The Jewel in the Coronet
An amazing and tucked away cinema just down the road
If my undergrad is anything to go by most people don’t spend a huge amount of time in Notting Hill Gate. You might make it up to Edgeware Road or into Bayswater for a year but for the most part those I know spend most of their time hanging out in Fulham or Shepherd’s Bush. Everything in Notting Hill Gate is overpriced and there’s not really that much there right? Wrong. The Coronet Cinema is a hidden gem that is not to be missed. Independent cinemas are much less numerous than they used to be as the big cinema chains are able to offer more films at more times in more locations. Those that survive are generally forced to find some niche to fit into; foreign movies or arts films, etc; unable to afford the high prices for studio blockbusters on the limited showings and audience sizes they can manage.
Not so the Coronet Cinema. Though they only manage four films at any one time and can only have limited showings each day on their two screens, the Coronet manages to survive in an industry where big business usually wears the crown. You would assume then that the prices they charge must be extortionate; directly on Notting Hill Gate, trying to survive, how could they not be? Well I’m not sure but at £7.50 a ticket they manage to beat the price of most top cinemas. Perhaps the lack of the 3D and HFR gimics of modern multiscreen keeps their costs down. So what’s the drawback? Well so far as I can tell there isn’t one! An old theatre building means that both screens are in a beautiful rooms that feel more like going to a play than a film and the quirky “No Smoking” and “Coming Soon” ads that seem to have been there since the early 90s give the place a nostalgic feel that really gets you in the mood.
If that’s not enough for you, why not go on their student night? On a Monday it makes a great alternative to Orange Wednesdays, especially for anyone that maybe plays sport on a Wednesday afternoon. The price then goes down to £3.50 a ticket! And you get your popcorn for a whopping £1.50. Or, you could choose to eschewthe popcorn and have a cheeky glass of wine or any other kiosk item on the same offer. So a large glass of wine, and The Hobbit for a fiver? I’d pay more than that in quite a lot of pubs, and I’d probably get a worse seat too!
Check out what’s on at:
103 Notting Hill Gate
London
W11 3LB
