Prince Charles Cinema
An independent repertory cinema in London's West End known for cult, classic, arthouse and participatory screenings.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Prince Charles Cinema is an independent repertory cinema on Leicester Place, approximately 45 metres north of Leicester Square in London's West End. It occupies a building originally constructed between 1961 and 1962 by Richard Costain Limited for Alfred Esdaile and designed by Carl Fisher and Associates. The venue was named for the then Prince Charles and initially operated as a theatre before passing through several markedly different phases of entertainment programming. After its early theatrical use, the building became a cinema associated first with European arthouse films and adult-oriented material. Its programme during that period included the long-running British engagement of Emmanuelle and screenings of other controversial or sexually explicit films. The venue also hosted the UK premiere of Just a Gigolo in February 1979, attended by David Bowie, and later developed a reputation for horror programming, including the 1987 world premiere of Hellraiser. Robins Cinemas took over the venue in April 1991, after which it increasingly adopted the repertory-cinema identity for which it is now known. Rather than concentrating solely on first-run releases, the Prince Charles combines classic, cult, arthouse and genre films with selected recent Hollywood titles. Its programme commonly spans more than fifty different films in a week across two screens. The lower auditorium has 300 velvet seats, while the upper auditorium has 104 high-back leather seats. A former balcony was converted into the second screen in 2008. The cinema's appeal is built as much around audience culture as around its film selection. Regular events include sing-along presentations of The Sound of Music, screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Room, midnight shows, director-linked events, double bills and other participatory or themed programmes. Its close association with filmmakers and film enthusiasts has helped it acquire a distinctive cult status. Quentin Tarantino has publicly praised the venue and its programming, while Uma Thurman recorded a special introduction for the cinema's 2004 UK launch presentation of a Kill Bill double bill. Kevin Smith also held a question-and-answer event there and subsequently received a commemorative toilet cubicle. The venue has also hosted environmental and cultural programming. In 2007 it screened An Inconvenient Truth weekly, sometimes accompanied by question-and-answer sessions with invited speakers. Its spaces and surrounding area have appeared in television and music-video productions, including Trigger Happy TV stunts and Ian Brown's Golden Gaze video. The cinema has retained a deliberately idiosyncratic public image, including a canopy used for film references, jokes and topical messages. In the 2020s, the Prince Charles continued to operate as a specialist independent venue while benefiting from renewed interest in repertory titles such as Wong Kar-wai's In the Mood for Love. In 2023 it stated that it would retain its name following the coronation of Charles III. In June 2024 it cancelled a planned world premiere of The Last Screenwriter after patron objections to the film's use of ChatGPT in the writing process. In 2025 staff launched the #SaveThePCC campaign over the future of the Leicester Place lease. Westminster City Council subsequently designated the cinema an Asset of Community Value, recognising its independent character, distinctive programming and relationship with the local community.
