffering from the slowdown.
Cineworld, which runs over 100 venues nationwide, is also closing two other London cinemas this summer, in Bromley and East Stratford.
The owner of the Fulham Road building, local developer Martin’s Properties, is now considering its future - and is offering a glimmer of hope to disappointed moviegoers.
In a statement, the company said: “ We are committed to securing a long-term future for this building and are already in discussions with officers at Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council.
“‘Among our priorities will be to preserve and protect the Art Deco façade of the building on Fulham Road, and we are also exploring options for retaining some cinema use."
However, the company admitted: “ That is increasingly challenging as a consequence of the severe challenges faced by the UK cinema industry in recent years with reducing admissions, made worse at Fulham Road by increased local competition and a building that is unsuitable for a 21st century cinema.”
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