This is the kind of sequel that you just know will be in the ‘hit’ category alongside The Godfather: Part II or Shrek 2. When it comes to places built for watching movies, it doesn’t get much better than the Prince Charles Cinemawhich could now be getting a second London site to add to the beloved Leicester Square location.
While the OG site will be forever cherished, especially amid the threat of losing it altogether during lease disputes earlier this year, the PCC’s head of programming, Paul Vickery, revealed that they were looking to expand to another location.
In an interview with the GuardianVickery spoke of the site potentially opening up in East London, with a bid placed for the site of the Stratford Picturehouse, which is now closed. He said that the search for a new site and the lease discussions for the Leicester Square cinema are unrelated, and that they could even plan to add a third or fourth site.
“Given what’s happened this year, I understand how it could look like we’re trying to shift operations but that’s not what’s happening,” said Paul Vickery. “We were looking for a pre-existing venue that needed a bit of love which we could turn into a new site. Ideally, we’d want to go on to add a third or fourth space.”
“Stratford has always been a hub. There are plenty of students and loads of new-build properties that have sprung up recently. But it also feels like it’s still trying to find its feet and figure out what it is.”
Prince Charles Cinema had previously looked into taking over the much-loved Filmhouse in Edinburgh, which was forced to close in 2022, but has since reopened under new ownership.
We first learned of the threat to the Central London PCC in January, when the news sparked a petition to ‘save’ the cinema, which garnered more than 100,000 signatures. In May, the cinema was listed as an Asset of Community Value (ACV), which has given it a layer of protection, but discussions about its future are still ongoing.
There is nothing confirmed on whether Prince Charles Cinema is opening a secret site, but you can watch this space for further updates on their bid to open in Stratford.
