Hugh Grant Rails Against Closure Of Local Picturehouse Cinema: “Let’s All Sit At Home And Watch ‘Content’… While Scrolling”
Hugh Grant has spoken out against the closure of his local Picturehouse Cinema in southwest London on the eve of screens going black at the venue which has been home to a cinema theater for nearly one hundred years.
Picturehouse, the UK boutique cinema arm of ailing global exhibitor Cineworld, announced the closure on July 11 of its Fulham Road cinema theater, last month.
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Grant, who lives close to the cinema theater and is regularly captured by paparazzi whizzing about the area on his Vespa, lamented the move.
“Fulham Rd cinema closing after 94 years. Strangely unbearable. Let’s all sit at home and watch « content » on « streaming ». While scrolling. Miserable face emoji,” the Wonka and Love Actually star wrote on his @HackedOffHugh X account.
Fulham Rd cinema closing after 94 years. Strangely unbearable. Let’s all sit at home and watch « content » on « streaming ». While scrolling. Miserable face emoji. pic.twitter.com/NY2jo9R7TO
— Hugh Grant (@HackedOffHugh) July 9, 2024
Grant is best known for his feature film credits but has appeared in a handful of streamer shows and movies including HBO’s The Undoing and The Regime as well as the Netflix-backed Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
A raft of local film and TV celebrities joined Grant in his lament in the comments section of his post, including actors James Dreyfus (House of the Dragon) and Emmerdale and Coronation Street actor Michael Warburton, who seen most recently in Netflix’s The Strays, as well as broadcaster Terry Christian.
“Lived around the corner from a cinema as a kid – like something magic,” wrote Christian. “We used to walk around and look at the stills of what was showing and imagine. Should protect them like the French do.”
“Once these palaces are gone they don’t come back people!,” chimed Warburton.
The Fulham Road cinema is among of three Picturehouse theaters due to close in the coming weeks alongside its Stratford East theatre in east London, which closes on July 28, and Bromley Picturehouse theater in outer London which shuts on August 1.
The closure comes as beleaguered parent company Cineworld attempts to restructure its UK assets, with the support of AlixPartners, which helped the exhibitor navigate Chapter 11 in the U.S. in the wake of its pandemic era losses.
According to a Sky News report last week, Cineworld is looking to close a quarter of its 100 UK cinemas, and renegotiate rental agreements on around 50 sites.
The future use of the Picturehouse Fulham Road site, which lies within the upmarket Boltons Conservation area, is unclear for now.
Martin’s Properties, which owns the Fulham Road Picturehouse building, told Deadline in June that it was in the early stages of a consultation process with the local council and community.
“Among our priorities will be to preserve and protect the Art Deco façade of the building on Fulham Road, and we are also exploring options for retaining some cinema use,” said the company.
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