The Hippodrome

What The Hippodrome does

The Hippodrome is a heritage cinema and cultural venue located at 10 Hope Street, Bo'ness, Scotland (EH51 0AA), operated by Falkirk Council under a lease from the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust. Originally opened on 11 March 1912 and designed by local architect Matthew Steele, it is Scotland's oldest purpose-built picture house and an A-listed building recognized by Historic Environment Scotland as a rare example of pre-art deco cinema architecture. The venue reopened in April 2009 after extensive restoration and is equipped with both digital and 35mm projection capability alongside a state-of-the-art sound system. Beyond regular cinema screenings, it operates the annual HippFest — Scotland's first and only festival of silent film with live music, now in its 16th edition — alongside year-round programming including themed screenings (Solve-Along-A-Murder-She-Wrote, Chocolate Taste-Along), family-oriented morning screenings (Cuppa Film, Reel Saturday), Live and Encore opera/ballet screenings, and accessibility-focused showings.

The Hippodrome generates revenue through a diversified transaction-fee model. Primary streams include ticket sales (adult pre-booked £8.50, concessions £6.50, family ticket £25, live/encore screenings £17.70), food and beverage sales from the on-site cafe and bar, and venue hire for private events and parties. Secondary revenue includes affiliate/loyalty partnerships such as the Meerkat Movies 2-for-1 Wednesday program, and grant funding — notably Creative Scotland Multi-Year funding for 2025-2028 and BFI Film Audience Network support via National Lottery funding. Distribution is multi-channel: in-person box office, phone booking, and 24/7 online booking via the website, supplemented by the HippFest on Tour program (reaching venues across Scotland and beyond) and the HippFest at Home digital platform (global streaming, HippCast podcast, and online Film Salons).

The customer base spans multiple segments: general public and families (core cinema audience), schools and educational groups (New Found Sound program, free school screenings), silent film enthusiasts and festival audiences (HippFest attendees from across the UK and internationally), and accessibility-needs audiences (autism-friendly screenings, dementia-friendly tours to care homes and hospitals). The venue employs approximately 15-20 staff including a Venues Manager, Venue Supervisors, Customer Service Assistants, Senior and junior Technicians, Arts and Development Officer, Marketing Officer, and Box Office Supervisor, plus a dedicated HippFest team covering Development, Marketing, Digital Content, Production, and Engagement/Outreach functions.

Name

The Hippodrome

Legal name

The Hippodrome Cinema Bo'ness (operated by Falkirk Council)

Website

https://hippodromecinema.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Hippodrome is Scotland's oldest purpose-built cinema (est. 1912), operated by Falkirk Council in Bo'ness, offering regular film screenings, themed events, and the annual HippFest silent film festival with live music, serving general public, families, schools, and accessibility-needs audiences across the UK and internationally via touring and digital platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bo'ness

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue from cinema ticket sales across regular screenings, special events, HippFest festival screenings, and live/encore presentations. Tickets sold pre-booked (online, phone, box office) or at door.
2. Food and Beverage: Cafe and bar sales including snacks, popcorn, ice cream, hot and cold drinks, and alcoholic beverages.
3. Private Hire: Revenue from venue hire for parties and private events.
4. Corporate Partnerships and Loyalty Programs: Partnership revenue through loyalty programs such as Meerkat Movies (comparethemarket.com) offering 2-for-1 tickets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Hippodrome operates a heritage cinema venue in Bo'ness, Scotland, screening new releases, classics, art-house, and independent films using both digital and 35mm projection. The venue runs Scotland's only silent film festival with live music (HippFest), alongside year-round community programmes including youth engagement (Hippsters), school screenings (New Found Sound), accessibility services, themed screenings, and an on-site cafe/bar.

