If you are in Essex and want to go to the cinema then I have pulled together a list of what the county has to offer. There are big chain multi screen cinemas including Cineworld, Odeon and Vue cinemas, but there are lots of smaller, independent cinemas you can visit too.
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| Essex has plenty of cinemas from big screens to independents and drive ins. |
A Comprehensive List of the Cinemas in Essex
Cineworld
Runs 'Movies for Juniors' viewings where every week they have discounted tickets for screenings of new, unreleased kids films. Tickets start from £3.99 per person. You can also get Family Tickets for 1 adult and 3 children (14 and under), or 2 adults, 2 children where all tickets are charge at the children's price (c. £7.49 to £8.49)- Basildon - Festival Leisure Park, SS14 3WB
18 screen cinema including IMAX, 4DX and Screen X . Free car park shared with the other leisure facilities including Hollywood Bowl and 360 Play (soft play) and a good range of restaurants.
- Braintree - Freeport Leisure, CM77 8YH
12 screen cinema located next to Freeport Designer Village with plenty of places to east and shop. Free parking, but expect the car parks to be busy at popular shopping times (e.g. the run up to Christmas).- Harlow - The Harvey Centre CM20 1XR
The Harvey Centre Cineworld is a 6 screen cinema located on the first floor of The Harvey Centre. The Harvey Centre has a large car park (easiest access to the cinema is from Level 3) which you have to pay to park in (get a ticket on entry and pay before returning to your car). There are a range of shops and food outlets nearby including Burger King.
- Harlow - The Queensgate Centre, Edinburgh Way CM20 2DA
6 screen cinema with free parking is available at The Queensgate Centre which is home to large stores like Currys, Next Home and Homesense as well as food outlets: Costa, Subway, Pizza Hut and Tim Hortons.
Odeon
Is currently running an offer where adult’s pay kid’s ticket prices when purchasing an adult and child ticket c. £9.99 each. They also run ODEON Kids screenings where you can see selected family films for as little as £1 on Saturday and Sunday mornings and every day during the school holidays.- Chelmsford - Kings Head Walk, CM2 6FH
Located as part of Meadows Shopping Centre the Chelmsford Odeon has 8 screens. The nearest car park is Q-Park Meadows. Car parking tariffs apply, reduced price on Sundays.
- Colchester - Head Street, C01
1NH
The 8 screen cinema is in a shopping area and there is no parking adjacent to it. Nearby (paying) car parks are: St John's Car Park on Southway, Vineyard Car Park Britannia Car Park, St Mary's Car Park, Priory Street Car Park and St Botolph's Car Park.
- Southend - London Road, SS1 1TJ
An 8 screen cinema next to Victoria Shopping Centre which has the nearest car parking (tariff applies). For evening viewings there is some free parking available after 6pm, but check closing time of car parks.
Vue
Vue cinemas currently has tickets for screenings from £4.99 to £7.99 per person (for the cheapest seats, bought online, prices varies between Essex cinemas with Basildon the most expensive).
They also run Mighty Morning sessions at the weekend from £2.49 a ticket per person, these sessions are great for age 4 to 11. Vue's ‘Big shorts’ screenings are a great introduction to Cinema for pre-schoolers aged 1-4 and run weekday. It is a more relaxed environment, dimmed lights, reduced volume and shows that last a maximum of 60 minutes to help keep their attention.
- Basildon - East Square, Basildon, SS14 1HS
A 10 screen cinema in Basildon East Square. Free parking after 5pm every Monday to Saturday and free parking all day Sunday in Car Park 2 adjacent to the rear of the venue.
- Dagenham - Dagenham Leisure Park, Cook Road, RM9 6UQ
A 9 screen cinema located on Dagenham Leisure Park which has free parking .
- Romford - 1-15 The Brewery, RM1
1AU
The 16 screen Romford Vue cinema is inside The Brewery Retail area. There is plenty of parking (tariff applies) as well as shops, a large range of restaurants, McDonald's, bowling and Namco Funscape.
- Thurrock - Lakeside Shopping Centre, RM20 2ZW
The 9 screen Thurrock Vue Cinema is inside the large Lakeside Shopping Centre which has plenty of free parking. You can find the cinema by the Boardwalk restaurant area so aim for a car park near by.
