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One of London’s oldest and most storied cinemas, Curzon Mayfair, is closing for good.
The venue, which first opened in the 1930s and has been a long-time venue for big West End film premieres, will cease to run as a Curzon – although there are plans for a new cinema at the site.
As reported by Time Out in February last year, landlord Fantasio (previously 38 Curzon Lease Ltd) has major plans for the historic building on Curzon Street.
After a lengthy legal challenge, Curzon has announced its intention to withdraw from litigation, clearing the way for the redevelopment.
‘Sadly, Curzon has concluded that it had no option but to withdraw its legal challenge to the landlord’s plans, given the risk of meeting the landlord’s enormous legal costs should the challenge prove unsuccessful,’ says the cinema group in a statement.
‘We’re disappointed it has taken so long but relieved it’s over and that we can now progress,’ Fantasio CEO Dan Zaum tells The Evening Standard. ‘We are passionate about creating London’s ultimate cinema experience. The Mayfair cinema will always have film at its heart – and will become a vibrant venue serving the wider community, creatively, socially, educationally and beyond.’
The company, which previously refurbished Camden’s KOKO, as well as The Ned and The Wolseley, is promising to spend £15million and restore some of the cinema’s original features and install new audio and visual screen technology.
The venue will remain as a two-screen cinema with redevelopment likely to begin in January 2026.
In a statement, Curzon refutes claims by Fantasio that its cinema had been in decline, pointing to 25 percent year-on-year growth in ticket sales over the past financial quarter. ‘Any suggestion by the landlord that it is a venue in decline is demonstrably false.’
‘Having operated Curzon Mayfair for 91 years we also know that the landlord’s plans to spend more than £15m on the cinema cannot be a viable business proposition without charging exorbitant ticket prices or turning the private members club for the super-wealthy.’
‘Curzon wants to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in the campaign to save Curzon Mayfair, and to all of the film lovers who have joined us over the years.’
It’s challenging times for some of the city’s most legendary cinemas, with Leicester Square’s Prince Charles Cinema also under threat.
The petition to save the PCC currently has 163,000 signatories.
This much-loved East End cinema has big plans to safeguard its future.