Product overview

The Hippodrome is a single-venue traditional cinema operation offering regular film screenings, special events, and Scotland's only silent film festival (HippFest). The core offering is the physical cinema experience with digital and 35mm projection. The HippFest programme extends the brand through an annual festival, touring productions, and the HippFest at Home digital platform. Additional revenue streams include on-site cafe/bar, special screening programmes (Cuppa Films, Reel Saturdays, Live & Encore), and accessibility services. The venue also operates youth and community outreach programmes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HippFest: Scotland's first and only festival of silent film with live music, centred in and inspired by Scotland's oldest cinema, featuring exceptional screenings, commissions, workshops, community events and touring.
• HippFest at Home
• HippFest on Tour
• New Found Sound
• HippFest Young Programmers
• Hippsters

Products and services

• Hippodrome Cinema Screenings

Quantifiable outcome

• HippFest 2026: Over 2,800 tickets issued plus 600 online viewers from across the UK and beyond
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Falkirk CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFalkirk Council operates The Hippodrome under a lease agreement with the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust. The Council fitted out the building with digital and 35mm projectors and state-of-the-art sound system. Council staff manage day-to-day operations, box office, and venue management.
• Scottish Historic Buildings TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe building is owned by the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust, who oversaw the first phase of extensive restoration work as part of the Bo'ness Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI). Restoration included reinstatement of the 1926 decorative scheme, installation of new seating, and restoration of original seating.
• YMI (Youth Music Initiative) and NLS Moving Image ArchiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the New Found Sound program - young musicians work with silent film composition mentors to compose and perform new scores for silent shorts from Scotland's national archive.
• comparethemarket.com (Meerkat Movies)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLoyalty program partnership offering 2-for-1 cinema tickets every Wednesday for Meerkat Movies members, driving customer acquisition through affiliate arrangement.
• Falkirk Council Volunteer ProgramsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOpportunities for volunteers through Falkirk Council including Green Team (Helix) and Active Schools team, with some volunteers supporting Hippodrome and HippFest events.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cube Cinema: Bristol community-led independent cinema operated as a cooperative with curated repertory and arthouse programming. Comparable as a community-governed independent cinema with volunteer engagement and curated film focus.
• Phoenix Cinema: London's oldest continuously operating independent cinema (est. 1910), community-led and culturally programmed with heritage building status. Direct comparable on heritage cinema positioning, community ownership model, and curated film programming.
• Showroom Cinema: Sheffield's independent cinema and cultural workspace combining curated film exhibition with festivals (including a silent film season) and community programming. Comparable heritage independent cinema with festival programming and educational outreach.
• Broadway Cinema: Nottingham-based independent cinema and film centre with curated programming, festivals (including a documentary festival), and community engagement. Comparable mix of mainstream/independent curation, festival operations, and learning/community programs.
• Le Giornate del Cinema Muto (Pordenone Silent Film Festival): Annual international silent film festival in Pordenone, Italy featuring silent film screenings with live musical accompaniment, archival presentations, and commissioned scores. The closest international comparator to HippFest on silent-film-with-live-music positioning.
• Glasgow Film Theatre: Scotland's leading independent cinema operating a single heritage venue in Glasgow with curated mainstream, art-house, and repertory programming plus festivals. Most directly comparable to The Hippodrome as a Scottish independent/heritage cinema with curated programming and cultural mission.
• Watershed Cinema: Bristol-based independent cinema and cultural venue with curated film programming, cafe/bar, and engagement programs. Comparable as a UK independent cinema with cultural mission, multi-revenue model, and community focus.
• San Francisco Silent Film Festival: Annual US silent film festival with live musical accompaniment, featuring restored silent films, world premieres of new restorations, and commissioned scores. Comparable silent-film-with-live-music festival model with international reach and live music commissions.
• Dundee Contemporary Arts: Multi-purpose arts venue in Dundee combining a two-screen cinema with galleries and learning programs. Comparable to The Hippodrome as a Scottish arts charity combining cinema exhibition with cultural programming, education, and community engagement.

Broad incumbents

• BFI Southbank: The British Film Institute's flagship cinema at London's Southbank, offering curated mainstream, repertory, and silent film programming including the London Film Festival. Comparable exhibition of classic/silent film with live music, but operates at materially larger scale and as part of a national institution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hippodromefilm
• Facebookfacebook.com/HippodromeFilm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hippodromecinema
• Instagraminstagram.com/hippfest
• TikToktiktok.com/@hippfest

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Hippodrome