Secret Cinema

Would you pay $100 for a movie ticket?  Some would say no, but what I’m about to tell you might change your mind.  An entertainment company called Secret Cinema charges $100 per ticket, but the experience is unlike any other in the world.  This company gathers audiences of up to one thousand people to experience this movie and most of the time they won’t tell the movie goers what the movie title is, given that the company’s slogan is “tell no one.”

Every ticket holder is told where to go, what to wear, and given a secret identity. These messages are usually in a series of cryptic messages.  When the company did Dr. Strangelove, the messages were written in the form of army dispatches. For 28 Days Later the invitations were hospital appointments.  Once the audience members arrive to the location they go to their seats. Some people in the front get to sit in themed seats based on the movie. Audience members for Dead Poet’s Society almost all of the audience members were sat in desks and the actors interacted with the audience like they were their classmates.  For 28 Days Later some of the audience members were sat in hospital beds as they watched the actors put on the performance.  The actors sometimes pick audience members and instruct them what to do and include them into the performance.

The company’s most recent performance was Dirty Dancing.  All the audience members showed up in period style costumes and some were carrying watermelons to go with one of the most memorable lines from the movie.  They would take dance lessons, eat snacks in the “staff quarters” and played lawn games.  Towards the end of the night they would watch the movie on the big screen along with the actors.  This Secret Cinema event was so popular that the actual movie was on the UK Box Office Top 10 again, 30 years after it was released.