The best cinemas in London
The top 3 according to 77 votes from people: Prince Charles Cinema · BFI Southbank · Genesis Cinema. (Updated Jun 18, 2025.)
Independent picture houses, repertory screens and the capital's grandest auditoriums, as picked by Time Out, Far Out and London film fans.
Top 15
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1
Prince Charles Cinema
Cult repertory cinema off Leicester Square known for sing-alongs, all-nighters and 70mm screenings.
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2
BFI Southbank
The British Film Institute's home under Waterloo Bridge, with seasons, archive prints and the Mediatheque.
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3
Genesis Cinema
Independent cinema in Mile End with cheap tickets on a site used for entertainment since 1848.
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4
Curzon Soho
Arthouse cinema on Shaftesbury Avenue with a popular bar, a hub for world cinema.
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5
Barbican Cinema
Three screens inside the Brutalist Barbican Centre with themed seasons and Q&As.
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6
The Lexi Cinema
Volunteer-run cinema in Kensal Rise that donates its profits to charity.
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7
ArtHouse Crouch End
Community arthouse cinema in north London with affordable tickets and local shorts.
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8
Electric Cinema Portobello
One of Britain's oldest working cinemas (1910) on Portobello Road, with leather armchairs and front-row beds.
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9
Everyman Hampstead
Sofa-seated boutique cinema in a former 1919 drill hall in Hampstead.
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10
The Rio Cinema
Grade II-listed Art Deco community cinema on Kingsland High Street in Dalston.
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11
Regent Street Cinema
Known as the birthplace of British cinema: the Lumière brothers screened films here in 1896.
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12
The Castle Cinema
Crowdfunded neighbourhood cinema in Homerton, Hackney, in a 1913 picture house.
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13
Picturehouse Central
Seven-screen cinema opened in 2015 at Piccadilly Circus, with its lightbulb-lit staircase and members' bar.
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14
The Garden Cinema
Independent cinema opened in 2022 in Covent Garden, devoted to classics and new arthouse films.
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15
Phoenix Cinema
East Finchley cinema open since 1912, one of the oldest continuously operating in the UK.
Candidates
They don't make it into the top 15… yet. Vote for them to move them up.
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16
Ritzy Picturehouse
Brixton's 1911 cinema with a café-bar and live music upstairs.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
Is something missing?
Comments (12)
Prince Charles still the best, saw a 70mm screening there last month.
The Castle Cinema in Hackney is lovely.
Prince Charles is showing the Lord of the Rings extended marathon again this month!
The Garden Cinema is still my favourite, best programming in London.
Where's the BFI IMAX? Biggest screen in the UK!
Fair point but this list seems to be about independent cinemas more than screens.
Rio in Dalston for the Saturday morning kids' screenings 👌
BFI Southbank has the best programming in London, the members' ballot for the festival is a nightmare though
The Electric on Portobello with the sofas and footstools at the front... best date night
The Garden Cinema in Covent Garden is lovely, only opened recently and it's already one of my favourites
Prince Charles Cinema at #1 is the correct answer. Sing-along Sound of Music and 35mm all-nighters.
Genesis in Mile End is so cheap and the screens are great, proper local gem