History
The Prince Charles Cinema occupies a building constructed in 1961–1962 by Richard Costain Limited for Alfred Esdaile. Carl Fisher and Associates designed the building, whose unusual auditorium floor had a curved, satellite-dish-like profile that positioned spectators on an upward angle toward the stage. Named after the then Prince Charles, the venue began as a theatre rather than a cinema. In 1964 it was used for an edition of The Jack Paar Program, including a stage performance by Judy Garland. The building soon moved away from conventional dramatic theatre. It was converted into a cinema and became associated with European arthouse films containing levels of nudity that were considered provocative in Britain and the United States at the time. This phase included the UK's longest continuous run of Emmanuelle and screenings of Caligula. On 14 February 1979, the venue hosted the UK premiere of Just a Gigolo, attended by David Bowie, who appeared in the film. During the 1980s the programme expanded into horror and genre cinema; the venue hosted the world premiere of Hellraiser in 1987. Robins Cinemas took control in April 1991. Under that ownership the venue developed more clearly into a repertory cinema, building its identity around revivals, cult films, horror, arthouse works and audience-led events rather than relying only on current commercial releases. It became particularly associated with midnight screenings and films that reward repeat viewing or communal participation. The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Room and sing-along presentations of The Sound of Music became recurring features, helping establish a loyal audience and a cult reputation. The cinema's physical configuration changed in the early twenty-first century. It was used for stunts in the British sketch programme Trigger Happy TV, with filming taking advantage of a balcony that allowed aerial shots. That balcony was later converted into a second screen in 2008. The venue now operates with two auditoria: a 300-seat downstairs room with velvet seating and an upstairs room with 104 high-back leather seats. The Prince Charles has maintained relationships with prominent filmmakers and performers. Quentin Tarantino has repeatedly described it as an exemplary independent cinema and has linked it with the British reception of his films, including Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill. In 2004, Uma Thurman supplied a recorded introduction for a Kill Bill double bill. Kevin Smith held a Q&A at the cinema in 2007; after joking that the venue had not commemorated him in the same way as Tarantino, staff installed and Smith opened a framed tribute in a men's toilet cubicle. The venue has also been connected with Peter Doherty, who worked there briefly in 1999 before leaving, and with appearances in the music video for Ian Brown's Golden Gaze. The cinema has occasionally used its programme for public-interest initiatives. It showed An Inconvenient Truth every week during 2007, with some screenings followed by discussions involving guests such as Tony Juniper, David Miliband and Menzies Campbell. Its canopy has become another element of the brand, carrying advertising, film quotations, topical messages and humorous references to the cinema's West End surroundings. In 2021 filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson selected the Prince Charles as his favourite London cinema, praising its people, programming, accessibility and atmosphere. During the 2020s the venue continued to combine repertory titles with selected new releases, and screenings of Wong Kar-wai's 2000 film In the Mood for Love became increasingly popular. The cinema confirmed in 2023 that it would not change its name after Charles III's coronation. In June 2024, the cinema cancelled a planned world premiere of The Last Screenwriter after patrons raised concerns about the film's use of ChatGPT in place of a writer. A more serious institutional challenge emerged in January 2025, when staff launched the #SaveThePCC campaign over the future of the premises. The existing lease was due to expire in September 2025. Staff argued that proposed terms from landlord Zedwell LSQ Ltd included a redevelopment-related break clause and a rent level they considered commercially unreasonable. A petition attracted rapid public support, negotiations later resumed, and Westminster City Council designated the cinema an Asset of Community Value in May 2025. The designation formally acknowledged the venue's independent identity, unusual programme and importance to its local community.
- 2025
Save the PCC campaign launched
[1]Staff began a campaign to protect the venue amid disagreement over proposed lease terms and the threat of possible redevelopment.
- 2025
Asset of Community Value designation
[1]Westminster City Council designated the Prince Charles Cinema an Asset of Community Value.
- 2024
The Last Screenwriter premiere cancelled
[1]A planned world premiere was cancelled following patron concerns about the film's AI-assisted writing.
- 2008
Second screen created
[1]The former balcony was converted into an additional auditorium.
- 2007
Environmental documentary residency
[1]An Inconvenient Truth was screened weekly throughout the year, with selected Q&A events.
- 2004
Kill Bill double-bill introduction
[1]Uma Thurman recorded a special introduction for the cinema's UK launch presentation of a Kill Bill double bill.
- 1991
Robins Cinemas takes over
[1]Robins Cinemas acquired control in April, during the period in which the venue developed its repertory identity.
- 1987
World premiere of Hellraiser
[1]The venue hosted the world premiere of the horror film Hellraiser.
- 1979
UK premiere of Just a Gigolo
[1]The film's UK premiere took place at the cinema on 14 February, with David Bowie in attendance.
- 1964
Television programme filmed at the venue
[1]An edition of The Jack Paar Program was filmed at the venue, including a performance by Judy Garland.
Products and positioning
A distinctive, affordable and community-oriented independent cinema that prioritises repertory discovery, cult-film culture, audience participation and programming personality over multiplex standardisation.
