Future plans, including Bollywood movie and further ‘film set tours,’ for Dreamland Cinema building

Filming for a Bollywood blockbuster is anticipated to take place next June with a building takeover of the Dreamland Cinema.

The Grade II* listed cinema was used as a central set for filming of Sam Mendes’ Empire of Light movie in 2022 – bringing an estimated £4million into the Thanet economy.

The movie’s cast included Olivia Colman, Colin Firth, Micheal Ward, Toby Jones, Tom Brooke, Hannah Onslow, Tanya Moodie and Crystal Clarke.

Other locations used included Margate’s main seafront road, the beach, the Old Town, Cliftonville, and Darcy’s Café as well as a further cinema set built at the ‘Godden’s Gap’ site which has existing approval for a 124-bed hotel.

For the filming  a reconstruction of the original cinema was created after temporary planning permission was applied for, and granted, for the relocation of the cinema seats from the two upper smaller auditoria into the former bingo hall.

This has remained in situ ever since and Dreamland has since been granted approval to keep this in place until June 2029.

In documents submitted to request the extension Dreamland bosses say: “Since filming was finished and the film sets remaining in situ, the building has sparked much interest for further commercial use.

“We are talking to private clients looking for event space, fashion brands for photoshoots / filming, organisations for exhibition space and brands for product launches.

“Dreamland is also currently in discussions with a large Bollywood film-maker who is planning for a building take over with filming to commence in June 2025. Further planning applications for film set usage would inevitably be generated by this.

“It would also create yet more public interest in the building with potential for extended public access for set tours.

“Should the seating in the auditorium be relocated to the original location in two upper smaller auditoria, the main auditorium space would be deemed unusable and all of the above mentioned opportunities would be lost.”

The reconstruction has also proved a draw for residents and visitors attending open days with  guided walk-throughs to see the heritage assets and view the film sets that remain.

The high demand shown by the public for access to the building and film sets has led to the planning of further open days, potentially 3 – 4 times per year.

Dreamland Cinema was  bought from Thanet council by Sands Heritage Limited (SHL), along with the amusement park, in December 2020. In December 2023, SHL was acquired by LN-Gaiety whose ultimate controlling party is Live Nation Entertainment.

LN-Gaiety turned down a £4million allocation from Margate’s £22m Town Deal fund which had been earmarked to be used towards the renovation and reopening the cinema building which has been empty since 2007.

The site was due to be turned into an entertainment and conference centre with space allocated to community use by the People Dem Collective group and other charities.

However, in February L-N Gaiety said it did not require the funds with Dreamland CEO Eddie Kemsley adding: “We will develop a plan for the cinema building that is both financially viable and in keeping with Dreamland’s history of entertainment.”

The £4million has been reallocated to the Winter Gardens project.

The latest documents repeat the pledge to reopen the cinema but also outline some of the difficulties which have emerged.

The document says: “As a prized heritage asset and integral part of the infrastructure of Margate, Sands Heritage Ltd with Live Nation are committed to protecting, maintaining and in the future, re-opening this gem of the seafront.

“The strategy is intricate and best use for the building’s future must be considered very carefully. In 2018 /19 SHL worked with a number of expert consultants to create a plan for the potential future use of the building. This plan has been significantly affected by a number of things since it was first done.”

These are listed as lack of new hotel space, impact of covid, changing ownership of SHL, increased construction costs, the closure of Margate Winter Gardens and Theatre Royal and difficulties with lending and borrowing mechanisms since the pandemic.

One objection was lodged against the extended use of the seating in the former bingo hall area.

Margate resident Karl Jastrzebski said: “This change cannot be considered temporary and suggests the current owners have no intention or inclination to invest in the cinema upfront, particularly as they recently turned down a {4} million pound grant which they would have had to match fund to continue with the cinemas refurbishment.

“This means this heritage asset important to Margate is likely to continue to remain a shell and is effectively mothballed without any end game in sight.”

