Stretching your student loan: cinema on a budget

5. Picturehouse Cinema – £5 Matinee; £7 Weekdays

When you think of cinema chains, you think of overpriced popcorn at Odeon, or £15 tickets at Vue, but Picturehouses breaks the mold. Located in some of the most archi-tecturally unique buildings in London, Picturehouses spreads from the Ritzy Theatre in Central Brixton, to the centre of Piccadilly Circus, to just across the park from Imperial at the Gate, Notting Hill. There is no shortage of them, but they definitely do not fall short on cheap tickets, comfy seats and great venues in great locations. Picturehouse Central offers the slightly more premium budget option, but still cheap on weekday matinees. The best place to impress a date or just give yourself a little taste of the life of luxury.

Nearest Station: Notting Hill Gate / Brixton / Hackney Wick

4. Prince Charles Cinema - As Cheap as £1; Matinee - £4.50

Alongside all the IMAXs and the Vues/Empires/Odeons, down a dingy alley lies undis-putedly one of London’s greatest cult icons, the Prince Charles. Still proudly showing its Time Out best cinema 2008 on its door, the Prince Charles is home to not only screenings of the latest blockbusters, but daily screenings of cult classics, alongside unique events. With monthly Mean Girls Bitch-a-longs, Frozen Sing-a-longs, all night pyjama parties and screenings of the greatest cinema ever produced, The Room. Prince Charles Cinema is a place where you are expected to throw spoons at the screen, and shout ‘On Wednesdays we wear pink!’ and enjoy film to a level you’ve never experienced before.

Nearest Station: Leicester Square

3. Genesis Cinema – £5-7.50 - Matinee - Weekdays

Located right next door to Shoreditch and in the middle of one of the most evolving areas of London, Genesis in East London has always been a personal favourite of mine. Surrounded by hip bars and pop up restau-rants, with dirtily cheap £5 afternoon tickets, a multi-tude of both blockbuster, arthouse, experimental, international and premiere screenings all week, and an extra special set of screens with sofas so comfy they’ll make you weep even if you’re not watching The Notebook, Genesis Cinema has it all.

Nearest Station: Peckham Rye

2. ICA Cinema – £3 - Matinee - Wednesdays to Fridays

If you’re looking to broaden your horizons and explore the true arthouse scene of London look no further, with showings of some of the best con-tenders in the arthouse and international film world, ICA definitely has a lot going for it with its as cheap as £3 tickets in the afternoons and great location only a few stops away from Imperial. ICA is also hosting a plethora of events over the next couple weeks as part of BFI London Film Festival, so it’s definitely worth checking out.

Nearest Station: Picadilly Circus

1. PeckhamPlex – £4.99 - All Day, Every Day.

In the heart of one of the most culturally rich areas of south London, take a journey across the river to undoubtedly the best cinema deal any day of the week. The Peckham Plex £5 ticket all day every day policy is still going strong with no signs of price rise, so bag yourself a block-buster on the mega cheap, and while you’re at it get a taste of the hippest new area of London.

Nearest Station: Peckham Rye

Honourable Mentions

Greene Sundays at Lexi Cinema in Kensal Rise, gets you £2.50 blockbuster tickets in a cute and comfy venue. However be warned, tickets sell quick, book in advance! Looking for something with a bit more Ooo-la-la, the Cine Lumiere, just a short walk from Imperial, shows the creme de la crop of international films with a special focus on French. If you’re more on the arty side of film, then Barbican Cinema has a lot to offer. With a focus on young directors and indie films, Barbican’s £5 tickets are hard to turn down.