Cinema exhibition · 1991
Repertory film programme
The cinema's core offering is a rotating schedule of classic, cult, arthouse, horror and genre films, supplemented by selected recent Hollywood releases. Its programming typically covers a broad range of titles each week across two screens, giving the venue a specialist identity distinct from mainstream multiplexes.
Event cinema
Participatory screenings
The Prince Charles is known for screenings designed around audience participation, including sing-along performances of The Sound of Music and recurring presentations of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Room. These events turn film exhibition into a communal performance and are central to the venue's cult reputation.
Cinema events
Special screenings and filmmaker events
The venue presents premieres, double bills, midnight screenings, introductions, Q&As and themed programmes. Its history includes appearances and contributions involving David Bowie, Uma Thurman, Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Smith, although the exact frequency of such events varies by programme.
Marketing campaigns
- 2025#SaveThePCC
United Kingdom
Staff launched a campaign to defend the cinema's future after disagreement with landlord Zedwell LSQ Ltd over the terms of a replacement lease due to take effect after September 2025.
Outcome. A petition attracted more than 160,000 signatures by late February, negotiations resumed, and Westminster City Council later granted the venue Asset of Community Value status.
- 2007An Inconvenient Truth weekly screenings
United Kingdom
The cinema committed to screening An Inconvenient Truth every week during 2007 and supplemented some showings with Q&A sessions involving invited environmental and political speakers.
Outcome. The programme established the venue as a platform for environmental discussion as well as film exhibition.
Brand decisions
2025
Public campaign to protect the venue's leaseStrategyBackground
The cinema said its existing lease was due to expire in September 2025 and disputed proposed terms from Zedwell LSQ Ltd, including a redevelopment-related break clause and a higher rent.
Action taken
Staff launched #SaveThePCC, mobilised public support and pursued negotiations with the landlord.
Aftermath
Negotiations resumed, while Westminster City Council designated the cinema an Asset of Community Value in recognition of its local significance.
2024
Cancellation of The Last Screenwriter premiereOtherBackground
The cinema had planned to host a world premiere of a film written using ChatGPT, but patrons objected to the substitution of artificial intelligence for a human writer.
Action taken
The Prince Charles Cinema cancelled the planned premiere.
Aftermath
The decision demonstrated the venue's responsiveness to its audience and its willingness to take a position in a debate about authorship and generative AI.
2023
Decision to retain the Prince Charles nameOtherBackground
The coronation of Charles III prompted public interest in whether the cinema would change its name.
Action taken
The cinema announced that it had no intention of changing its name.
Aftermath
The established brand name remained in use.
Recent events
- 2025
Prince Charles Cinema announces #SaveThePCC campaign over lease dispute[1]
Other
Staff launched a public campaign concerning the expiry of the cinema's premises lease in September 2025. The cinema objected to proposed lease terms that it said could permit redevelopment-related termination and impose an unreasonable rent increase. A public petition directed at Zedwell LSQ Ltd and Criterion Capital quickly attracted substantial support, and negotiations later resumed.
- 2025
Prince Charles Cinema designated an Asset of Community Value[1]
Regulation
Westminster City Council designated the cinema an Asset of Community Value under the Localism Act 2011, citing its independent ethos, distinctive programming and strong connection with the surrounding community.
- 2024
Prince Charles Cinema cancels premiere of The Last Screenwriter[1]
Product launch · Other
The cinema cancelled a planned world premiere of The Last Screenwriter after patrons objected to the film's use of ChatGPT in place of a human writer.
- 2023
Cinema confirms it will retain the Prince Charles name[1]
Other
Following the coronation of Charles III, the cinema announced that it had no intention of changing its established name.
- 2007
An Inconvenient Truth screened weekly throughout 2007[1]
Campaign
The cinema ran weekly screenings of the environmental documentary An Inconvenient Truth and sometimes paired them with Q&A sessions involving invited public figures and environmental advocates.
- 2004
Uma Thurman records introduction for Kill Bill double bill[1]
Campaign
During the UK launch of Kill Bill: Volume 2, Uma Thurman recorded a special video introduction for a Prince Charles Cinema double bill of the two films.
Sources2 sources
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