‘The most depraved and beautiful movie theatre in London’. That’s how Hairspray director John Waters describes London’s beloved Prince Charles Cinema. Sharing the same sentiment about the cult two-screen cinema complex at the heart of the West End are fellow filmmakers such as Tommy Wiseau, Edgar Wright, Quentin Tarantino and Paul Thomas Anderson. Sadly, that dearly loved cinema, known for its exceptional programming, including all-nighters, sing-a-longs movies and even pyjama parties, is now under the threat of closure after a dispute with its landlord over a new lease.
On Tuesday morning, the iconic theatre released a statement stating that the cinema’s future is under threat due to the new terms in the lease contract. These terms include a six-month breaking clause and an increase in the rent. While there is no indication yet that the current lease, which is due to expire in September this year, won’t be renewed, the proposed breaking clause could cause imminent closure at any time for the cinema.
Alongside the statement, an online petition to save the Prince Charles Cinema was also shared. The petition asked landlords Zedwell LSQ Ltd and their parent company, Criterion Capital, to negotiate a more reasonable rent and not include the breaking clause. At the time of writing, the petition received 83,426 of its 100,000 target signatures. That number is expected to keep rising as cinemagoers keep signing and sharing the petition and their memories of the Prince Charles Cinema (#SaveThePCC) via multiple social media platforms.
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Freelancer by day. Film journalist by night.
