‘Truly irreplaceable’: Iconic West End cinema under threat of closure

A West End cinema famed as the capital’s legendary home of cult film has launched a campaign to save it from closure.

The Prince Charles Cinema, off a side street of China Town, has launched a petition after management said new terms imposed by its landlord brought its future under threat.

In a statement on the petitions website 38degrees.org.uk, the cinema says that Zedwell LSQ Ltd want to increase the rent and have demanded a “break clause” in the building’s lease agreement.

The break clause would force the cinema to leave its home with just six months notice if Zedwell LSQ Ltd received planning permission to redevelop the building.

So far the petition has received 128,328 signatures, of the required 200,000, before it is e-mailed to Zedwell LSQ Ltd, its parent company Criterion Capital, as well as to the Mayor of London and Lisa Nandy, MP Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

Criterion Capital, said the terms of a new lease were standard practice and not unreasonable.

A spokesman for The Prince Charles Cinema said: “We are one of the last remaining independent cinemas in central London, receiving no public funding and attracting over 250,000 customers a year at a time when the industry is struggling. 

“As a significant local landmark, we act as an anchor institution for the Leicester Square community, as well as the wider film and creative sectors.”

Built in 1961 as a theatre, the Prince Charles was converted into a cinema in the mid-sixties.

The venue is renowned for its programme of more than 850 films a year, spanning the history of cinema, across its two screens.

With a schedule that is packed all year round, the Prince Charles Cinema programme includes Japanese animation, all-nighters, Horror October, Xmas December, Singalonga shows, Tommy Wiseau’s The Room as well as continuous celebrations of filmmakers from all around the world.

Last year, The Prince Charles Cinema recorded record attendance for the second year running, with more than a quarter of a million tickets sold.

Ben Freedman, managing director of the Prince Charles Cinema said: “At a time when cinemas continue to close throughout the world, we are happy to buck the trend with a variety of films that is unmatched anywhere else.

“The Prince Charles Cinema is truly irreplaceable. Nothing like it exists, not just in the West End, London and UK but anywhere in the world.

“It would mean losing not just an iconic cultural institution, but also an engine for the economy of the West End that brings people from all over London and the surrounding area to watch films, shop and eat and drink.  This would have repercussions way beyond the building itself.

“We can’t let that happen.”

Criterion Capital, which is owned by billionaire developer Asif Aziz, said a break clause is standard commercial practice, “reflecting long-term property planning, not unreasonable intent”.

It added that its rental expectations were based on a fair market assessment and that it remained “open to constructive dialogue” with the cinema’s operator Bubble Chamber Ltd.

The petition can be found here: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-the-prince-charles-cinema

Pictured top: During lockdown through to reopening, Prince Charles cinema regularly changed the various – and always humorous messages on the signage outside (Picture: Eleventh Hour Photography / Alamy Stock Photo)