With Valentine's Day around the corner, podcaster, script consultant and Valentine's dating expert Alix Fox drops some hot tips on how the cinema experience can get you in the mood for love. Plus, she recalls some of her own experiences...
You don’t need a trailer to know it’s coming soon: yup, it’s nearly Valentine’s Day.
Falling on a Friday this year, the 14th of February is named after 3rd-century Roman clergyman Valentinus. He was declared the patron saint of love (and… um… beekeepers – folks had to flex that side-hustle muscle even in toga times, it seems) after performing a miracle upon the young, blind daughter of a judge called Asterius, restoring her sight.
What better way to celebrate the magic of romance and the marvel of vision than a date at the movies?
Cineworld is beaming a whole host of solid gold films onto their silver screens, with huge-hearted, big-knickered rom-com Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy (released February 13th) and action-packed, star-spangled banger Captain America: Brave New World (released February 14th) both on release in time for V Day.
Whether you and your boo prefer to watch rival floppy-fringed suitors fist-fighting in a water feature, or MCU superheroes slugging it out against heinous Hulks, grabbing two tix to the flicks is the perfect choice for date night – especially in 2025.
(E) MOTION PICTURES
Why? Well for starters, because in many ways, being in the cinema doesn’t feel like being in 2025. That timeless signature scent of warm popcorn; MGM lion’s roar and 20th Century Fox fanfare that are all more readily recognisable than any of your second cousins; and the age-old thrill of nestling up to your lover in a dark room with a bag of pick ‘n’ mix like a couple of giddy hibernating chipmunks – it all throws you back into salt-n-sweet nostalgia with an arm so powerful it could knock out Daniel Cleaver and Thaddeus Ross in one swing.
For me, movie theatres are DeLoreans in disguise. They immediately transport me to that bygone halcyon summer when The Hottest Guy In Sixth Form said “Let me count shoulders” and had his arm around me by the time he reached “Four”, slicker than an oil tanker crash on a black-iced motorway.
The cinema is one of the last sanctuaries of sanctity against one of the most aggravating - and relationship-ruining – habits of modern life: mobile phone addiction. For a couple of glorious hours, doomscrolling, WhatsApping and Candy Crushing are banned, and we’re encouraged to hold our crush’s hand instead of a handset. Hallelujah!
Plus, once you’ve picked a film to see, you book; you sit; and you enjoy. Done. You’re more sorted than a neat freak’s sock drawer. You don’t waste the night swimming through an endless river of TV streaming options, squabbling about what to play until it’s time to hit the hay.
LOVE AT FIRST-CLASS SIGHT
The appeal of a Valentine’s movie date isn’t only about the sentimentality of ye olde goode dayes, though. Cinema tech nowadays is more cutting edge than the pokey end of Cupid’s arrow.
Exclusive to Cineworld, ScreenX envelops you in 270-degree views that’ll make you feel like you’ve both been transported into a Denis Villeneuve epic, while the awesome rumbling sound systems are the closest thing to Zeus performing a heavy metal gig.
For a true can’t-get-that-at-home experience, try Cineworld-exclusive 4DX: immersive, multi-sensory presentations with wind, strobes, water sprays, fog, scents, and moving chairs that ping you around hilariously, like a human pinball.
Alternatively, you could treat your sweetheart to a live opera or play. Event Cinema performances are shot in the world’s most prestigious spots – think London’s National Theatre and New York’s Metropolitan Opera House – yet you only have to trit-trot as far as your local Cineworld to see them.
And you can get dressed up to the nines if you fancy, or stay ten-outta-ten cosy in your comfy joggy Bs. If jobs/kids/life have the two of you run ragged, and the most thoughtful Valentine’s gift would be the chance to relax and reconnect via some easy, low-energy escapism, the cinema ain’t snobby about you dressing slobby.
Heck, whatever I wear I always find that at least three popcorn kernels drop into various crevices of my body and get wedged like James Franco in 127 Hours, anyway.
SCENE BUT NOT HEARD
Whichever film or format you plump for, romance is ingrained into every ritual of a cinema visit. Choosing seats on the back row is as synonymous a location for snogging as Juliet’s balcony – although to my mind, there’s a special enchantment in sitting closer to the front and watching the flickering digital moonlight of the projector bathe your beloved’s entranced face.
The hushed atmosphere where the frenetic and frantic are frowned upon prompts you to slow down, and savour the exquisiteness of small, silent, stolen touches: their hand resting on your knee; grabbing your partner’s arm as a pole-vault-power jump scare jolts you; fingers brushing as you both simultaneously reach inside your bag of Cineworld snacks.
Moreover, cinemas are a divinely contrary combo of ‘Mute Button’ and ‘Conversation Starter’. While the film’s on, you can switch off: unlike at a bar or restaurant, there’s no pressure to chatter more intensely than a naturist’s teeth during a snowstorm.
It’s a blessed relief for the introverted, the overworked, and the nervous first-daters alike. Then, once the credits have rolled, you have a ready-prepared feast of food for thought to discuss, as you dissect the plot/cast/visual effects/where on earth you’ve seen that guy who played that baddie before.
A lover enthusing “I knew you’d like that bit!” or “I’m dying to hear what you thought of that opening scene” as we head outside makes me feel so very seen – almost as though I am a blockbuster movie myself.
So: this Saint Valentine’s Day, I’ll be heading to Cineworld – the home of reel love.
ANNNND, ACTION! TIPS TO MAKE THE MOST OF A MOVIE DATE
- Get a-more for your money with an Unlimited membership. Watch as many movies as you like each month, plus bag discounts, advanced screening invites and all sorts of other benefits.
- Check the content of the film before you book, in case there’s anything that may not tickle your date’s pickle. My mate did not do this when he took a sensitive lass to see The Zone of Interest and found that her interest in him consequently moved to the friend zone.
- Consider sneaking in some afternoon delight at a matinee: there’s something extra flirty about bunking off work early or slipping off while the kiddos are still at school to catch a cheeky 1 PM showing.
- Arrive in time for the trailers. Future releases = future repeat romantic rendezvous.
- Get a hot dog with all the fixings.
- Text your date a song from the film’s soundtrack the next day, to keep that ‘shared emotional experience’ vibe rolling. Roman-TICK!
Remember, you can win an exciting Galentine's Day group trip with Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. Find out more via the following link.
BRIDGET JONES CINEWORLD GALANTINE'S DAY OFFER
Alix Fox has been writing about relationships, comedy and culture for two decades, which makes her feel so old that her birth certificate should be etched on a papyrus scroll. She was a script consultant on the hit series Sex Education, and presents podcasts for BBC Radio 1, The Guardian, and Audible. Her favourite flicks in recent years include Scrapper, Dumb Money and The Iron Claw, and her pick for the next Bond villain would be Kieran Culkin.
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