Secret Cinema, the immersive production company that has spent nearly two decades staging theatrical film events at temporary London locations, is one step closer to opening a permanent home after submitting a premises licence application for its planned 1,500-seat venue on the Greenwich Peninsula.
Greenwich Council had already granted planning permission for the auditorium and event space a month earlier. The site is designed to operate for up to 10 years, with a structure flexible enough to host a succession of large-scale productions. The company says the venue will be able to switch between different immersive formats, allowing it to present a rolling programme of titles rather than a single show.
Late-night opening and alcohol sales on the table
The application now before the council's Licensing Sub-Committee B requests a premises licence that would permit the venue to open and sell alcohol until 11.30pm from Monday to Friday, and until midnight on Saturdays and Sundays. Premises licences are a legal requirement for any business in England and Wales that intends to sell alcohol, provide regulated entertainment, or serve late-night refreshments.
One of the key conditions of the licence would be the hours of operation. If approved, the 1,500-seat auditorium would be able to hold evening screenings and performances that run late into the night, supported by a bar and refreshment offer. The planning permission, granted by Greenwich Council last month, already permits the construction of the venue, but the premises licence is necessary to bring those operational plans to life.
Secret Cinema's immersive legacy
Secret Cinema has been producing its signature events across the capital since 2007. The company's concept involves transforming non-traditional spaces into fully realised worlds, with actors, sets, props and audience participation working together to make each screening feel like a live experience. Patrons are often given character roles, dress codes and secret meeting points in the days before the show.
Past productions have included Guardians of the Galaxy at Wembley in 2022 and Stranger Things in Canning Town in 2019. Currently, the company is staging Grease The Immersive Movie Musical at Battersea Park, with performances due to run until mid-September. The new Greenwich venue is intended to end the company's reliance on temporary sites, providing a permanent base from which it can develop and stage projects throughout the year.
A statement of intent from the company
In a statement, Secret Cinema described the proposed venue as "the state-of-the-art immersive venue" and said it will be "designed flexibly, as a potential home to a successive series of immersive productions based on some of the most famous and high profile film titles in the world." The wording suggests the company plans to use the space as a rotating home for its most ambitious projects, with each production installed for a limited season before being replaced.
The venue's location on the Greenwich Peninsula places it at the heart of a rapidly growing cultural district. Just next door, the Troubadour Theatre is under construction, having received planning permission earlier this year. That grand theatre will have 3,000 seats, making it the largest-capacity theatre in the capital once it opens. Together, the two venues will add thousands of new entertainment seats to the peninsula, joining the O2 arena and its surrounding leisure outlets.
Objections from nearby residents
Despite the positive vision, the premises licence application has been met with some opposition. Two local residents have submitted formal objections, expressing concerns that the late-night opening hours and sale of alcohol could lead to noise, anti-social behaviour and disturbance for people living in the residential areas close to the venue.
The council's Licensing Sub-Committee B will hear the application and the objections on 11 August. The committee has the power to grant the licence, grant it with modified conditions, or refuse it entirely. If approved, the venue will also be subject to standard licensing objectives covering public safety, the prevention of public nuisance and the protection of children from harm.
What happens next
With the licence decision scheduled for next month, attention will soon turn to the next phases of the project. Secret Cinema has not yet announced an opening date for the permanent venue, nor has it revealed which films or immersive experiences will be staged there first. However, the company's track record suggests it will aim to make the space a landmark destination for film lovers and theatre fans alike.
The granting of both planning permission and a premises licence would mark a major milestone for the company, allowing it to move beyond the temporary marquees, warehouses and outdoor sites that have defined its first 19 years. For the Greenwich Peninsula, it would add another pillar in the area's transformation from an industrial post-war estate into one of London's most active entertainment venues and residential neighbourhoods.
