Vue West End
3 Cranbourne Street,
Leicester Square,
London,
WC2H 7AL
3 Cranbourne Street,
Leicester Square,
London,
WC2H 7AL
14 people
favorited this theater
Showing 76 - 100 of 134 comments
How will that affect the BFI London Film Festival with their reduced seating capacity? Lack of large auditoriums last year caused them to build a temporary auditorium beside the Thames.
The Vue WestEnd closes in March for a major refurbishment and not before time! Seating capacity will be reduced by half as more luxurious fully reclining seats are installed. Dolby Atmos will also be installed in the two largest screens.
I visited the Vue West End again for the 2016 BFI London Film Festival, and the curtains and stage lights were used in Cinemas 5 and 7. It looked very nice. Then I saw a non-festival film in one of the basement cinemas, and curtains and stage lights were not used. I could see that they have the type of curtain that rises because I could see it above the screen. What I don’t understand is, if they have them, why don’t they use them? It makes for a much nicer presentation.
About time…!
The planning application is 16/06275/FULL.
Unfortunately, it appears that the only proposed neon lights are a refurbishment of the existing strips at the top of the facade.
The front canopy will be reduced in size, lighting to “enhance the external appearance of the building,” and the “design of the external doors [is] inspired by the art deco design of the building.”
There will be one main vertical VUE sign, on existing black covered vertical board (formerly the “Warner”/“Village” sign), angled on both sides to be visible from either approach.
Also amongst the application documents are a couple of photos from the “Warner Village” period.
Can’t say I like the “copper” colour scheme shown in the renderings but they are hardly “photorealistic” and it can hardly be worse than what’s already there.
Vue have applied for planning permission to replace the front canopy and entrance doors, with new neon strips and uplighters. Looks like they’re ditching the now mostly unused box office windows, and installing one massive digital display (will upload photo shortly). The rendering looks much less cluttered than its current incarnation.
I have to wonder why VUE no longer consider their West End location to be a ‘flagship’ venue.
It was certainly built as such, and (in the mid-90s) very well equipped with JBL speakers, 2 THX-certified screens (a rarity in the UK, perhaps for ‘political’ reasons), 70mm, early support for 35mm digital formats, etc. Max. auditorium size is only 400 seats (40ft. wide screen) but presentation was excellent.
A difficulty is that a conversion of the current building to modern so-called ‘large format’ (i.e. supersized) screens is, I suspect, all but impossible. The 1990s rebuild (facade only retained) is already tightly packed.
Still, I can’t imagine business is so bad that it can’t be maintained to a normal standard…?!
SethLewis, when I went to the Shepherd’s Bush VUE a couple of years ago, the auditorium I was in had sagging wall fabric and the seats too were in a terrible state!
This is now a complete tip…The local Vues at Westfield (White City) and Shepherds Bush are better maintained. Westfield even hosts premieres. While the Empire was being refurbished in the early 90s this was a first choice – there was a lot of good WB and Disney product also coming through the pipeline
A real shame
I saw the first Batman here, in 1989, when I was 12 years old, and saw films here many times in the early 90’s. It was the most beautiful cinema in London when it was Warner’s. It is so sad to see what it has become- the lobby is a shabby, neglected disgrace.
They were in use during my last visit (Screen 7, 2010) and the overall standard of presentation was good. However, the seats were in desperate need of an overhaul.
It seems the presentation standard is now failing to meet the standards one would expect of a (previously) flagship West End venue, with prices to match. I will not return until I hear anything to the contrary.
When I attended the BFI London Film Festival in 2014, the curtains were used, but not at the 2015 festival.
From Philly, I can answer that when I visited in 2012 & 2013, curtains not used, and the later time, even matting wasn’t used!
Do the curtains still work?
I’m currently attending the BFI London Film Festival 2015, and they are not using their curtains. If they have them, then why not use them? It makes for a more polished and professional presentation.
Looking worse than ever, I’ve uploaded a pic of peeling paint!
Hmm @ Gooper. I would not call your comment negative .. Hmm More incisive.. or Probably right.. Then again I am cynical ..
I wonder though, if they’re letting this house degrade so that it can be demolished and replaced by something even more degraded. Sorry to be a bit negative…
They did use the gold curtains during the BFI London Film Festival and it made for a nice presentation. I have never seen them used during regular performances. What a shame!
I think Vue are running this and the ex Apollo on Lower Regent Street into the ground.The gold curtains in the premier screens are no longer used and the auditoriums are looking dismal and badly lit.
The exterior of the VUE West End is a disgrace; in the Warner days (post 90s rebuild) it was an attractive and welcoming beacon with modern elements woven into the original façade.
A few days ago I entered the ground floor foyer and could not see any obvious way to interact with staff selling tickets (maybe they sell them at the concession stand like Empire Cinemas?) nor was there any information on showtimes other than by using the electronic ticketing machines.
On a recent trip to Croydon, I had a quick look inside the Grant’s Entertainment Centre. The main lobby for the VUE situated within is on the top floor, but there are ticket offices on the floor below. These were also closed, with not even a sign to say where tickets could be purchased from; at least the showtimes were posted on the wall. (I have otherwise never visited that cinema and certainly the lobby on the top floor was busy with people queuing for the concession stands.)
I have not seen any screenings at the VUE West End in a couple of years but last time (Screen 7) the picture and sound was still very good, though the seats needed to be reupholstered or replaced and IIRC one of the ceiling tiles at the back was pushed up slightly for wiring! I imagine it has further deteriorated since then?
This cinema is now looking very tatty externally.The LED info boards no longer work the box office windows are partially boarded up and the plastic concealing the Warner sign is peeling away.
Thanks for that clip rasLXR. It was fantastic!
Hmm. I’m an Ex ABC man From the Sir Philip Walter era. When ABC was at it best…
Hmm.. Vue as a Theatre name. It do’s not sound right. Nearly as bad as “Cannon”
Just added a 1942 exterior photo.
A lovely trip to the London Film Festival for a Sunday afternoon showing of Enough Said