Hackney Picturehouse

Awww this is such a great cinema! I forget how good it is until I go back again and then I’m ooooh fancy! Why is it good then? Ah it’s the seats, they are just amazing. Comfy, reclining seats, which almost make you feel like you’re watching a movie in bed! Ideal! The screens are a great size and price wise it’s very competitive.
One thing I have to mention is the service. It’s so so sooooooo slow. Oh my! It takes waiting to a new level! My friend and I queued for over fifteen minutes for two hot drinks and in that time only two other coffees were made! So much faff, it’s unbelievable. Another let down is the coffee is instant from the machine and not freshly ground. Boooo!
Movie wise though, if want comfort, this is your place!

Fantastic use of a building that sat empty and sad for quite a while. The food in the cafeteria is yummy and the seating in the cinema itself is comfy too. I haven’t seen a film here, I went to a presentation, but I was very happy with the layout and quality of the renovation that had been done.

Every trip to Hackney Picturehouse for a film is bound to be a good one. As soon as you enter, you enter a vibrant, buzzing cinema where they really care about the art of film and local culture. There are several little nooks for groups of people to hang out together, and there is a little bar beyond the ticket entrance if you decide to get a drink before your film starts. There are also special events going on all the time that cater towards various interests as well as different age groups, even whole families.
Being able to buy your tickets online and getting assigned seats make the experience so much more relaxed, as well. Sure it means that you can’t be as spontaneous if you’d like a good seat for a highly anticipated film, but it’s so worth it to not worry about getting to the theatre too early or getting annoyed at those who save seats for parties of 10. Seats are really comfy and sound quality is great.
They also give some good deals on certain nights, and if you’d like to go regularly, the annual membership is well worth it. It’ll get you discounts on the tickets and the café.
Which brings me to the café. OK, not amazing food and the service is pretty slow, but the space is really fun. I had a pasta dish and thought it a bit too heavy without reason. Still, you forgive the small things because they also have Beavertown beer, which I love, and other drinks you can opt to bring inside the theatres.
So just in general a great cinema in the heart of one of the most exciting areas of London. Can’t really go wrong there!

Came here to watch ‘Bicycle’ the movie. It’s a local cinema and Bicycle was being shown here only on one night in London so figured I’d get tickets. It was quite cheap for a chance to see the only showing of the movie — a tenner — and included a Q&A with the producer at the end.
Coming into the picturehouse, it’s very similar to other cinemas you’re used to going into, except you don’t have that many movies to choose from but the prices seem to be cheaper. There are, however, multiple screens so they do show more than one movie at a time — I would guess about 6 – 8 movies but not quite sure.
The movie theatre we watched the movie in was actually quite spacious. Similar to other movie theatres you go in the UK — clean with ample leg room. Temperature was good — not too hot or cold. Good movie watching experience.
At the end they had a Q&A with the Bicycle producer which was nice — got to hear about how we made the movie and what inspired him to do it, etc.
All in all a good event time, would go again. Good location, easy to get to.

Hot damn, it’s my 500^th Unilocal review, and I’m going to spend this arbitrary landmark on the Hackney Picture House.
I live just down the street from this place, and despite how hipstertastic it sounds, I really like being in the vicinity of a cinema that shows its neighborhood a lot of love.
The Attic space is amazing, and I first came to it about a month into my London transplanting, and we did Ukelele Karaōke. That set the tone for how amazing this place is, just the four of us crooning like backalley kitties. And yes, we did do Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing.
I’ve since been back for other screenings, like the recent short film programme by Short Sighted Cinema that focused on Hackney. Lounging on a couch while sipping a Meantime pale ale is not a bad way to spend a Sunday evening.
The Picture House goes out of their way to do special screenings for various groups, like the Silver Screen ones are only £3 for people over 60 (and they get free tea and biscuits. They also do kid/​parent-​friendly screenings, and even autism-​friendly ones.
In short, lots of love for the Picture House. I’m even going back this weekend for a free Fringe festival film!

