Prince Charles Cinema signed to a 25-year lease, future secured

The Prince Charles Cinema on Leicester Place, just off Leicester Square, announced on 15 October 2026 that it had signed a new 25-year lease with no break clause, bringing an end to a dispute with its landlord Zedwell LSQ Ltd (part of Criterion Capital) that had hung over the venue since early 2025. The landlord had sought to insert a six-month break clause into the lease renewal, which campaigners said would have allowed the cinema to be evicted at short notice. A public petition gathered nearly 170,000 signatures and Westminster Council designated the building an Asset of Community Value in May 2025 following a nomination from the Soho Society. The cinema confirmed the news with the message 'YOU SAVED THE PCC' on its famous street-facing marquee. The Prince Charles is known for marathon cult film all-nighters, 70mm screenings and Secret Cinema-style sing-alongs, and is a long-running fixture of London's independent cinema scene. Time Out London led its culture section on the news in the week ahead of the 18 October weekend, when the cinema also hosted BFI London Film Festival overflow screenings.