After 4 months of Covid-19 related lockdown, the cinemas at Riverside Studios become one of the first in London to reopen today with a programme of family favourites, classic titles and award-winning films.
Riverside, under a new leadership team that sees Rachel Tackley take the creative reigns of the iconic complex, has recently undergone a five year, £50m refurbishment, creating a multi-disciplinary arts and live events venue encompassing two theatres, television studios, as well as rehearsal and event spaces.
“We wanted to create a re-opening programme that would give families the chance to step out in safety, and experience something iconic on the big screen, after feeling trapped indoors for the past few months,” Tackley said.
The cinema’s opening, which will follow government advice and social distancing guidelines, leads with Robert Zemeckis’ 1985 classic Back to the Future, before going into a weekend that features Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and the critically acclaimed coming of age comedy, Bend it like Beckham.
Riverside’s restaurants and bars are currently open with The Bakery and The Bar and Kitchen; and brasserie – Sam’s Riverside, the new restaurant run by Sam Harrison. But for cinemagoers the main attraction will be a bespoke, handmade selection of treats from the Riverside kitchen – featuring homemade marshmallow, fudge, gummy bears and cookies.
In addition, Riverside continues its community-focused Digital Dive In programme with a wide range of virtual events and activities, from online yoga classes to curated discussions about film, to keep audiences occupied and engaged during the Coronavirus lockdown. Their next virtual cinema event is for Mulholland Drive on 27 July.
The television studios are in full use, and following government guidance on indoor theatre reopening, Riverside will be looking to return to performance “as soon as it is safe and viable to do so,” says Tackley.
