Secret Cinema Reviews 

SC was once fantastic, with elaborate productions one after the other. And then founder Fabien decided to do a crowd funding exercise. Loyal supporters of the brand poured in money and then....Fabien sells out to an American ticketing app. Loyal supporters and investors were promised a stage by stage buy out by the new owner to get some money back, which never materialised of course, with said new owner filing loss making accounts each year until the buy out period was expired. Now, of course, new owner is building permanent base at the O2 and, after last few years of scaled down poor productions, or none at all, is about to do Pirates of the Caribbean. All seems pretty convenient to me, with new owner and Fabien doing well out of the deal, and the poor old loyal brand supporters and investors getting back about a penny in the pound. Shameful on the part of Fabien and other SC directors. And new owner will no doubt keep manipulating UK accounts to show no profits here, and pay no UK tax whatsoever. I will never put another penny their way, I hope the business fails miserably.

Amazing events albeit very expensive and communication is terrible. the Crowd funding was a rip off. The company was sold for millions yet not 1 penny has gone back to supporters. Where did the millions go I wonder?

I awarded this company a single star due to their dynamic pricing policy. Earlier in the year, I bought tickets as a birthday present at £69 each, opting for the standard tickets since it was my first time attending a Secret Cinema event (though I still don't understand what makes it secret). To my surprise, when I checked the website yesterday before attending, the ticket prices had dropped to £49! Upon reaching out to Secret Cinema, they responded citing dynamic pricing and refused to issue a refund. This first experience, unfortunately, left a sour impression on me. Additionally, the drinks and food were quite pricey. On a positive note, the event itself was impressively executed.

Firstly, I had a great experience with their customer support team. At first they were hard to reach but actually when using their chatbot on the website you eventually can send an email to their support team and they replied within a couple of days which was fantastic. I had an incredible experience with Alex, who not just helped me with my enquire but also exceeded my expectations and helped me with vouchers and booking me last minute onto one of the last shows which was so very kind of him. I really appreciated that.

In regards to the show, I went to secret cinema the stranger things experience a few years ago and that was absolutely incredible! I wish I went 3 more times after. The set up, the characters, the interactive scenes, it was honestly mind blowing and by far the best one for me. We recently went to the Grease show which I thought was super cute! It was a little less interactive than stranger things and the set up was different but we still had a fantastic time, the actors and singers were brilliant, the shows were so smooth and you felt like you were right there, in the middle of the movie! I thought it was fantastic. I agree it was a bit cheeky having to buy extra tickets in order to go on ride (everyone could have at least one ride/activity free I feel) but equally understand this is important for them to make profit.

Overall I definitely recommend Secret Cinema to anyone! It is such a unique experience and each movie/tv show they will do will be so different and exciting! I will definitely be back!

The props (fun fair, school setting was amazing.) Really fun. The actors did a brilliant job when they were brought into the different scenes.

However, I felt the overall production was disjointed. The movie wasn't played loud enough inside to hear it clearly. The performers were located at different parts of a huge space which means most of the time you were not really engaged with what was going on as they were too far away to see clearly. It was also confusing whether you should be watching the movie or watching the live performances.

It would have been better if the performers were on stage as in a traditional theatre setting so everyone was more connected to the show. You want to be able to clearly see the actors. The movie screens could then hang above the stage with the volume loud enough for all to hear it. The movie should also have been paused when the actors were performing their routines so you didn't miss the movie by watching the live performers.

The cost of food was outrageous. Three burgers and drinks were £70. Should have gone to Burger King before the show for similar quality food.

There were not enough seats for the standard tickets and the VIP seats also looked too far away from the action. As a party of three we were not able to get seats together in the VIP car section. My son was bored and it didn't help that he couldn't sit down inside. We ended up leaving the hall halfway through as it was far more pleasant in the fairground and we could sit, watch and listen to the movie outside (which was audible there.)

Would I attend another 'Secret Cinema'? Probably not.