Independent and Small Chain Cinemas in Essex
- Century Cinema
- Clacton-On-Sea - 129 Pier Avenue, CO15 1NJ
The Century Cinema in Clacton has 2 screens (1 with 462 seats, the other with 97 seats). The nearest pay and display car park is off Wellesley Road, the car park next to the cinema belongs to Buzz Bingo. Tickets are £5.45 when purchased online or over the phone (this includes a booking fee) or £5.00 when purchased at the cinema. The cinema dates from 1936 when it was one huge auditorium and it was divided into the bingo hall and 2 screens in 1967.
- Community Cinema - Billericay (occasional films only) - The Chantry Centre, CM11 2BB
An award winning not for profit cinema run by volunteers in a community space. The screen is 3.5 x 2.5 metres and they make space by moving the bookcases. They have a refreshment stall and sometimes have entertainment before the film. This is an affordable community experience showing roughly 2 films a month that are mostly old classics and tickets are between £4 and £6.50. It sounds a bit like watching a film in a large living room with friends.
No dedicated car park so look for street parking or the High Street car park.
- Curzon
- Colchester - 19 Queen Street, CO1 2PH
Curzon cinema in Colchester has 3 screens ranging between 139 and 56 seats. They claim to show "best of quality mainstream including family films, independent gems and events."
Tickets £7.50 for the special kids films, Family tickets work out as £9.75 a person for a family of 4.
All screens have a wheelchair accessible space and audio description and hearing assist headsets are available on request. The nearest car park is Priory Street.
- Everyman Cinema - Chelmsford -131 Bond Street, CM1 1GD
A 5 screen cinema where you can get food delivered to your seat (before the film starts). They show a combination of mainstream, independent and classic films as well as holding special events, launches and a diverse calendar of live satellite broadcasts. They have baby club and toddler club screenings.
Disabled access to all screens via a lift. Screens are fitted with infra-red 2 channel assisted hearing devices with T-Coil excitation facility, feature audio description facilities where made available by the film distributor and can display subtitles where made available by the film distributor. Tickets are about £13.50 per person on a 4 person family ticket.
Parking available at Bond Street Multi Storey which is chargeable or you can park at Tesco for 3 hours with a £5 minimum spend.
- Firstsite - Firstsite, Lewis Gardens, High Street, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1JH
Firstsite Cinema is in partnership with Curzon, but at Firstsite. They have a variety of screenings each month, including Parent & Baby sessions which are a great way for those on Maternity Leave to catch the latest films with their babies. Non-member tickets are £5.50 for children, £11.50 for adults.
- Lumiere Cinema Romford - Level 3, The Mercury Shopping Centre, Mercury Gardens, Romford, RM1 3EE
An 8 screen cinema that has been taken over by a community programme. Their website describes the cinema as "a unique community co-operative that will be under continual rebirth until 2028 - with new screens, new seating and decor, plus comfortable and safe spaces for community groups to gather. But we won't just be showing films and event cinema; we have plans for live music, comedy, theatre, social clubs and other events too!"
Adult tickets £6.99, with family tickets available. Due to licensing all under 18s need to be accompanied by an adult. They also offer memberships which reduce the price of tickets and as a not for profit if they make a profit at the end of the year this will be shared with members.
- Movie Starr
- Canvey Island - Eastern Esplanade, SS8 7DN
Movie Starr is a family run, independent cinema located on the seafront of Canvey Island with 4 screens. Free parking is available, but you need to enter your vehicle registration at the box office to register your number plate. Tickets are £5 Monday to Sunday and kids club tickets (relaxed screenings aimed at pre-schoolers) are £2 for both children and adults, plus 50p booking fee per person.
- The Rio Cinema
- Burnham on Crouch - 154 Station Road, CM0 8HW
An independently owned cinema claiming to be the only full time historic cinema in Essex. The 2 screen cinema is believed to have opened in 1931. Tickets cost c.£5.99. You can bring your own food and drink in for a small surcharge, but there is a long list of food and drink which isn't allowed so check the website. Cash only onsite.
Step-free access available, but currently there are no disabled toilets.
The cinema doesn't have it's own car park, but there is some street parking and a few car parks nearby. It is also worth noting that they only accept cash payments in the cinema.
Please note: It is recommended you check out the cinemas websites for the current films and booking information. Prebooking not always required, but recommended. The cinemas are of varying standards and no specific recommendations are being made. Updated January 2026.
If I have missed any please let me know, I would love to add them in.
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