Odeon Luxe West End
A two-screen premium cinema beneath The Londoner hotel on London's Leicester Square.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Odeon Luxe West End is a two-screen cinema on the south side of Leicester Square in London’s West End. The venue is the successor to a long-running entertainment site that began life in 1930 as the Leicester Square Theatre, a hybrid theatre and cinema created by actor and film star Jack Buchanan and impresario Walter Gibbons. Although initially intended principally for live performance, practical difficulties with the stage and surrounding properties encouraged a mixed programme of films and theatrical entertainment. Over its early decades the building operated under several names and managements, including RKO Radio Pictures, County Cinemas, United Artists and General Film Distributors. The venue became part of the Odeon estate in 1946, when Oscar Deutsch’s Odeon Theatres took control. Its West End location made it a significant site for gala presentations, British and international premieres, roadshow engagements and prestige film events. The cinema suffered bomb damage during the Second World War and was closed for almost a year before reopening in 1941. Later notable presentations included the United Kingdom premiere of Alice in Wonderland, Laurence Olivier’s Richard III, the roadshow engagement of The Longest Day, the UK premiere of Mary Poppins and the European gala premiere of The Happiest Millionaire. A major modernization followed a closure in 1968. The elaborate earlier interior was substantially stripped back, the upper balcony was removed and the building was converted into a single modern auditorium with 1,407 seats. It reopened in December 1968 and was equipped for 70mm presentations. In July 1988, the Leicester Square Theatre name was replaced by Odeon West End. The site was twinned in 1991, creating an upstairs screen and a larger downstairs screen, and subsequently functioned as a prominent but commercially mixed West End venue. It hosted premieres such as Papillon, Tommy and Crocodile Dundee, as well as major public and industry events. In 2008, the two auditoriums were used for the UK premiere of Sex and the City, with all sessions reported as sold out. The cinema also presented an exclusive 70mm engagement of Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master in 2012 and served as a regular West End base for the BFI London Film Festival. Odeon Cinemas sold the freehold in 2006 to three Irish investors, while the cinema continued operating under the Odeon brand. Ownership later moved through Ireland’s National Asset Management Agency and was sold in 2012 to the Radisson hotel group. Westminster City Council approved redevelopment plans in January 2014. Odeon West End closed on 1 January 2015, after final screenings of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and Interstellar. The old building was handed to demolition contractors, asbestos was removed, and demolition was completed in 2015. The site returned as Odeon Luxe West End in September 2021, occupying basement space within The Londoner hotel, a major redevelopment with extensive underground accommodation and amenities. The modern cinema has two screens, including a principal auditorium equipped with Dolby Vision laser projection and Dolby Atmos sound. It became one of seven London venues used by the 2021 BFI London Film Festival and later hosted the premiere of a Dolby Cinema remaster of Tom Hooper’s 2012 film Les Misérables. The current venue therefore combines the Odeon Luxe premium cinema proposition with a site whose identity is rooted in almost a century of West End theatrical and cinematic history.
History
The building opened on 19 December 1930 as the Leicester Square Theatre. Designed by Andrew Mather for Jack Buchanan and Walter Gibbons, it was conceived as a live theatre but opened as a dual-purpose venue with a substantial cinema auditorium. Warner Brothers operated the opening programme, which combined the Technicolor film Viennese Nights with a stage dance presentation. The venue had a Wurlitzer theatre organ and seating distributed across stalls, dress circle and balcony levels. During its first years the site changed operators and identities repeatedly. RKO Radio Pictures took control in 1931, County Cinemas renamed it the Olympic Theatre in 1932, and Buchanan later resumed control. A period of non-stop variety was followed by a return to full-time cinema under United Artists in 1933. General Film Distributors assumed control in 1938, linking the cinema to the business that would later form part of the Rank Organisation. The building was damaged by bombing in late 1940 and remained closed for nearly a year. It reopened in July 1941. Odeon Theatres, founded by Oscar Deutsch, took over in 1946. Repairs and improvements continued during the postwar period, and the venue presented a succession of important premieres and long-running engagements. These included the UK premiere of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland in 1951, the UK premiere of Laurence Olivier’s Richard III in 1955, a roadshow presentation