Odeon West End

Odeon West End

The Odeon West End is a cinema on the south side of Leicester Square, London. It contains two screens—screen 1 seats 500 and screen 2 seats 832 [1]. Both house large screens in comfortable auditoria. It is often used for smaller film premieres, and yearly hosts the BFI London Film Festival.

History

The Odeon was built in 1930 as The Leicester Square Theatre, a name it largely remained with until 1988. The theatre was built as a cine-variety venue for Jack Buchanan - a penthouse apartment was housed on the roof for the star - and showcased both film and short variety performances, before going over to film on a more permanent basis. A large single screen was housed in an ornate, three-tiered auditorium.

It was sold to J. Arthur Rank in 1937 and became Rank's first cinema, although not named Odeon for many years to come.

On July 26, 1951, the cinema hosted the world premiere of Disney's feature Alice in Wonderland (1951).^[1]

The cinema was modernised in 1968 into a much blander shell, based around a remodelled stalls and single circle and was twinned into a two-screen venue in 1988 (Screen 1 in the former circle and Screen 2 in the stalls) and renamed Odeon West End.

Odeon sold the site in February 2006, although continuing to operate as part of the Odeon chain until redevelopment plans are finalised. Provisional plans have been drawn up to convert the site into a hotel complex. Two smaller Odeon screens will be incorporated into the basement.

Stephen Larcombe, Chief Technician, used to stay in Jack Buchanan's flat on the roof of the theatre during the London Film Festival to save having to go home every night.

The cinema is opposite the much larger flagship Odeon Leicester Square.

See also

• Odeon Marble Arch for a former large cinema also located in London's West End

References

1. ^ (English) Jerry Beck, The animated movie guide, p.12.

External links

• Leicester Square Theatre History

Coordinates: 51°30′36″N 0°07′49″W / 51.5099°N 0.1303°W / 51.5099; -0.1303