TheOdeon Luxe Leicester Squareis a prominent cinema building in theWest End of London.Built in theArt Decostyle and completed in 1937, the building has been continually altered in response to developments in cinema technology, and was the firstDolby Cinemain the United Kingdom.
 | |
 Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in 2012 | |
  Odeon Luxe Leicester Square Location within Central London  Odeon Luxe Leicester Square Odeon Luxe Leicester Square (the United Kingdom) | |
| Former names | Odeon Leicester Square |
|---|---|
| Address | 24–26Leicester Square |
| Location | London WC2H 7JY |
| Coordinates | 51°30′38″N0°07′45″W/ 51.51056°N 0.12917°W |
| Public transit |  Leicester Square Charing Cross |
| Owner | Odeon Cinemas |
| Type | Cinema |
| Seating type | Main Screen(Dolby Cinema) 800 Seats |
| Capacity | 950 total |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 2 November 1937 |
| Renovated | 21 January – 21 December 2018 |
| Construction cost | £232,755 |
| Architect | Harry Weedon Andrew Mather |
The cinema occupies the centre of the eastern side ofLeicester Squarein London, featuring a black polishedgranitefacade and 120 feet (37 m) high tower displaying its name. Blueneonoutlines the exterior of the building at night. It was built to be the flagship[1]ofOscar Deutsch'sOdeon Cinemachain and still holds that position today. It hosts numerous European and worldfilm premieres,[2][3][4][5]including the annualRoyal Film Performance.[6]
History
editThe Odeon cinema building was completed bySir Robert McAlpinein 1937[7]to the design ofHarry Weedonand Andrew Mather on the site of Nevill'sVictorian Turkish bathsand the adjoiningAlhambra Theatrea largemusic halldating from the 1850s. The site cost £550,000, and the cinema took seven months to build, at a cost of £232,755,[1]with 2116 seats.[8]The opening night was Tuesday 2 November 1937; the film shown that night wasThe Prisoner of Zenda.[1]
The interior was an art-deco auditorium, with a ribbed ceiling and sidewalls, featuring concealed strip lighting in coves, and twobas reliefsculptures of nakednymphswere positioned on the front splay walls, as if leaping towards the screen. All the seats were covered in a faux-leopard skin material. A modernisation in 1967 removed many of the original features, with all of the ribbed plasterwork from the balcony to the proscenium replaced by smooth finishes. A refurbishment in 1998 included new versions of some lost details, including the figures, and seating upholstery pattern.
The UK's firstwidescreen(screen ratio 1.66:1) was installed and premiered on 14 May 1953; the film shown wasTonight We Sing.[9]The British public debut ofCinemaScope(screen ratio 2.55:1) followed on 19 November 1953 with the quasi-biblical epic,The Robe.[10](The first cinema to installCinemaScopein the UK was the Odeon Tottenham Court Road on 9 June 1953, but it was not open to the public until later).[11]
The theatre's chief engineer, Nigel Wolland, was appointedMBEfor services to the film industry in 2007.[12]The theatre's general manager, Chris Hilton, was appointedMBEfor services to the film industry in 2010.[13]
After Nigel Wolland's retirement in 2006, Mark Nice was appointed the cinema's chief engineer. Mark Nice was later promoted to the position of Odeon company engineer with Toni Purvis and Michael Mannix assuming the role of Operations Manager Digital.
Technical specifications
edit
The firstDolby Cinemasystem to be installed in the UK is at the Odeon inLeicester Square.[14]This introduced a combination ofDolby Visiondual-laser projection system and aDolby Atmossound system.
The Odeon is the largest single-screen cinema in the United Kingdom and one of the few with its circle and stalls remaining intact. The cinema is equipped to show films in35mm,70mmanddigitalon a 48 ft. widescreen and includes stage facilities for live performances.
The cinema has an operatingComptonorgan,its console lit from within by coloured lighting, and asafety curtaindetailed in 1930sart-decomotifs.
Two sets of tabs (curtains) are also installed and used for most performances. The cinema houses all major digital sound systems:Sony Dynamic Digital Sound,Dolby DigitalandDTS.It had the UK's first wide-screen installed in 1953, and more recently, was the first to have a digital projector installed in 1999.
There are 800 seats – including 22 full-recliner seats in the Royal Box – and a "Royal Retiring Room" for visiting monarchs. Oscar's Bar (named after Odeon's founderOscar Deutsch) features views across Leicester Square from a glass enclosed balcony.