Having been to SC Moulin Rouge and Dirty Dancing we had extremely high hopes for Grease - how disappointed we were. The beauty of the previous shows was you were immersed in the film at the beginning, mingling with the actors, being set tasks and then being able to SIT and watch the WHOLE film and enjoy it from beginning to end. This time there was chopping and changing the film with the SC cast. (The actor playing Danny completely crucified “Sandy”). Too many screens and too many VIPs on stage, not knowing where to look and crucially , no where to sit. They crammed far too many punters in. Don’t get me started on the money grabbing cost of everything as well (£6 for a can of coke - really?!?). And the beauty of previous experiences was you had to put your phone in a pouch. There were people with phones everywhere, especially at the end, which completely ruined the whole vibe. Sadly Secret Cinema has been sold to another company and it shows. It’s completely lost its soul.

Really disappointing having attended the first Grease production in Bsrnes many years ago and encouraged my friends to attend this one. Similar to other reviews, has totally lost its magic. A real shame. Expensive tickets, rip off refreshments. Felt like a tacky convention. Will never be attending Secret Cinema again. Greedy, lazy, disappointing.

I went to the Grease Secret Cinema last night. As others have suggested, it was very underwhelming compared to previous Secret Cinema events, which were ran by a different team. In conclusion, I do not plan on attending another event again under this new management.

Experience: Fairground rides costed extra, despite the high ticket price. If you didn’t pay for them, there was nothing to do for the hour and a half between doors opening at 6pm and the show starting at 7:30pm.

Performance: The main actors were often singing out of tune.

Sound: The audio from the film was difficult to hear.

Clarity & Flow: It was often confusing where to look. The film would play, then abruptly stop, and actors would start singing or dancing somewhere in the venue, but it wasn’t clear where. You’d spend time scanning the distance, trying to find them. Adding to the confusion, visitors were allowed to freely wander during the performance, so it was never obvious if you were missing part of the show or if it was just a break.

Immersion: I’m not sure why this was labelled as an “immersive experience.” Aside from some themed decor and a few of the audience being pulled up on stage, there was little sense of being part of the world of Grease.

Seating: There simply wasn’t enough. Many guests were left either sitting on the hard tarmac outside or standing uncomfortably inside, trying to balance their food and drinks.

Food: I ate beforehand, but from what I saw and smelled, the pizzas were burnt, and the burgers looked dry.

Overall, the event felt disjointed, poorly organised, and lacking the immersiveness that used to make Secret Cinema special. For the ticket price, it was a real disappointment.

I loved it! It was just the most fun we have had in ages. the finale with Sandy and Danny at the theme park was like being on set during the original filming - even better, like it was happening in real life. Completely blown away! Can’t wait for the next one.

This is our 5th secret cinema experience and it was so disappointing.
Felt like a total rip off. No interaction with cast members at the "funfair", just through the gate and left to wander around, buy a £6 can of drink or a £13 hotdog! Given one fairground ride ticket each on entry but all the rides were 3 or 5 tickets. You could purchase extra tickets at additional cost (not cheap) but in number that seemed to leave you with extra wasted tickets unless you bought even more.
We had standard tickets but dynamic pricing showed tickets at a different price to what we paid. Inside with a standard ticket there was limited bench seating. I didn't mind standing but honestly whilst the performers worked really hard the whole event was particularly lackluster and for a show like Grease that's quite hard to do. I particularly objected to being subjected to the VIPs who had paid to be up on stage at certain points, meaning we all had to watch a load of adults and kids with no talent getting what they paid for while we waited for what we paid for.
Really saddened by the whole event.
Probably won't go to another one now, end of an era.

This is our third Secret Cinema experience and has left us seriously disappointed.

No email giving us a character to play like we had in Moulin Rouge.

The moment we entered Battersea Park there were no members of staff directing as we had in Moulin Rouge. In fact three times we had to ask members of the public for directions.

When we reached the venue none of the staff were in character they simply had Rydell High t-shirts on.

The fairground was ok but no actors engaged with the crowd like on previous secret cinemas.

Half of the crowd weren't in costume and that's probably due to the lack of encouragement by Secret Cinema. In Moulin Rouge there were only 2 people not dressed in character.

When the doors to the venue opened there was no clear guidance as where to go. We were in VIP seats.

The VIP seats were really comfortable but we couldn't have been further from the stage.

Only a portion of the film was shown and it was very confusing.

As soon as the film finished security was asking us to vacate the seats.

Secret cinema had changed and clearly only interested in maximising the money it can make.

The character has been lost, its no longer magical and we wont be going again.

