A comprehensive history and analysis of Secret Cinema – the leading producer of large-scale immersive experiences in the UK. The book examines how they have evolved their format over twelve years from experimental and artisanal beginnings to becoming a global leader in large scale immersive entertainment.

1 Secret Cinema and the immersive experience industry2 Secret Cinema as sandbox3 Secret Cinema as format 4 Secret Cinema as immersive activism 5 Secret Cinema as industry 6 Secret Cinema as experience community7 Secret Cinema, 2020–21: pivoting, pipelines and poachingIndex

This book presents a unique case study of Secret Cinema – the leading provider of large-scale immersive experiences in the UK. It uses Secret Cinema as a lens through which to view the wider experiential economy. The book offers a comprehensive history of the organisation, from its early, small-scale events in the mid-2000s to blockbuster productions such as 2019’s Stranger Things experience. It defines and examines the Secret Cinema format, critically interrogates the work and operations of Secret Cinema as an organisation and analyses the many layers of audience experience. Drawing on in-depth interviews with Secret Cinema practitioners and other sector professionals, the book captures an organisation transitioning from subcultural roots to a commercial form, one that has contributed to the establishment of an immersive experience industry of national importance and global reach. Written in an accessible style, with rich case study materials and illustrative examples, Secret Cinema and the immersive experience industry will appeal to scholars, students and film fans, as well as immersive experience professionals and their audiences.