House of Van Damme at Chapeltown Picture House

Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor

Book now

House of Van Damme

Cultplex, Manchester
19 November 2022

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Chapeltown Picture House
Book now

The Muscles from Brussels is back on the big screen this month thanks to Chapeltown Picture House who have dedicated a whole day to the films of one Mr. Jean-Claude Van Damme. An action icon thanks to his work in the late-80s and early-90s, the Belgian tough guy is being honoured with a three film marathon that promises plenty of explosive action, bad puns and unnecessary leg splits.

House of Van Damme kicks off with the star’s role as mercenary Gibson Rickenbacker in 1989’s cult cyberpunk thriller Cyborg. That’s before John Woo’s 1993 US debut, Hard Target, which sees JCVD play an out-of-work homeless Cajun merchant seaman (there aren’t many of those across cinema history) in a film loosely based on Richard Connell’s famed short story The Most Dangerous Game.

The marathon ends at the beginning, with Jean-Claude’s breakout role in 1988’s Bloodsport. Centred on a underground martial arts tournament in Hong Kong, the film launched Van Damme to mainstream action stardom, as the sweat-and-blood soaked spectacle earned a cult following.

What's on at Cultplex

Where to go near House of Van Damme at Chapeltown Picture House

Cheetham Hill
Restaurant
Osaka Local

Wonderful Japanese street food vendor, often found at Grub and other street food events in and around Manchester and the North.

tours and activities guide
Cheetham Hill
Manchester Three Rivers Gin Distillery

Join the Gin renaissance with Manchester Three Rivers, a gin distillery situated in the heart of the Green Quarter making some fantastic gin as well as inviting people to get up close to the distillation process.

Manchester
Restaurant
Fairfield Social Club

Fairfield Social Club is a multi-purpose site next to Angel Meadows Park in the Green Quarter, ran by the team behind the much-loved Grub,.

Popup Bikes
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Popup Bikes

Independently-run coffee shop and bike repair shop on the edge of the Green Quarter in Manchester.

Manchester
Event venue
Partisan

Partisan is a Manchester-based collective and volunteer-run space for independent, community led, DIY and cultural based projects. They have two floors for events, meetings, office space, live music, club nights, and art.

Salford
Gallery
1520 Studios

1520 Studios is bigger than a film and photography studio, also functioning as an event space and community hub.

Cheetham Hill
The Yard

New creative hub The Yard is home to a great little music venue, which tends to attract future-leaning electronic artists.

The exterior of The Pilcrow
Manchester
Bar or Pub
Sadler’s Cat

The Pilcrow is now Sadler’s Cat, a contemporary community pub at the heart of the NOMA neighbourhood. Overlooking Sadler’s Yard.

What's on: Cinema

Three men sit next to each other. One's head is bandaged, one holds a torch and one wears a sleepmask.
Until
CinemaManchester
Wes World at HOME

Take a trip back into the world of Wes Anderson this May as HOME present a series of the acclaimed auteur’s most beloved films alongside The Phoenician Scheme.

From £7.95
Grease outdoor cinema
Cinema
Outdoor Cinema at Tatton Park

There’s movies under the stars again at Tatton Park this summer as the open air cinema returns for the August Bank Holiday Weekend.

From £14.99

Culture Guides

Music in the North

Gigs are coming in hot this spring – from long-awaited returns to one-off happenings you’ll blink and miss if you're not careful.

Harry Baker
Literature Events in the North

From environmental to experimental, our poetry and prose picks from around the North are focused on the unusual and the fun.

A young boy with a white sash around his left arm cries.
Cinema in the North

Outdoor cinema announcements, a major retrospective at HOME, and the best of indie cinema.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Experimental performance, thought-provoking new writing and our picks of Manchester International Festival - here’s what’s taking centre stage this summer.

Experience a unique deep listening art installation inviting audiences to lay down and be bathed in sound and light.
Exhibitions in the North

From city-wide art festivals to open-air sculptural installations, we have exhibitions from all around the North, both indoors and out.