Dreamland bosses say promotion of the potential of the building to operators / future tenants is planned from 2026 with the creation of a long-term strategy earmarked to begin n 2027.

Park bosses say: “Creating a commercially viable plan which can underwrite the investment required to bring the building back into regular, full use is a complicated and lengthy process. Many stakeholders will need to be involved and consulted in order to ensure that the building’s use and longevity is underpinned by the business case.

“The longer-term development plans for the building will be shaped with input from local authorities and engagement with significant organisations e.g. TDC, Historic England, businesses, action groups, residents and local community.

“Sands Heritage Ltd takes the creation of a plan for the building very seriously and requires a significant time period to ensure its viability and therefore, success.

“In the meantime, being able to give the public access to view the auditorium in its current film-set splendour allows behind the scenes insight of an Oscar nominated British film (and potentially a Bollywood block-buster). It also creates a backdrop for commercial income generation for photoshoots / filming, a space of significant interest for private functions and a space for community engagement.

“The auditorium in its current completeness, allows us to promote the potential of the building to operators / future tenants in line with our long term strategic plan whilst the seating is kept in a safe, maintained, dry and clean environment being protected for the longer term.”

In the beginning….

Source Dreamland Heritage Trust and Cinema Treasures

Dreamland Cinema opened its doors on March 22, 1935.

Built on the site of the 900 seat Dreamland Variety Theatre of 1923, (later re-named Dreamland Cinema), John Henry Ilse invested more than £500,000 into the Dreamland site between 1920 and 1935, constantly adding new rides and facilities, and culminating in the construction of the Dreamland cinema complex in 1934.

The project was overseen by Iles’s son, John Bird Iles, in partnership with the established architects, Leathart & Granger and was strongly influenced by German cinema design, with no expense spared on the project.

The spectacular art deco expressionist-influenced brick idiom frontage of the cinema was the first of its kind in Britain. The huge art deco cinema fin tower gave the building prominence from a great distance along the shoreline and was to prove influential on the subsequent design of the Odeon chain of cinemas.

The Dreamland Cinema and Ballroom building was completed in the early part of 1935 and opened its doors to the public on Friday 22nd March 1935 with screenings of Greta Garbo in “The Painted Veil” and  Laurel & Hardy in “Them Thar Hills”.

Inside the auditorium seating was provided for 1,328 in the stalls and 722 in the balcony. The interior design was by John Bird-Iles and sculptures of sea nymphs set into recesses each side of the auditorium were the work of Eric Aumonier.

The cinema had a fully equipped stage and has a 40ft wide proscenium. It was equipped with a Western Electric(WE) sound system.

The cinema was closed from 1940 due to the war and didn’t re-open until 1st July 1946.

The Dreamland Cinema was then twinned and re-opened on 22nd April 1973 with two cinemas in the former balcony which seated 378 and 376. The former stalls area became a live theatre but this was not a success and closed on 11th January 1975 and was converted into a bingo hall.

A third screen seating 60 persons and using video projection was created in what had previously been the balcony bar area. This opened on 10th May 1981 and continued until closing in 1993 when the Dutch firm Bembom Brothers took over the running of the cinema and amusement park.

The two cinemas remained open in the former circle area and were operated by the small Independent chain Reeltime Cinemas. Sadly they were closed on 1st November 2007 following closure of the bingo club operation in the former stalls area earlier in the year.

Restoration of the exterior began in February 2011 and repairs to the building followed in June 2011. Restoration of the exterior was completed in summer of 2017 and yellow neon has been installed to highlight the building.

In 1992, Dreamland Cinema was designated a Grade II Listed building by English Heritage. In early-May 2008, the building was upgraded to Grade II* Listed.

In March 2022 planning permission was granted to remove the original ‘Dreamland’ signage from the exterior of the building for it to be temporarily replaced by the name ‘Empire’. This was due to the building being featured as a location for the filming of “Empire of Light” directed by Sam Mendes.

Filming was completed on 15th May 2022 and all original fittings and signage were fully re-installed.