I've been to the Dirty Dancing one 2 yes ago (I think run by different people) and was brilliant.... Was hoping for similar here..hmm.. it was quite mix matched in terms of some staff were in character others were not, the price included one ticket to fun fair attraction but had to buy more if wanted..played music outside but not same era as Grease..
The aesthetics were amazing, costumes brilliant, actors sang and danced wow ...however it felt like they could have been given more air time and while performing have the film playing on one or two screens and them on the bigger screens. Pockets of it were great and fun but something lacked.. I think the crowd could have dressed up more and joined it more as you felt the lack of atmosphere.

Loved Grease immersive experience at Battersea park. Very cleverly done.
Pros: got there early and wasn't too busy so got to go on fairground and take some photos. Got very busy nearer to show start time. The set design was incredible and the actors great. Think Rizzo was spot on like the original character, they were all good but she really stood out. Great seeing the audience dressed up. Audience could get involved.
Cons: it's very very busy at showtime. The cast involved the audience but it seemed like the same people got picked over n over. There's no seating (general ticket)which is good and bad, good because you can join in more but you're constantly on your feet. The food and drink was nice but expensive as expected. The biggest con was the fair, you get 1 ticket for the fair with general admission and then have to buy more. They make it seem like it's included but it's not.

All in all would I do it again.100%yes! Despite the cons, It was like being a part of my favourite movie.

This was SO disappointing, I actually feel depressed. You can tell it's a new company running the production. How could they get it so wrong?!
I've been to 'SC' a couple of times before & can honestly say they were seriously memorable events (especially Moulin Rouge back in 2017 which just blew me away and will remain one of the best nights out I've ever had!)
But Grease was just...
What?
Firstly.. let's be clear.
People book tickets to these events because they
LOVE... THE... FILM...!!!
That's it!!!
So, SHOW THE FILM! Don't show BITS of the film interspersed with random black & white clips of "the 50s" that are nothing to do with Grease.
Or worse...
Every time it was building up to one of the favourite bits of the movie, the film audio cut and then you were sort of, looking around, confused, to find an alternative performance of the same scene, performed underwhelmingly (& lip synched badly) by the 'SC' cast, on one of the stages.
OR, they turned the movie dialogue off and instead, a live band would randomly be playing over the top of the film?
It was just....weird.
Felt totally disjointed. And just ruined it.
I came away feeling like I HADN'T watched Grease!! Which - to see the film on the big screen (!) - is surely the very least you expect for your £69 quid at these events ?!!

Customer service was also underwhelming. Other than the actors, the staff seemed to ooze "underwhelm", and were not remotely in character at all, making the whole thing feel lack lustre and again, disjointed.

'SC' in the past always felt like it really WAS immersive..
Detailed personas supplied before the event to help get you into character; even, something to prepare to bring with you, to give you access into ACTUAL secret areas/rooms/activities on the night... Actors amongst the audience on the night, talking, dancing ,engaging with you the whole time..
That all felt totally lost here.
And I agree with other comments, that it just felt like a commerce-fest - people trying to sell you stuff rather than immerse you.
Oh - and ALSO, at ticket sale, it stated this was an OVER-18 event!! I remember reading that because both my friend and I commented that our 11 year olds would have wanted to come otherwise! But we got there, AND THERE WERE KIDS THERE!!
The whole thing just...
Uggh...
Frustrating, badly organised, underwhelming; NOT immersive. And frankly, a bit...cringe.

The best bits were playing on the donkey derby game, and going on the swings!

I mean, they didn't even have a candy floss machine there..
COME
ON!!!!

If this was your first Secret Cinema, then perhaps you'll have enjoyed the pastiche of movie clips with theatre. And sure, the set looked impressive.

But it all felt more like a parody to me.
(If I wanted to go to the theatre to see a musical, then I'd go to the West End!!!)

If you've been to 'SC' before, I suspect you will feel the same - that they have totally ruined the format. And that this did NOT feel like the 'SC' we'd grown to know and love.

It's a real shame. And it's completely put me off going to 'SC' again.

Poor customer service and will not be returning.

We had booked our tickets in the presale at £69 per ticket. We have been excited for this event for months. However, now for the same ticket it is £49 - we paid the same as a VIP ticket! I tried contacting multiple times and was faced with impersonal and unhelpful automatic responses. We haven’t even attended the event yet and I can say for certain that I will never buy tickets to Secret Cinema again. Such a shame.

