Prince Charles Cinema

Where is it???

6 Leicester St, London Chinatown, London WC2H 7BX, United Kingdom

The Prince Charles Cinema• The Prince Charles Cinema is a small independent cinema

located in Leicester Place, Leicester Square. It shows a range of cult, arthouse, and classic films alongside recent Hollywood releases - typically more than ten different films a week on two screens with 285 seats downstairs and 104 seats upstairs.

• It also hosts a range of different interactive screenings for certain films such as ‘quote-along’ and the popular sing-a-long version of The Sound of Music, which has been shown on a regular basis for over five years, as well as The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Joseph. The cinema has achieved a cult status amongst fans, sticking out as the only independent cinema in the West End.

The History• Built in 1961 and opened in 1962 , the building originally functioned as a theatre. The venue later

operated as a porn cinema whose screenings included the UK's longest run of Emmanuelle, as well as Caligula.

• The cinema was used as the setting for a number of stunts in the British sketch show, Trigger Happy TV. Various sketches involved the show's presenter, Dom Joly, along with extras from the show, annoying cinema-goers by dressing up as severely obese people trying to squeeze past whilst spilling popcorn from massively oversized buckets, sitting in front of them with enormous fake wigs, and dressing up as Beefeaters taking up whole rows of seats. Other more bizarre incidents involved the use of animal costumes. In one scene two rabbits were seen simulating sexual intercourse, and in another Joly dressed up as a snake and slithered around on the floor, as a supposed addition to a screening advising people to be vigilant about pick-pockets.

• During the UK launch of Kill Bill 2, Uma Thurman recorded a special video introduction for a double bill of both movies being held at the cinema. In it she welcomed the audience to "Quentin's favourite UK cinema." Tarantino has said, "The Prince Charles Cinema is everything an independent movie theatre should be. For lovers of quality films, this is Mecca." and "The day Kill Bill plays the Prince Charles is the day Kill Bill truly comes home."

• Often the screenings have Q&As with special guests; previous speakers have included Tony Juniper (head of Friends Of The Earth), David Miliband (former UK Foreign Secretary) and Sir Menzies Campbell (former Leader of the Liberal Democrats).The cinema and surrounding area was also featured in the music video to "Golden Gaze" by Ian Brown.

The Alleged Ghost Story

• The Prince Charles Cinema is rumoured to have a ghost that haunts the upper levels of the cinema. Several “sightings” have been made by staff, and it has even reportedly tidied up mess in the cinema and even adjusted the volume on films. The upper level of the cinema falls within the former site of the 17th-century Leicester House, which was later converted into the ‘Holophusikon’ - a museum of curiosities, including many artefacts from Captain James Cook's voyages.

Interactive Screenings; The Quote-along

• The quote along screenings encourage interaction with the audience. They encourage fancy dress, ‘pajama parties’. Typically full of teenagers and young adults, the cinema does state on the site that these are not for everyone but can be extremely fun.

Double Bill Season

Another way to get audiences to go along to the cinema is the double bill season. During this season, every week for one night only, the Prince Charles Cinema shows two films one after the other. Examples include Ghostbusters 1 and 2, Barton Fink followed swiftly by The Shining and also The Artist followed by Singing in the Rain.

This is a great way to get new audiences into the cinema as the double bill season caters for a wide range of audiences, encouraging new viewers.

Sing-a-long Eventsand Movie Marathons

Branching out even further to different audiences, the Prince Charles Cinema put on special events catering for all ages in the style of Sing-a-longs and movie marathons.

Sing-a-longs and movie marathons are a sure way of ensuring seats filled and good times had. The Price Charles Cinema do several showings of the same films so you are guaranteed to never miss your favourite classic.

Beer and Pizza NightsOne of the most popular screenings to go to are the beer and pizza nights at Prince Charles Cinema.This involves watching a film like you usually would, however, half way through your movie a slice of pizza and a beer is brought to you to enhance your cinematic experience.

Films in this particular category include Teenage Mutant Nija Turtles 2, Top Gun, Footloose (1984 original), Commando and Star Trek 2 for those “Trekkies” and nerds.

Every Sunday, the cinema puts on these nights in which encourage movie goers to see a classic film and enjoy a free pizza slice and beer.

Classic Film Season

Classic film season is the season for those that appreciate old films and wish to see them with a cinematic experience. This also encourages new audience members to go see an old film that maybe don’t have it on DVD or have any other means to see it.

This includes Back to the Future, Citizen Kane, Metropolis, Breakfast at Tiffanys and Pulp Fiction

The Cinema Ninjas

• A new idea brought into the Prince Charles Cinema is the Cinema Ninjas. These are a group of volunteers who dress up in black Morphsuits and their aim is to ‘adjust’ the behavior in the cinema and make it a more enjoyable experience for the audience.

• Loud popcorn crunching and failing to switch off your mobile phone are just some of the rules which, if broken, can land you in trouble with the Morphsuit squad. Paul Vickery, head of public relations for the cinema, said the scheme had been a great success so far.

Purchasing Tickets

• The most popular way of purchasing tickets is via the internet, either on a computer or on a mobile phone due to the popularity and the rise of importance of technology. Tickets are still available to buy at the box office or over the phone via the box office.