Refurbishment of London cinema turns up glimpse of the past
A book of press cuttings from Hollywood’s 1950s heyday was unearthed during the transformation of Cineworld Leicester Square.
The first commercial cinema in the UK is reopening after a refurbishment which has turned up some glimpses of the venue’s past, its owners have said.
Cineworld Leicester Square first opened as the Empire Theatre, a variety theatre in 1884, with shows including ballet performances, and was the first venue where audiences paid to watch projected films.
It became a cinema showing silent movies in the 1920s, which were accompanied by the theatre’s Wurlitzer organ, and, in 1959, 70mm projectors were introduced, first showing Ben Hur.
Now Cineworld has refurbished the venue in central London with new facilities, including a 4DX cinema, an immersive experience with rain, fog, snow, scents, and seats which move with the action on the screen.
Handwritten ticket books were also discovered, which recorded the sales of smash hits such as Gone With The Wind, Life Of Brian and Airplane, alongside films which have long-since been forgotten.
Cineworld’s vice president of operations UK and Ireland Shaun Jones said the Empire in Leicester Square had long been “the home of film for the UK”.
“All the Hollywood greats were here, when you think of cinema and the West End, the Empire is the cinema you think of.”
“It’s really important for us to keep that heritage going.”
