Empire of Light: Worthing to appear on big screen as Hollywood film starring Olivia Colman, Colin Firth and Micheal Ward set to be released in cinemas

Camera crews were spotted in Worthing last March, as the production for Empire of Light came to West Sussex. Click here to see our picture gallery.

Academy Award winner Olivia Colman filmed a scene inside Worthing's Pavilion Theatre for Sam Mendes' new Hollywood film. Colman, an award-winning actress known for her roles in dozens of films and TV shows including; The Lost Daughter; The Favourite and The Crown, filmed an interior scene inside the historic theatre.

Empire of Light will be a romance film, set in and around a ‘beautiful old cinema’ on the south coast of England in the 1980’s. Also joining the cast list will be Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Micheal Ward, Crystal Clarke, Tanya Moodie. Tom Brooke and Hannah Onslow.

The film, which has a runtime of 115 minutes, will be available to watch in cinemas next Monday (January 9).

A description on the Cineworld website reads: “Empire of Light is an intimate and moving story about love, friendship, and connection, set in a coastal town in Southern England against the social turmoil of the early 1980s.

"Hilary (Olivia Colman), a woman with a difficult past and an uneasy present, is part of a makeshift family at the old Empire Cinema on the seafront. When Stephen (Micheal Ward) is hired to work in the cinema, the two find an unlikely attraction and discover the healing power of movies, music and community.”

The film has received 1,862 reviews on IMDB, with an average score of 6.7/10. The film’s actors and those behind the scenes have been nominated for 24 awards in total.

The film was shot in Margate, England and along the Kent coastline through May but Worthing’s Pavilion Theatre, on the seafront, was also taken over by camera crews.

Nicola Waight, Worthing Borough Council’s executive member for regeneration, said last year: “We’re delighted that the historic Pavilion Theatre on Worthing's seafront was chosen as a location for Sam Mendes’ latest film.

“Worthing has hosted several productions in recent years, which is great exposure for our seaside town and we hope it will encourage many more people to come and visit.”

The film was produced by Academy Award nominee Pippa Harris and Mendes under Neal Street Productions.

Mendes said, during filming: “I’m really thrilled to be working with so many wonderful collaborators across both cast and crew on such a personal project. It’s a particular thrill to be working for the first time with Olivia Colman, and to be working once again with my long-term collaborator Roger Deakins.”

Empire of Light was the first of two major movies – starring Olivia Colman – filmed in Worthing in 2022. The promenade was taken over by film crews in October for the production of a historical drama called Wicked Little Letters.

Big screen royalty Timothy Spall was spotted in Worthing, with co-stars Colman and Jessie Buckley, on the set of a period comedy drama, set in the 1920s. Here’s everything you need to know about the film, which had also scenes filmed in Arundel.

See also: Olivia Colman filmed scene for Empire of Light at Worthing's Pavilion Theatre

The day Hollywood came to Shoreham for the filming of The Crown season 1