Vue West End

Vue West End is a multiplex cinema complex in Leicester Square, Westminster, London. It is operated by Vue Cinemas, part of Vue International, and occupies a prominent site within one of the world's best-known cinema districts. The present complex opened in 1993 after the demolition of most of an earlier Warner cinema building, while retaining significant elements of its historic facade. The location has a long entertainment history. Daly's Theatre opened on the site in 1893 before the property was acquired by Warner Brothers and redeveloped as a large single-screen cinema in the late 1930s. The Warner Theatre opened in 1938 with The Adventures of Robin Hood. Its design incorporated a prominent marble-panel facade, sculptural reliefs, a balcony auditorium and acoustic treatments intended to improve sound quality. The building was later adapted to changing exhibition economics: the original auditorium was divided into two screens in 1970, a third was added in 1974, another subdivision followed in 1975, and a fifth auditorium was created in 1981. The enlarged venue became known as Warner West End. Asbestos in the older structure prevented further refurbishment. The cinema closed in 1991, and a new nine-screen multiplex was built behind a substantially retained portion of the frontage. The replacement venue opened on 23 September 1993 with a royal premiere of The Fugitive. It initially offered 2,482 seats across five floors, with a foyer, bar, escalator circulation and auditoria distributed throughout the building. Its two largest screens were designed as premium auditoria and were originally equipped with JBL sound systems and THX certification, alongside Dolby Digital, DTS and SDDS playback capabilities. The site subsequently operated under the Warner Village name following a joint venture between Warner Bros. International Theatres and Village Cinemas. After Warner Village was acquired in 2003, the cinema was rebranded as Vue West End. Over time, the venue moved from 35mm and early digital cinema formats toward fully digital projection, upgraded audio systems and refreshed public areas. Earlier monochrome LED frontage displays were replaced first by printed advertising and later by colour LED signage. Vue West End underwent a major refurbishment in 2017 and reopened on 10 July of that year. The project renewed the auditoria, foyer and other public areas, introduced larger luxury seating and reduced total capacity to 1,388. The upgraded technical package includes Sony 4K projection throughout, premium Sony FINITY projection systems in Screens 5 and 7, Harkness screens in Screens 5 through 8, and Dolby Atmos in the two principal auditoria. The foyer and bar areas also gained updated concessions and hospitality facilities, including Vue's own concessions operation, Square Pie, Pizzeria Malletti and Ben & Jerry's. The building remains an active commercial cinema and a high-profile London venue for mainstream film exhibition, premieres and major theatrical releases.

Vue West End stands on a Leicester Square site whose entertainment history predates the current multiplex by a century. Daly's Theatre opened there on 27 June 1893. After Warner Brothers acquired the property, the theatre was demolished and replaced by a cinema building designed by Thomas Somerford and Edward Stone. The replacement Warner Theatre opened on 12 October 1938 with The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Errol Flynn. The 1938 cinema was conceived as a large single auditorium with a circle balcony and a design emphasizing both visual identity and acoustics. Its facade used reconstructed marble panels and incorporated relief work by Bainbridge Copnall. Internally, the building included specialized acoustic surfaces, a distinctive screen arrangement and decorative finishes intended to improve the audience experience. Although the original venue was primarily a cinema rather than a theatre, it inherited the site's strong association with London's West End entertainment economy. Changing patterns of cinema attendance led to repeated subdivision. In 1970 the auditorium was split into the Warner West End and the Rendezvous Warner West End, with their openings associated with the British premiere of There Was a Crooked Man... and the world premiere of The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer. A third auditorium was added in 1974 in the former bar area. Screen 2 was divided again in 1975, and a fifth auditorium was created in 1981. The resulting complex was generally known as Warner West End. The older building eventually became difficult to modernize because of asbestos. It closed on 12 September 1991, and most of the 1938 structure was demolished. The redevelopment retained much of the front facade while creating a new nine-screen multiplex over five floors. Designed by HGP Greentree Allchurch Evans and built by Higgs and Hill, the replacement complex cost £11 million according to the cited reference material and opened on 23 September 1993 with a royal premiere of The Fugitive. The new cinema had 2,482 seats, a new glass-fronted staircase, a canopy and large electronic displays above the frontage. The 1993 venue reflected the technology of its period. It used JBL loudspeakers, with the two largest auditoria equipped for THX presentation and multiple major 35mm digital sound formats, including Dolby Digital, DTS and SDDS. Screen access was distributed among the basement, ground floor and upper floors, with a foyer and bar forming the main public areas. A later joint venture between Warner Bros. International Theatres and Village Cinemas resulted in the Warner Village West End identity. After Warner Village was acquired in 2003, the site became Vue West End. Subsequent improvements included digital projection, replacement of the original JBL sound installations with Martin Audio equipment, updated public-area decoration and changing forms of electronic advertising on the frontage. The former THX certification was eventually discontinued. A further transformation began in 2017. The cinema closed for a £6.6 million refurbishment and reopened on 10 July 2017. UNICK Architects worked on the architectural refurbishment, while Brinkworth Design contributed to the foyer, first-floor bar and frontage details. Eomac was involved in the auditorium fit-outs. Larger luxury seats reduced capacity to 1,388, while new stretched-fabric acoustic treatments, carpets and retained proscenium details refreshed the auditoria. The post-2017 venue uses Sony 4K projection throughout. Screens 5 and 7 received dual Sony FINITY SRX-R515DS projectors, while the remaining auditoria use Sony SRX-R320 projectors. Screens 5 through 8 use Harkness Clarus XC170 screens, and Screens 5 and 7 are equipped for Dolby Atmos. The ground-floor foyer gained concessions associated with Square Pie, Pizzeria Malletti and Ben & Jerry's, alongside Vue's own counter and two bars. The frontage was also updated with new doors, a canopy and a large colour LED display. Vue West End continues to function as an active central London multiplex and a visible cinema destination in Leicester Square.