of The Longest Day from 1962 to 1963, and the UK premiere of Mary Poppins in 1964. The cinema closed in April 1968 for a comprehensive reconstruction. Arnold Dick Associates designed a modern single-screen interior within the existing shell, with seating reduced to 1,407 and the former upper balcony removed. Much of the earlier French Renaissance decoration disappeared behind the new design, although elements of the historic ceiling survived. The venue reopened in December 1968 with a royal charity premiere and facilities for 70mm exhibition. It was renamed Odeon West End in July 1988. A further closure in 1991 produced two auditoriums: a smaller upstairs screen and a larger downstairs screen. The renamed cinema continued to serve the West End premiere circuit, while also screening conventional first-run films. It was associated with the London Film Festival and hosted engagements that benefited from large-format presentation, including a 70mm run of The Master in 2012. The ownership structure changed in 2006 when Odeon Cinemas sold the building to Irish investors, although Odeon continued operating the cinema. The property later passed through Ireland’s National Asset Management Agency and was sold to the Radisson hotel group in 2012. A hotel redevelopment incorporating a replacement two-screen cinema was approved in 2014. Odeon West End closed on 1 January 2015; the building was subsequently stripped, subjected to asbestos removal and demolished. The cinema reopened in September 2021 as Odeon Luxe West End in the basement of The Londoner hotel. The new venue contains two screens and uses Dolby Vision laser projection and Dolby Atmos sound in its main auditorium. Its programming has included festival events and premium-format premieres, continuing the location’s historic role as a specialist West End exhibition venue while operating within a substantially different building.
- 2021
Odeon Luxe West End opens
[1]A new two-screen cinema opened in The Londoner hotel redevelopment.
- 2015
Original cinema closes and is demolished
[1]The cinema closed on 1 January; demolition followed asbestos removal and was completed later that year.
- 2006
Freehold sold by Odeon Cinemas
[1]Odeon Cinemas sold the building to three Irish investors while retaining cinema operations under lease.
- 1991
Cinema is twinned
[1]The venue reopened with two auditoriums, one upstairs and one downstairs.
- 1988
Renamed Odeon West End
[1]The Leicester Square Theatre name was replaced by Odeon West End.
- 1968
Major single-screen modernization
[1]The building reopened after a major redesign as a modern 1,407-seat, 70mm-capable cinema.
- 1946
Odeon acquisition
[1]Odeon Theatres took control of the cinema after its wartime damage and reopening.
- 1938
General Film Distributors takes control
[1]The cinema came under General Film Distributors, associated with the later Rank Organisation.
- 1931
RKO takes control
[1]RKO Radio Pictures assumed operation of the venue during its early period of changing operators.
- 1930
Leicester Square Theatre opens
[1]The venue opened on 19 December as a dual-purpose live theatre and cinema founded by Jack Buchanan and Walter Gibbons.
Products and positioning
A premium, centrally located West End cinema focused on luxury seating, advanced presentation technology, premieres, festival programming and high-profile special screenings.
Cinema service · 1930
Cinema exhibition
The venue’s core offering is public exhibition of first-run feature films across two screens in a central London location. Historically, the cinema also carried conventional releases alongside prestige engagements, premieres and festival titles.
Premium cinema technology · 2021
Dolby Cinema presentation
The principal auditorium uses Dolby Vision laser projection and Dolby Atmos audio, positioning the reopened venue within Odeon’s premium Luxe proposition and supporting high-end presentations of major releases and special events.
Event cinema · 1930
Film premieres and special-format screenings
Across its history the site has hosted UK and European premieres, gala events, festival screenings and selected 70mm engagements. Examples include The Master in 2012 and a Dolby Cinema remaster of Les Misérables in 2024.
Marketing campaigns
- 2021BFI London Film Festival venue programme
United Kingdom
The reopened cinema was selected as one of seven London venues for the 2021 BFI London Film Festival, reinforcing its role as a West End destination for festival and prestige film programming.
Outcome. The venue participated in the festival’s London screening programme.
Brand decisions
2014
Redevelopment of the Leicester Square siteStrategyBackground
The existing Odeon West End building was considered within plans for a major hotel redevelopment on Leicester Square.
Action taken
Westminster City Council approved plans for an eight-storey hotel development with a replacement two-screen Odeon cinema in basement space.
Aftermath
The original cinema closed in January 2015, was demolished after asbestos removal, and was replaced by Odeon Luxe West End, which opened in 2021.
Sources2 sources
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