Cult venue Prince Charles cinema ‘saved’ after lease renewal signed

The celebrated Prince Charles repertory cinema in London’s Leicester Square has announced that the threat of closure has been staved off by signing a new 25-year lease with its landlords. In a post on social media titled "You Saved the PCC", the cinema expressed its delight, stating that "after 21 months of uncertainty, we’re delighted to have secured the future of the cinema" and that they had "signed a new 25-year lease with no break clause, ensuring our projectors will keep rolling for years to come".

The cinema had been facing closure since January 2025, when it launched a petition claiming that its landlord, Zedwell LSQ Ltd (owned by developer Criterion Capital), was trying to "bully us out of the building" by demanding a break clause in its lease, which was due for renewal in September 2025. This break clause would have allowed Zedwell to give the cinema six months’ notice if it had other plans for the site. At the time, Criterion Capital denied any intention to intimidate or disadvantage the cinema.