In March 2011, all the cinema's screens converted todigital projectionequipment with 3D capability. Up until 2009 the cinema and film distributors did not have faith in the reliability of digital presentations, so the cinema would run a 35mm print alongside. If the digital show failed the projectionist would switch to film. If that projector then failed, the performance would be abandoned. One 35mm/70mm projector has been retained, and has been used for recent 70mm releases includingInterstellar,The Hateful Eight,DunkirkandDeath on the Nile.A silver screen is used for 3D presentations, placed in front of the white screen used for 2D presentations. The silver screen is a fraction smaller and screen tabs are not used during 3D performances. Most of the trained projectionists at the Odeon retired, or were made redundant in 2011. Presentations are now mostly automated.
Screens 2 – 5
editFive screens, each seating between fifty and sixty patrons, were added in April 1990 in what was once an alleyway running alongside the main house. The screens were originally known as Odeon Mezzanine and were renamed Odeon Studios in 2012. Following the refurbishment in 2018, the number of screens was reduced to four with reduced capacity and renamed as Screens 2 – 5.[15]
Recent developments
editIn 2018 Odeon undertook a full refurbishment at a projected cost of £10–15 million, which saw the building retained as a single-screen cinema with stalls and circle levels, with the stated intention to maintain its character.[16]The cinema closed on 10 January 2018 with an anticipated reopening in time for theBFI London Film Festivalin October—which it failed to meet. The cinema reopened on 21 December 2018 rebranded as part of the Odeon Luxe chain, with a reduced capacity in luxury seats, an enhanced concession offering, and the first commercial Dolby Cinema screen to open in the UK.[17][18]
See also
edit
- Odeon Cinemas,the British cinema chain
- Odeon Marble Arch,a former cinema also located in London's West End
- Odeon Luxe West End,a second cinema on the south side of Leicester Square
- Scenes in the Square,which includes a statue of Batman on the roof of the cinema
References
edit- ^abcEyles, Allen (2002).Odeon Cinemas Volume=1: Oscar Deutsch Entertains Our Nation.British Film Institute. p. 131.ISBN9780851708133.
- ^Steffan Laugharne, Ken Roe."Cinema Treasures – Odeon Leicester Square".Cinema Treasures.Archivedfrom the original on 1 February 2009.Retrieved16 November2009.
- ^"Odeon Leicester Square: World Premiere of 'Harry Potter' And The Deathly Hallows Pt 1".MTV.Archived fromthe originalon 14 October 2013.Retrieved24 March2011.
- ^The world premiere of Avatar at Odeon Leicester SquareArchived5 August 2020 at theWayback MachineThe TelegraphRetrieved 24 March 2011
- ^Alice in Wonderland premiere in Leicester Square, LondonArchived6 April 2019 at theWayback MachineThe TelegraphRetrieved 24 March 2011
- ^Casino Royale is 60th royal filmArchived25 March 2009 at theWayback MachineBBC NewsRetrieved 24 March 2011
- ^"A portrait of achievement"(PDF).Sir Robert McAlpine. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 8 May 2016.Retrieved24 April2016.
- ^page 247, Odeon Cinemas 1: Oscar Deutsch Entertains Our Nation, Allen Eyles, 2002, British Film Institute Publishing
- ^Allen Eyles.Odeon Cinemas 2: From J. Arthur Rank to the Multiplex.2005: British Film Institute Publishing. page 40
- ^Eyles, page 41.
- ^"Odeon Tottenham Court Road".Cinema Treasures.Archivedfrom the original on 1 December 2017.Retrieved24 April2016.
- ^"New Year Honours: full list".Archived10 May 2011 at theWayback MachineThe Times,London, 29 December 2007.
- ^Ex-Leicester Square Odeon cinema boss Chris Hilton awarded MBE in Honours ListArchived20 December 2016 at theWayback MachineWest End ExtraRetrieved 24 March 2011
- ^"Dolby Cinema".www.odeon.co.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 27 October 2020.Retrieved13 December2018.
- ^"Screens 2 - 5 Odeon Leicester Square".Archivedfrom the original on 28 January 2022.Retrieved19 June2022.
- ^Robert Mitchell (11 April 2017)."AMC to Undertake Major Refurbishment of London's Iconic Odeon Leicester Square".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on 11 November 2020.Retrieved7 September2017.
- ^Archer, John (13 June 2018)."7 Dolby Cinema Sites To Open in the UK".Forbes.Archivedfrom the original on 7 December 2022.Retrieved20 December2018.
- ^Har-Even, Benny (24 February 2019)."Odeon And Dolby Cinema Join Forces To Take On IMAX".Forbes.Archivedfrom the original on 8 November 2020.Retrieved7 January2020.
Sources
edit- Guide to British Theatres 1750–1950,John Earl and Michael Sell pp. 128 (Theatres Trust, 2000)ISBN0-7136-5688-3
External links
edit- Alhambra Theatre HistoryArchive material, information, and images on the Alhambra Theatre, Leicester Square
- Leicester Square webcam – Close up of the Odeon Cinema for film premieres
- The Cinema Organ Society information on the organ
- Film Premieres in Odeon leicester square