Secret Cinema: bringing the movies to life

The clandestine gatherings began in 2007, initially featuring a mix of obscure and mainstream films, from Gus Van Sant’s Paranoid Park to Ghostbusters.

From left, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis in Ghostbusters. Courtesy Columbia Pictures

At the time of writing, The Empire Strikes Back sits at No 8 in the United Kingdom box office, entirely due to Secret Cinema's once-a-night screenings, which says much about the scale of this year's event.

These clandestine gatherings began in 2007, initially featuring a mix of obscure and mainstream films, from Gus Van Sant's Paranoid Park to Ghostbusters. They brought a hint of illegal rave culture to the cinema experience, as locations were only revealed at the last minute, while costumed staff and elaborate sets offered viewers a unique walk-on role. Previously a cult affair, Secret Cinema entered the wider public consciousness in controversial fashion in 2014. A major production of Back to the Future at the London Olympic Park was postponed just hours before opening, as awkward questions were raised about the actors' wages (strongly rebutted by the organisers).

Despite those teething troubles, it became a roaring success, with 80,000 tickets sold. That Back to the Future show will be reborn in Los Angeles this year to celebrate the film's 30th anniversary.

As for the 2015 event, the huge numbers visiting from around the world – a map on the secret rebel website reveals the ­newly-renamed visitors' locations, although so far, there have been none from the UAE – does raise the intriguing question of whether a permanent Star Wars theme park would be viable, particularly now that Disney owns the franchise. Star Wars merchandise is already on sale at Walt Disney World. Could regular Millennium Falcon rides be on the horizon?