British Film Institute IMAX

This review of the wheelchair accessibility of the British Film Institute (BFI) IMAX is from Summer 2023.

The largest screen in the United Kingdom is the IMAX screen at the British Film Institute.  The screen is just a few blocks from the London Eye, and is across from Waterloo station. 

Note: the online ticketing is not for wheelchair accessible tickets. You need to call the ticket box office to reserve wheelchair accessible seats. This is common for London events. It is annoying to have to call when everyone else can quickly book online, but I also found that most “sold out’ events actually still had plenty of wheelchair tickets. This was true of Oppenheimer at the IMAX—it was sold out for weeks, but I was able to purchase a same-day wheelchair accessible ticket…and was the only person in the wheelchair section.

The IMAX is in a round building that is completely surrounded by a roundabout—funky design, but there are no crosswalks to it and no signs as to how to access it.  I had to call and ask directions for how to access it.  The access is via long ramps that go underneath the roads, and then into the lobby of the IMAX.  The ramps are a little steeper than the usual 1’-for-every-12”-of-rise under the ADA, but they were very doable with my scooter. 

The lobby is wheelchair accessible, and offers a food bar, beverage bar, and the box office. A staff member accompanied me to the elevator, which took us up to the top of the stadium-style seating where the wheelchair accessible seats are.  The seats had plenty of space for several wheelchairs, as well as turning around space.  The screen is massive, and siting at the top of the theater is not a detriment—it offers a good vantage point and is a comfortable viewing position. 

The wheelchair accessibility of the British Film Institute (BFI) IMAX was comfortable and accessible.  I thoroughly recommend for movies worthy of the truly big screen. It was a very minor inconvenience to have to call for tickets, but the box office was responsive, helpful, and I was able to get tickets that were sold out for weeks.