David Lean Cinema

09/10/2026

You may have noticed something different about us this week. We've undergone a bit of a change, updating our logo and colour scheme, and launching a brand-new website. You will start to see this new look appearing across our cinema, our posters, our brochure and our social channels over the coming weeks. This means that it will be easier for more people to see what's on, discover films and book. It doesn't change who we are, what we do, or even what we represent; it simply establishes a new visual identity that helps us stand out, encouraging film fans to explore new stories with us, and inviting new audiences to experience the magic of cinema.

Want to know a little more about what's changed and why? Read the story on our new website: www.davidleancinema.org.uk/a-new-look-for-our-cinema/

For over 12 years, our cinema has been kept alive by people who care about film and about Croydon. Thousands of volunteer hours and countless screenings

08/10/2026

Our next BABES IN ARMS screening:

Friday 9 October at 11.00am
THE INVITE (15) 2026 USA 107 mins
Director: Olivia Wilde ● Stars: Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz, Seth Rogen, Edward Norton

Shot in chronological order in just 23 days, this chamber piece is excruciatingly awkward yet also poignant and funny. Joe and Angela's marriage of nearly two decades is faltering. When Angela invites their uninhibited upstairs neighbours for dinner, long held grievances, insecurities and failed aspirations are unearthed for both couples. “I left the cinema wanting to be invited back” (★★★★ The Standard).
Tickets only £6 and free hot drinks and biscuits!

Booking & trailer: https://www.davidleancinema.org.uk/event/the-invite/

07/10/2026

HALLOWEEN at the David Lean Cinema, Croydon Clocktower, will be extra special this year due to our Hammer double bill, which brings Dracula to the cinema for the first time!

DRACULA (12A, 1958) is a classic of British cinema, and we're showing Terence Fisher's long lost uncut version, never before seen in UK cinemas. There's also a 10 minute short about the restoration.
DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS (15, 1966) is the superb sequel, and we're screening, in association with The Cinema Museum, a 35mm Technicolor 'scope print that enables you to experience exactly how the film looked in cinema 60 years ago.

SPECIAL OFFER: Save £2 if you book both films at the same time.

You'll find a spine-chilling atmosphere in the Arts Bar, and Hammer connoisseur Adrian Wi******er will be your horror host.

Thanks to Culture Croydon for support that enables this rare Saturday evening opening.

Booking & trailers: www.davidleancinema.org.uk
Culture Croydon

05/10/2026

★★★★ "Dafoe is outstanding in this observant character study" (Radio Times).

Tue 6 Oct at 2.30 & 7.30pm
LATE FAME (12A) 2025 USA 96 mins
Director: Kent Jones ● Stars: Willem Dafoe, Greta Lee, Edmund Donovan

Ed Saxberger (Dafoe) is a quiet New York post office worker who wrote a well-regarded book of poetry in the late 1970s, before disappearing into obscurity. Decades later, admirer (Donovan) tracks him down and introduces him to the “Enthusiasm Society”, a privileged young group who see him as an overlooked literary genius from a bygone era. But is their admiration sincere?

Booking & trailer: https://davidleancinema.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173692745/events/428890581

04/10/2026

Our next DEMENTIA FRIENDLY screening:

Tuesday 6 October at 11.00am
SCHOOL OF ROCK (12A) 2003 Germany/USA 109 mins
Director: Richard Linklater ● Stars: Jack Black, Mike White, Joan Cusack

Having been sacked by his band, Dewey Finn (Black) lands a temporary post as teacher at a local primary school. There, he hatches an audacious plan to form a rock band from the best pupils, enter them in the local Battle of the Bands competition and so embarrass his ex-band, who are also entering. “Irresistibly good-natured comedy” (New York Times).

Booking & trailer: https://www.davidleancinema.uk/
Memory Box Dementia Cafe West Wickham Age UK Croydon Dementia Friends Croydon Mencap

02/10/2026

SMALL WORLD CINEMA presentations during CROYDON HARVEST.

Join Small World Cinema and the David Lean Cinema for a weekend of playful films, hands-on creativity and cinematic adventures for young children. See the full programme via these links:
SATURDAY 10.30am www.davidleancinema.uk/swc-sat/
SUNDAY 10.30am www.davidleancinema.uk/swc-sun/
Tickets can be bought from our box office beforehand.
CroydonCulture

25/09/2026

Our next RELAXED screening for young people living with autism or other neurodiversity.

Saturday 26 September at 11.00am
MINIONS & MONSTERS (PG) 2026 USA 90 mins

In 1920s Hollywood, Minions are enjoying wild success as silent movie stars - until the ‘talkies’ arrive. James and Henry decide to make their own movie and summon fearsome monsters from a mysterious spellbook to play the villains. Lovecraftian creature Goomi leads them on a quest to find the ultimate monster, but when things go haywire, all Minions must band together to save the world. “Pure giddy fun”(★★★★ Time Out).

Booking & trailer: https://davidleancinema.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173691570/events/428879898
Club Soda

23/09/2026

★★★★ "A funny, bold, irreverent, moving film" (Daily Mail).

Thurs 24 Sept at 2.30pm* & 7.30pm *with hearing loss subtitles
SUNNY DANCER (15) 2026 106 mins UK
Director: George Jaques ● Stars: Bella Ramsey, James Norton, Neil Patrick Harris

Ivy is a prickly 17-year-old who would rather sulk than heal. When her well-meaning parents pack her off to a cancer "chemo camp" for teens in remission, she arrives ready to hate it all including the chirpy camp leader Patrick. But between terrible camp songs, budding crushes, and a gang of equally unimpressed new friends, Ivy's walls start to slip.

Booking & trailer: https://davidleancinema.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173691569/events/428879897
Q***r Croydon Croydon Pride

23/09/2026

★★★★ "A really impressive directorial debut... tender, subtle, candid, scrupulously observed" (The Guardian).

Wednesday 23 September at 2.30pm & 7.30pm
CACTUS PEARS (15) 2025 India/Canada/UK 113 mins Marathi – subtitled
Director: Rohan Kanawade ● Stars: Bhushaan Manoj, Suraaj Suman,Jayshri Jagtap
Plus TWO BLACK BOYS IN PARADISE (9 mins), a BAFTA-winning animated short.

A beautifully shot drama set against the striking landscapes of rural Western India. Following the death of his father, Anand returns from Mumbai to his ancestral village to observe traditional mourning rituals. Amid mounting family expectations to marry, he finds an unexpected refuge in childhood friend Balya, and their connection deepens. Sundance Film Festival 2025 World Cinema Grand Jury Prize winner.

Booking & trailer: https://davidleancinema.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173691032/events/428875758
Q***r Croydon Croydon Pride

21/09/2026

"Knockout performances by the film's two young actors sustain this emotional and surprising road trip" (Empire Magazine).

Tue 22 Sept at 2.00pm* & 7.30pm and Wed 21 Oct at 2.30pm
500 MILES (12A) 2026 UK/Ireland/Cyprus 102 mins
Director: Morgan Matthews ● Stars: Bill Nighy, Maisie Williams, Deidre Monaghan, Dexter Sol Ansell
*With hearing loss subtitles and with a post-film discussion in association with the Croydon u3a Film Group.

In this emotional and involving drama, Finn and his brother Charlie run away from their Yorkshire, afraid that they will be separated by their divorcing parents. Carried by their initiative and the kindness of strangers, they head to the wild west coast of Ireland, the home of their beloved but estranged grandfather...

Booking & trailer: https://davidleancinema.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173691031/events/428875756