Empire Leicester Square, Cinema in Leicester Square, London, United Kingdom
The Empire Leicester Square is a cinema on the north side of the square with several auditoriums equipped with modern projection technology and digital facilities. The complex offers both large premiere screens and smaller viewing rooms for a wider audience in central London.
The building was designed by Thomas Verity in 1884 as a theatre for variety performances and attracted audiences with musical shows. After its acquisition in 1928, it was fully converted to a cinema and the focus shifted from stage to screen.
The name comes from the original variety theatre that stood here in the late 19th century, choosing the word Empire for its grand appearance. Today the building is a busy cinema that often hosts film premieres with red carpet arrivals, with fans and photographers gathering outside the entrance.
Visitors find the entrances directly on Leicester Square, making the cinema easy to reach from the tube exit and surrounding streets. The larger auditoriums are located on upper floors, while smaller screens are often on ground level.
The venue hosted the first royal film showing in 1946 with the King, Queen, and princesses in the audience for the premiere of 'A Matter of Life and Death'. Until 1961 the cinema kept its original stage facilities before a rebuild removed them and oriented the space entirely towards film projection.
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