Better customer service is needed! It means nothing to be a loyal and eager customer to buy in pre sale. Wait until the show does badly and loses interest to get yourself a cheaper ticket…

Having previously been to Dirty Dancing and Guardians of the galaxy events, this one sadly fell flat. You can tell it’s a new company running the show.
The setup did look great, and you can tell they’ve put a lot of money into it - but it’s lost its immersive aspect. There was hardly any cast wandering round to interact with (one lady selling year books and Polaroids) and a lot of the staff weren’t in ‘character’. We walked in and the first person to approach us was trying to sell us jelo shots… it all felt very commercialised and obvious they wanted you to spend money rather than lose yourself in the experience.
The film screening itself starts outside and then you all head in to find your seats and carry on. The whole film itself isn’t fully streamed, and is intercut with live sing along by the cast (mostly out of sync so I recommend watching the cast and not the screen else you’ll find it really jarring!) there’s also random breaks throughout the film. We had VIP seats (Mum isn’t good with standing for long periods) and I’m glad we did because there’s very limited seating if you do buy standing tickets. I’d suggest eating outside before the show where more seatings available.
You’re free to roam around more with this show, can even head outside during the film if you want to. But it just made everything feel very disjointed and a bit all over the place. They also no longer bag up your phones - which I feel was a big part of the OG secret cinema and makes you switch off. People around us obviously couldn’t help but want to sneak photos and videos. They announced at the start that you’d get sent to the principles office if caught, but none of the staff seemed bothered about enforcing this.
Overall the cast are great performers, and the setup looks fantastic, and the live band are super talented! But I think they’ve missed a trick with this one. It’s so less immersive than it used to be, and there was no side missions / secret elements to this show at all. Hopefully they’ll learn some lessons for the next one!

Never been to a secret cinema! We just loved it. Whole set up is great. Loved the carnival set up before the show. Arrived 90 mins before which was great to do all the rides, get something to eat and drink. Inside was great as you could roam around and interact with the cast. Loved the whole performance. Glad I didn’t pay for VIP as I think the roaming around was a great experience and you could join in more. Sitting down in allocated areas I think wouldn’t be as good. Costumes were fab and cast were great in their roles. Loved it!

I have given this company 1 star for the following reason. “Dynamic pricing” I purchased tickets at the beginning of the year for a birthday gift. I chose the standard ticket of £69 each as I had never been to a secret cinema (what was secret about it I don’t know. Anyway I checked the website yesterday before going to the experience last night to find that the price had dropped to £49!!!!
I contacted secret cinema and their reply was “Dynamic pricing” and no refund will be issued. First experience and sadly it left a bad taste in my mouth. Oh, drinks and food are very expensive.
I did think it was done well though.

This is not a Secret Cinema as you know it. I was so disappointed, it’s a confusing mash up of bits of musical and out of sync film which is constantly interrupted viewing to show the audience . It is nothing like previous shows, if you don’t have a VIP ticket then you end up roaming endlessly around a small stage with absolutely no where to sit. It felt like the only thing to do was spend money on food and drink and try eating standing up . I would rather have spent the money on a ticket to see the actual musical .

For me, the Grease Immersive Event was a 5 star experience! There is nothing like Secret Cinema and my lovely wife and I had the best time enjoying all it had to offer last night at the evening performance. It was value for money, we paid full price in March, but felt it was warranted for the exceptional eye popping elaborate staging, the imagination and creativity and all of the large friendly, happy and committed crew to make it all happen. Staff at the fun fair, food outlets and bars were so friendly and engaging and it was nice to try different drinks and foods (yummy mocktails, diner style food and milkshakes). London prices are the same wherever you go, nothing is cheap any more and is the case for any night out in the capital or the South East. Set your budget and stick to it. Very generous portions, we were surprised by the quality of what was offered, so share with someone if you have limited funds. After all, the most important parts are included.

We felt so part of this event and danced the night away, having jumped right in and gone up onto the stage. A chance to let your hair down!
If you say Yes! to everything you will have a most amazing time. These are the strengths of Secret Cinema.
If you’re only planning to go as a spectator expecting a West End Musical, this may not be for you, as the complexity of this show comes with its challenges and will be visible. If you go to have the best night singing and dancing with your friends, then you’ll be in for the event of the year!