Hackney Picturehouse has it all — a great café/​restaurant, a bar, multiple screens and an event space — making it a wonderful place to hang out, eat, watch a film or see a performance. They always have great films on and sometimes offer interested weekend events for kids and adults alike.
The yearly membership is a godsend as well. As a student, for a mere £10 a year, I get two free cinema tickets, a discount on food and drinks, and invitations to early, free, members-​only screenings. It’s also only £4 for a Monday ticket as a member. The standard membership costs £40, but is still worth every penny if you visit Picturehouses often.
The space is nice, light and airy and provides a really relaxing, enjoyable experience no matter what you’re there for. They always have a range of films as well, so you may find them showing something you can’t see anywhere else!

A short walk from Hackney Central Overground Station, passed the Hackney Empire and opposite the Hackney Town Hall.
One of the largest and most comfortable Picturehouses in London, with great tiered seating, so good views wherever you sit, comfortable reclining seats and large screens. As with all other Picturehouses, an all day café bar, open to non-​cinema goers too. There are three floors, at the top floor there is the Hackney Attic, a lounge bar for intimate live music, comedy, open mic, DJs, which turns into a place of worship on a Sunday, an Evangelical Church hold their services there. My fave Picturehouse.

Cinema is good and staff are friendly, The food however is substandard.
Pizza bases a cooked from frozen and often under cooked and doughy.

We went to a Unilocal event here; live band karaōke. I really enjoyed it. It was upstairs in the attic which is a friendly open space. I had a lovely bottle of wine and we had a blast!
It was my birthday and I couldn’t have been happier. I would definitely visit this venue again.

Hackney Picture House is a haven of local cinema love.
I love this cinema and I’ve never even seen a movie here. I came for an event in the Attic, or their performance space on the top floor. It was a storytelling night and I couldn’t have been happier.
The space is intimate but not crowded (there’s a giant mirror on the back wall so it actually sometimes gives you the impression of it being way bigger than it actually is. Tricky.) There’s a bar with an excellent selection of drinks and snacks (so many good candy! Not the crappy basic stuff but cheesecake flavoured popcorn and chocolate honeycombs. Mmm.)
The sound system is great and easily heard though the entire space. Tables are littered throughout and the chairs are a mix of normal plastic ones and felt blocks that make you kind of feel like you’re a little kid again. Really a fun time.
There’s a restaurant on the first floor, screens throughout and they always play a nix mix of new movies and classic favourites. I’ll update when I finally see a film, but what a time I had in the attic. If there’s a show here you want to see, I’d absolutely recommend it.

My fave cinema within walking distance of my house!
I am in my 2^nd year of membership here, if you come often, it’s a really great deal. You get 3 free cinema tickets and £2 off standard tickets for the year. On cheap Mondays this means you can watch the latest flicks for the bargain price of £4! You also get 10% off food and drink (the food is really great here). The membership is also valid at other Picturehouses.
I often come just to hang out in the restaurant/​bar section downstairs.
Something else that is a bit special is the aeroplane style reclining seats

Brilliant local cinema with a mix of mainstream an arthouse fare. Well worth an annual membership for the cut-​rates on tickets and drinks!

We came here for the Kate Nash x Buffy gig on Halloween.
Who won’t love a venue that agreed to put on such a showing? I mean seriously WHO? Ok, the obvious answer would be all those Kate Nash fans who didn’t realise it was a Buffy Once More With Feeling geek out and thought Kate Nash in a wig was the warm up– or something equally silly like that… But after the whole performance/​screening, the die hards who stayed ended up having a sing along– deffo soaring into best gigs ever territory.
The cinema itself looked clean with inventive «installations» between levels and the staff we spoke to were all very jolly and helpful.
(I guess I could be spiteful and remove one star for being on the other side of town.)

