If they take place, the outdoor screenings would be called Kew the Movies, echoing the Kew the Music outdoor concerts .
They would take place against the backdrop of Kew Palace, instead of the setting for Kew the Music in front of the Temperate House.
It would be the first time outdoor cinema has taken place at Kew, which holds concerts, exhibitions, parties and corporate events.
Kew recently extended its licence to allow up to 12 nights of outdoor entertainment in the summer.
Kew Gardens head of commercial activities Jonathan Marks told Event: "Kew the Music is incredibly popular and I’m keen to expand on that success by trying different types of things. Kew the movies is a good opportunity to do that. What I’m looking at is to try to get interesting people to come and introduce the films and talk about them, perhaps people involved with Kew in one way or another."
An events survey emailed to previous Kew visitors states: "In particular we’re considering the idea of outdoor cinema."
Marks told Event: "We have not yet committed to progressing, although everyone’s initial reaction has been very positive we are keen to see the full outcome of the survey."
He added that the plans are part of a search for new income sources for the venue: "We’re a charitable organisation an every penny goes back to the organisation and this is hopefully an economical way of doing it as we’re looking at ticket prices at a very reasonable level."
The survey asks whether visitors would be keen to bring their own picnic to outdoor cinema, as is usual at Kew the Music, and how much guests would be willing to pay for outdoor cinema, from ‘less than £10’ to ‘more than £16’.
It also asks which films potential visitors would like to see, suggesting titles like Back to the Future, The Graduate, Top Gun and Breakfast at Tiffanys.
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