Cineworld Cinema - Leicester Square 4DX
5 Leicester Square,
London,
WC2H 7NA
5 Leicester Square,
London,
WC2H 7NA
3 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 34 of 34 comments
Wider view of the 4DX.
Photo of the vestibule and another of the 4DX.
From the latter linked article:
“The work turned up some historical artefacts, including a press cuttings book from the early 1950s, with articles about the cinema, visits of Hollywood stars and dancers pulling on tap shoes to mark an auditorium makeover.”
Really now… maybe it was found when they lowered the 4DX’s concrete floor?!
Some more articles with photos:
Photos of the foyer, 4DX, and the “Press Cuttings” book.
View of the 4DX screen from the back of the auditorium.
Still the problem of the low ceiling, but looks like a good remodelling of what was once a throughly unappealing place to see a film. (Particularly if you ended up behind one of the columns as I once did—albeit that was back in the mid-90s!) They’ve certainly managed to “jam” a “4DX” into the old “Ritz” auditorium, and it must have been a nightmare project; it’s so similar in layout to other 4DXs that, if you weren’t aware of the auditorium’s history—and naturally the vast majority of patrons won’t be—you might even think that it was entirely purpose-built!
Former screen 2 is now bookable for Avengers: Infinity War from 26 April. It’s now named 4DX (rather than having a number however I suspect it’s now technically screen 4) and seating is reduced to 136 across 9 rows (8 rows of 16 and the back row of 8).
Quite a lot of work going on to fit in the 4DX, with the floor lowered and old projection booth brought back into use.
“Breaking of the lower level concrete slab of the room and rebuild at a lower level to increase the space required for the system and new seating arrangement. Installation of suspended trusses between the columns which will support the equipment for the 4D effects (wind fans, water spray tanks, snow machine, fog machine) – Removal of all projector and installation of new one at the back of the room, in the former projection booth. – New floor, wall and ceiling finishes – New finishes at the access staircase and lobby. – All fire escapes remain unchanged.” (with thanks to CF_100 for finding the building control application)
Also no programming next week, I think it’s safe to assume closed for conversion.
No programming in this screen this week, presumably closed for conversion to 4DX.
Empire 2 has now been refurbished and has stadium seating and capacity is now 304.
I remember this being called ther Ritz Leicester Sq but is still no better today than it was then. Most cinemas around Leicester SQUARE seem to be BOXES- maybe it should be renamed Liecester BOX – look at the seating capacitys of the Odeon Panton Street, The Empires 2 & 3, most of the VUe cinemas (ex Warner) and the shoeboxes that are the Odeon Mezzanine- i know there are plasma TVs you can buy for your home that are bigger than some of these screens!
A terribly flat auditorium that despite not being ‘stadium’ in design offers very bad sightlines especialy if a full house. It has no appeal and is basicaly just another box cinema stuck to the side of another grander cinema like the main Empire auditorium. See what you want to see in another cinema if i were you.
Have seen a number of Paramount and Universal releases here over the year including Carlito’s Way, Henry & June, Jungle Fever, Schindler’s List, Star Trek Generations and Gangs of New York
This whole complex seems lately to playing second fiddle since the Odeon UCI merger with moveovers coming in from across the square…a shame because despite its basement location this is still a good screen in which to see a first run if you can survive without stadium seating