Invite Arnie Back to Finchley
The Issue
THE CINEMA THAT ARNIE OPENED IN GREAT NORTH LEISURE PARK IS THREATENED WITH DEMOLITION!
Open Letter to the one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger
Dear Arnie
We are residents of Finchley and nearby areas in North London. Thirty years ago, in August 1996, you opened a large movie theatre in our suburb for the premiere of your film “Eraser”. It was a momentous event for the community, who turned out to give you a big welcome. People here still remember your visit!
You told us: “I’ll be back!”. Well, now we are asking you to come back. We need your help to save the movie theatre that you opened. It would be wonderful if you could come in person to sort things out, as you do in your movies. But California is a long way from here, so we’d understand if you came back to us on social media instead 😊.
The theatre is now called the Vue Cinema. It’s located in the Great North Leisure Park, which is what in America would be called a mall, together with a tenpin bowling alley and casual dining.
The Mayor of London has given developers permission to demolish the Leisure Park, including the cinema, to make way for a badly-designed development of very tall apartment buildings.
Generations of us have enjoyed the Leisure Park. It's where young people gather and families celebrate. Disabled residents have easy access. The car park is invariably packed.
More than 15,000 people have signed a petition to stop the development. Our local council rejected the scheme, but the Mayor overruled their decision.
London needs more affordable homes. We would not object to a well-designed scheme that provides these, alongside entertainment venues. But the Mayor wants a development of mainly commercial apartments, which most people can’t afford.
The Vue is the last big-screen movie theatre in our part of London. We want to keep our giant screens and super sound so we can continue to enjoy great movies like yours.
The new development also threatens protected species in a nature reserve next door. As the former Governor of California, you’ll know how important it is to balance property development with the social needs of a community and preserving the environment. We haven’t seen that balance here, and we are very angry about that.
We’re fighting back against the Mayor as best we can. We need all the support we can get, and your voice would be heard by everyone.
When you came here, you reportedly said “I love Finchley”. We love you too! So please send a us a message of support, for the sake of this community, and to help keep big-screen cinemas open everywhere.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards and thanks
The residents of Finchley and neighbouring areas in North London and “Our North Finchley”
PS: You can see your visit to Finchley in this YouTube video, what a great occasion!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg2xyFNU96E
PPS: And here is a press article that summarises the event (maybe you still have the video you requested – we’d love to see it):
DEAR SUPPORTERS EVERYWHERE:
We know that the many fans of Arnold Schwarzenegger will want to join us in inviting him back to Finchley. But please: this is a letter from local people to Arnie and so please sign it only if you know and use the Vue Cinema, Hollywood Bowl and restaurants at Great North Leisure Park. Thanks!
Everyone can support the campaign to keep London community-friendly, entertained, and housed affordably, by donating to:
554
The Issue
THE CINEMA THAT ARNIE OPENED IN GREAT NORTH LEISURE PARK IS THREATENED WITH DEMOLITION!
Open Letter to the one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger
Dear Arnie
We are residents of Finchley and nearby areas in North London. Thirty years ago, in August 1996, you opened a large movie theatre in our suburb for the premiere of your film “Eraser”. It was a momentous event for the community, who turned out to give you a big welcome. People here still remember your visit!
You told us: “I’ll be back!”. Well, now we are asking you to come back. We need your help to save the movie theatre that you opened. It would be wonderful if you could come in person to sort things out, as you do in your movies. But California is a long way from here, so we’d understand if you came back to us on social media instead 😊.
The theatre is now called the Vue Cinema. It’s located in the Great North Leisure Park, which is what in America would be called a mall, together with a tenpin bowling alley and casual dining.
The Mayor of London has given developers permission to demolish the Leisure Park, including the cinema, to make way for a badly-designed development of very tall apartment buildings.
Generations of us have enjoyed the Leisure Park. It's where young people gather and families celebrate. Disabled residents have easy access. The car park is invariably packed.
More than 15,000 people have signed a petition to stop the development. Our local council rejected the scheme, but the Mayor overruled their decision.
London needs more affordable homes. We would not object to a well-designed scheme that provides these, alongside entertainment venues. But the Mayor wants a development of mainly commercial apartments, which most people can’t afford.
The Vue is the last big-screen movie theatre in our part of London. We want to keep our giant screens and super sound so we can continue to enjoy great movies like yours.
The new development also threatens protected species in a nature reserve next door. As the former Governor of California, you’ll know how important it is to balance property development with the social needs of a community and preserving the environment. We haven’t seen that balance here, and we are very angry about that.
We’re fighting back against the Mayor as best we can. We need all the support we can get, and your voice would be heard by everyone.
When you came here, you reportedly said “I love Finchley”. We love you too! So please send a us a message of support, for the sake of this community, and to help keep big-screen cinemas open everywhere.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards and thanks
The residents of Finchley and neighbouring areas in North London and “Our North Finchley”
PS: You can see your visit to Finchley in this YouTube video, what a great occasion!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg2xyFNU96E
PPS: And here is a press article that summarises the event (maybe you still have the video you requested – we’d love to see it):
DEAR SUPPORTERS EVERYWHERE:
We know that the many fans of Arnold Schwarzenegger will want to join us in inviting him back to Finchley. But please: this is a letter from local people to Arnie and so please sign it only if you know and use the Vue Cinema, Hollywood Bowl and restaurants at Great North Leisure Park. Thanks!
Everyone can support the campaign to keep London community-friendly, entertained, and housed affordably, by donating to:
The Decision Makers
Supporter Voices
Petition Updates
Share this petition
Petition created on 26 June 2026