text: Forget the must-have wine cellar, hot-tub or £1,700 Italian coffee-maker — the latest domestic fashion is for private home cinemas. Many of the super-rich are having them built — complete with huge comfy seats and cup-holders, eardrum-blasting surround-sound systems, massive screens and even cocktail bars and popcorn-makers. Celebrities with a home cinema include the Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch, retail tycoon Sir Philip Green and Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich. And this week we learnt that the Beckhams want one, too. Forget the must-have wine cellar, hot-tub or £1,700 Italian coffee-maker — the latest domestic fashion is for private home cinemas . A planning application submitted for their 1860s home in London’s Holland Park shows drawings for a lower-groundfloor ‘cinema room’. And the word ‘cinema’ — suggestive of a large scale — is entirely appropriate. The ceiling height would be 9.5ft, and the room measures some 300 sq ft — just over twice the size of the average British living room. That means the Beckhams could easily fit 20 seats — enough for their family of six plus friends — in the room which would adjoin a 500 sq ft playroom. In this ‘Beckham Odeon’, a projector and pull-down screen would be built into the ‘non-historic’ ceiling. Having hired the ultra-swish interiors guru Rose Uniacke, one can safely assume it will be much classier than your local multiplex. Meanwhile, George Clooney, who has recently purchased a £10million manor house with his barrister wife Amal on an island in the Thames in Sonning, Berkshire, is also building a home cinema. It will be in a new complex, set apart from the house, that includes a pool, a ‘professional kitchen’, a pergola and a bar. Draft layouts lodged with the local planning office reveal that the cinema will have 12 seats, behind which there will be an audio/video room which will house the banks of electronics required. George Clooney, who has recently purchased a £10million manor house with his barrister wife Amal (right) on an island in the Thames in Sonning, Berkshire, is also building a home cinema . And it is unlikely that Hollywood celebrities such as Clooney are waiting for films to come out on DVD — no doubt eager publicists and production companies send George et al movies even before they are issued on general release. Not far from the Beckhams in West London, pop star Robbie Williams lives in a 46-room house that was previously owned by the late film director Michael Winner. A planning application submitted for David Beckham's (above) home earlier this week showed plans for a 'cinema room' Williams has sought planning permission to build an underground complex that features a pool and home cinema (although Winner had already installed an impressive cinema with photos of his own movies on the walls). However, as well as these celebrities, Russian oligarchs and retail tycoons, there is an increasing trend for normal families to install home cinemas. Magdalen Rees, owner of Chelsea Connected, an audiovisual and internet installation firm, says: ‘Like swimming pools, home cinemas set the status of the house. ‘Many clients want the whole cinema experience, complete with banks of theatre-style seating.’ She says that one client had his own study-sized cinema built in his ‘man cave’ — complete with a solo cinema seat that was a present from his wife. So, how much does a home cinema cost? ‘I’ve installed all the technology — projector, screen, amplifier, speakers and control unit — for less than £10,000,’ says Mrs Rees. ‘But the real expense is on the rest of the room — the seating, decoration and lighting which automatically dims when the movie starts, giving that complete cinema feel.’ But with the average cost of a family visit to the cinema costing £100 (including tickets, transport and food), it almost starts to look like good value. No matter your budget, it is possible to get something approaching the multi-millionaire home cinema experience. If you have a spare room that you can dedicate, then so much the better — but you don’t have to be a Hollywood star to watch in film‑star style. While the home cinemas found in celebrity homes might have popcorn makers, it is easy to make some yourself . Here are the best ways to get your home cinema up and running... Under £1,000 . At this level, buying a projector is out of your league. Your best bet is to shop around for a discounted 55in TV, such as the Samsung UE55H6670 — £799 from Currys. To improve the sound quality, invest in a soundbar — a slimline unit that houses lots of small speakers — such as the Yamaha YAS103, available from Richer Sounds for £149 (richersounds.com). This leaves you with £52 to spare, which you may consider spending on six old cinema chairs currently available on eBay for £48. With the remaining £4, you can buy four boxes of Butterkist salted microwave popcorn, available from Tesco for £1 per box. Installation can be done yourself. Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch (above) also has a home cinema . Under £5,000 . Although you can buy a decent projector for under this price, that will leave you with very little for speakers, seating and all those other extras. It makes more sense to buy a 75in TV, such as the Samsung UE75H6400 — £2,498.97, also from Currys. This could then be combined with a soundbar, a subwoofer speaker that delivers thudding bass and two wireless surround-sound speakers. The best package for all this is the Sonos playbar + SUB + 2 X play: 1, which costs £1,534 (smarthomesounds.co.uk). With nearly £1,000 left over, you can buy four LC7027 leather cinema chairs from Amazon at £219 each, and have enough to buy almost £100 worth of snacks. If you are handy with a power drill and have enough muscle around to lift up the TV set, installation can be DIY. Over £5,000 . If you have a big budget, consider buying a projector. You can plug any media device into it, including a set-top box such as an Apple TV, or a Blu-ray or DVD player, or stream the internet. The Epson EH-TW9200 costs £2,799 and is almost as good as what you’ll get at the cinema. Don’t skimp on the screen or just project on to a white wall. To get the best picture, look at the FrontStage Motorised Home Cinema Projector Screen HDTV, 197in x 147in, which is £1,078 on Amazon. You will then need an amplifier, and at this level you should invest in anything that features Dolby’s stunning new Atmos technology for the most advanced surround-sound. Try the Denon AVRX5200 Networked 4K Home Cinema Receiver at around £1,329. Buy a range of at least 11 speakers, including wall and ceiling units, as well as multiple subwoofers. Aim to spend £250 per speaker at the very least. Finally, invest in some Premiere Home Cinema chairs from Drinkstuff on eBay at £1,299 each. These feature incliners, footrests and backrests, storage boxes, cup-coolers and even cup-warmers. Installation will have to be done by a professional, as projectors and screens need careful mounting.
target: Sir Philip Green and Benedict Cumberbatch also enjoy home cinemas .
  Costs less than £10,000 to install the technology, according to experts .