Prince Charles Cinema

What is it?

The legendary Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square is central London’s wild-card cinema. Its two screens offer a fantastic blend of new-ish blockbusters, independent and arthouse titles with horror, sci-fi and teen-flick all-nighters, double bills and short seasons. The basic premise of the cinema is, ‘if they can screen it, they will’. Akira Kurosawa seasons run alongside strands celebrating the performances of Greta Gerwig and Richard Pryor; epic 70mm presentations of ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ take place in one screen while people bob-a-long to ‘Pitch Perfect’ in the other. And, if you’ve ever fancied watching every ‘Harry Potter’ films back-to-back in one 22-hour sitting, yep, they do that too.

It’s comfy, cheap and very cheerful, and the programming is as good as it gets. Oh and it is also Quentin Tarantino and Paul Thomas Anderson’s favourite UK cinema.

Why go?

If Tarantino's recommendation isn't enough to convince you, then a scroll through the Prince Charles' programme is sure to do it. There's sing-a-long shows and classic horror movie screenings for Halloween. During the festive season, they've been known to play It's A Wonderful Life almost daily. 

Don't miss:

Once a year, the Prince Charles screens all seven Muppet movies back to back. A must-see for film fans everywhere, we think.

When to visit:

Check the website for daily screening times.

Ticket info:

Tickets can be bought on the website or in person at the cinema.

Time Out tip:

If you're a film buff, why don't get a membership to the Prince Charles for only £15 a year? It gives you priority booking and discounted tickets and at Time Out we love the additional access you get to the cinema's weird and wonderful programme.