Ah! Promised myself to make this a short review, but it ticked so many boxes I had to give detail! (If you want the summary — it’s great, only lost a star for being a bit uncomfortably busy, so I’m sure the management aren’t complaining!!)
Those who know me will be aware of my slightly disconcerting obsession with obtaining a decent coffee — so, I started frequenting the Picture House on the promise of a great place to get a decent late-​night coffee in Hackney and I wasn’t disappointed.
Not only is the smooth brew served up in delightful crockery, it’s usually served with a little biscotti on the side — a particular source of joy to someone who got used to drinking coffee in the Netherlands, which strictly comes with a complimentary sweetener.
But what really makes this place special as a venue? Well the atmosphere is vibrant — perhaps a little too vibrant at times. It is newly opened (time of writing — January 2012) so proving very popular with the on-​trend locals. It gets particularly busy at peak cinema times (Friday night etc.), so it’s recommended to book ahead for you movies.
An unfortunate side-​effect of the popularity is that it can be hard to get a seat to have a drink/​coffee/​chat before the movie in the café. A secret tip is the lesser-​known café on the 2^nd floor, which doesn’t have a lot of seating in itself, but more room in busy times.
If you are fortunate to go at a quieter time, you’ll pick up on the nuances that make this place a special neighbourhood venue. I particularly liked the ‘thought of the day’ from the chef, which is written on a blackboard in the kitchen. On one occasion I even saw the chef come out and discuss the food with some customers, which I thought was a nice touch. I haven’t had the chance to try the food yet, but the prices are decent and even more so if you have yearly membership, which is cheap in itself.
I also like the creative uses they have for the Hackney Attic venue space. For instance, I attended a Question Time tweet-​along event there, which was really well set-​up and ran smoothly, for their first time hosting that event. It’s also worth noting I went by myself, but the staff are so friendly that I was at ease and they were decent enough to make conversation with me.
If you’re looking for a high quality cinematic experience with a personal touch — the Picturehouse comes highly recommended.

Great cinema with a bar and refreshment counter. I believe they serve hot food but didn’t sit down to try as we were only here for the movie, although they do a good ginger tea and vanilla ice crea.
Auditoriums are fantastic with probably the most comfy seats we’ve had in a long, long time they actually recline a little so you can really sink into it and get really cosy. Seating is arranged so that there’s little obstruction from those in front of you and the large screen is big enough to ensure a decent audience size without feeling overcrowded. Technically the sound and picture are what you’d expect and fantastic and give the West End screens a run for their money.
They’re screening current films so it would be nice if they’d get hold of some arthouse fare too, otherwise this is a great alternative if you’re an east end local and don’t want to travel too far for a movie.

Let’s start with the most important details shall we?
Ticket prices: £10 Tuesday to Sunday (more than Rio), £6 on a Monday and YES They do do Orange Wednesdays but as per Orange Wednesday rules, tickets must be bought in person.
Right, as for the rest:
This beautiful building, opposite Hackney Town Hall, has been converted into a stunningly attractive 4-​screen cinema.
As you enter the stylish lobby area you see a very nice bar/​kitchen to the left, serving draught beers, wines, soft drinks, snacks, cakes and a small menu of salads, soups and some other items. I am yet to try out the café but it looks great and I am eager to come back.
I went to Screen 4, a tiny cinema with only 56 seats arranged in 5 rows. It was very cosy and intimate but may not be your thing if you’re after a massive screen. The seats are very comfy and applying a bit of pressure to the back rest with allow them to recline a little. Screen 1 is a lot bigger, seating 300 people and will be showing the main release of the week.
There is a music venue called the Hackney Attic somewhere in the building (maybe the Attic?) which plans to put on live music and more in the future and you can become a member (as with all picturehouse cinemas) and get reduced price tickets, food, drink and more.
You can book online and if you do, it’s worthwhile printing out the QR code as this can be scanned by the ticket collector instead of taking a ticket which can save you having to deal with those automated ticket collection machines.