Flickyleaks: Water pours through ceiling during Manchester by the Sea showing at Hackney Picturehouse

Cinemagoers were treated to an unadvertised – and unwanted – immersive experience when they went to see Oscar-tipped film Manchester by the Sea at the Hackney Picturehouse.

They walked into screen two on Sunday night to find the back rows of seats covered in plastic sheeting – because water was pouring through the ceiling.

One woman visitor to the Mare Street cinema even decided to watch the whole film with her umbrella up.

Former Gazette editor Matt Withers was there. He said: “When we got to the screen we were told by a member of staff it was unallocated seating but not why. But inside it was obvious – several rows of seating towards the back of the room were covered in plastic sheeting and it was absolutely pouring with water from the ceiling. Not just a slight drip – it was pretty much raining inside.”

He added: “A woman on the far end of my row kept her umbrella up throughout the film, which is definitely a first.

“The strange thing is, in the summer when the air conditioning has failed there’s been an announcement that people could be refunded if they left within the first 10 minutes. But this time, nothing.

“The constant noise was a distraction throughout. It did add a certain pathetic fallacy to Casey Affleck’s haunting portrayal of a man weighed down by his past, albeit it one we could have done without.”

Hackney Picturehouse said a slight drip on Saturday turning into a heavier leak on Sunday. “We have a temporary fix in place for the time being and a permanent solution due tomorrow,” a spokesman said.