The Prince Charles Cinema is preparing to open a second location in the capital despite being embroiled in a dispute over the future of its original location in central London.
The independent cinema, which is renowned for showcasing a diverse range of cult films from throughout cinema history, is attempting to reopen the Stratford Picturehouse in east London.
The Prince Charles wants to grow in what might be the first of several new outposts, with the owners in talks with Zedwell LSQ Ltd, which is owned by the developers Criterion Capital, on the future of the Leicester Square site.
The Prince Charles Cinema had previously considered taking over Edinburgh's Filmhouse, which had to close in 2022 before reopening this June following renovations.
Paul Vickery, the cinema’s head of programming said: “Given what’s happened this year, I understand how it could look like we’re trying to shift operations but that’s not what’s happening,” said Paul Vickery, the cinema’s head of programming.
“We were looking for a pre-existing venue that needed a bit of love which we could turn into a new site. Ideally, we’d want to go on to add a third or fourth space.”
According to Mr Vickery, Stratford, which has experienced significant revitalisation in the last ten years thanks to the London 2012 Olympic legacy, would be the perfect location for a new outpost.
“Stratford has always been a hub. There are plenty of students and loads of new-build properties that have sprung up recently. But it also feels like it’s still trying to find its feet and figure out what it is.”
The Prince Charles Cinema East would be located in the same area of London as the Soho Theatre Walthamstow, Sadler's Wells East, and the V&A East Storehouse, with the Theatre Royal Stratford East serving as a neighbour.
The cinema is loved by the public so much that in a single day, 100,000 people signed a petition against the decision to drive the cinema out of its original position in Leicester Square.
The filmmakers Paul Thomas Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, and John Waters are also among the well-known international fans of the cinema.
Prince Charles Cinema began as a live theatre in 1962 and switched to a cheap-ticketed repertory cinema in 1991.