• 2017

  Major refurbishment completed

  [1]Vue West Enden.wikipedia.org

  The refurbished cinema reopened on 10 July with luxury seating, Sony 4K projection, Dolby Atmos in the main auditoria and redesigned public areas.

• 2003

  Venue adopts the Vue West End name

  [1]Vue West Enden.wikipedia.org

  After the acquisition of Warner Village, the venue became known as Vue West End.

• 1993

  Nine-screen multiplex opens

  [1]Vue West Enden.wikipedia.org

  A new nine-screen complex opened on 23 September with a royal premiere of The Fugitive.

• 1991

  Older cinema closes

  [1]Vue West Enden.wikipedia.org

  The Warner West End closed on 12 September because asbestos issues prevented further refurbishment of the older building.

• 1981

  Fifth auditorium created

  [1]Vue West Enden.wikipedia.org

  A fifth auditorium was added to the Warner West End complex.

• 1974

  Third auditorium added

  [1]Vue West Enden.wikipedia.org

  A third screen was created in the former bar area.

• 1970

  Original auditorium subdivided

  [1]Vue West Enden.wikipedia.org

  The single Warner auditorium was divided into the Warner West End and Rendezvous Warner West End screens.

• 1938

  Warner Theatre opens

  [1]Vue West Enden.wikipedia.org

  The Warner Theatre opened on 12 October 1938 after the former theatre site was redeveloped as a large cinema.

• 1893

  Daly's Theatre opens on the site

  [1]Vue West Enden.wikipedia.org

  Daly's Theatre opened on 27 June 1893, establishing the site's long-running connection with West End entertainment.

A centrally located, high-profile multiplex combining mainstream film programming with premium presentation technology, upgraded seating and food-and-beverage facilities. Its Leicester Square location and retained historic frontage give it additional visibility beyond that of a typical suburban multiplex.

• Cinema exhibition · 1993

  Standard cinema screenings

  The venue's core offering is theatrical exhibition across nine auditoria, presenting mainstream feature films and other scheduled cinema content in a central London multiplex setting. The screens are distributed across several levels of the building and are supported by digital projection and auditorium-specific sound systems.

• Premium cinema · 2017

  Premium auditorium screenings

  Screens 5 and 7 are the venue's principal premium auditoria. Following the 2017 refurbishment, both received dual Sony FINITY 4K projection systems and Dolby Atmos capability, supporting enhanced picture and immersive sound presentation for selected major releases.

• Cinema hospitality · 2017

  Luxury seating

  The 2017 refurbishment introduced larger luxury seats throughout the complex. The seating upgrade improved audience comfort while reducing total capacity from the level of the original 1993 multiplex.

• Cinema concessions · 2017

  Food and beverage concessions

  The refurbished foyer includes Vue's own concession counter, two bars and food outlets associated with Square Pie, Pizzeria Malletti and Ben & Jerry's. These facilities extend the venue's offer beyond ticketed film exhibition.

• 2017

  Upgrade the venue to a premium multiplex formatStrategy

  Background

  Vue undertook a major refurbishment to modernize the auditoria, public areas, frontage and technical presentation systems.

  Action taken

  The cinema received new finishes, larger luxury seating, Sony 4K projection, Dolby Atmos in Screens 5 and 7, updated bars and concessions, and a new colour LED frontage display.

  Aftermath

  The venue reopened on 10 July 2017 with capacity reduced to 1,388 as a result of the larger seats and upgraded layout.

  Refurbishment cost. £6.6 million (2017 refurbishment)

  Source

• 2003

  Rebrand following Warner Village acquisitionM&A

  Background

  The venue had operated under the Warner Village West End identity after a joint venture involving Warner Bros. International Theatres and Village Cinemas.

  Action taken

  Following the acquisition of Warner Village, the cinema adopted the Vue West End name.

  Aftermath

  The Leicester Square venue became part of the Vue Cinemas operating portfolio.

  Source

• 1991

  Replace the asbestos-affected cinema buildingStrategy

  Background

  The older Warner West End building could not undergo further refurbishment because of asbestos-related constraints.

  Action taken

  The building was largely demolished, while much of the historic front facade was retained and incorporated into a new nine-screen multiplex.

  Aftermath

  The replacement venue opened in 1993 with substantially expanded multiplex functionality and 2,482 seats.

  Construction cost. £11 million (1993 redevelopment)

  Source

• 2017

  Vue West End reopened after major refurbishment[1]Vue West Enden.wikipedia.org

  Other · Product generation

  The Leicester Square cinema reopened on 10 July 2017 following a major refurbishment that introduced new finishes, larger luxury seating, updated projection and sound systems, and refreshed foyer and frontage areas.

• 2003

  Vue West End replaced the Warner Village West End identity[1]Vue West Enden.wikipedia.org

  M&A · Leadership change

  Following the acquisition of Warner Village, the Leicester Square venue became known as Vue West End.

1. 1Vue West Enden.wikipedia.org