Comments about Odeon Kensington in London, GB

woody on March 4, 2009 at 6:12 am

photo of the frontage and box office at dusk september 2008
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/3327694647/

lostmemory on January 21, 2009 at 6:24 pm

Another exterior view can be seen here.

Sapho on January 2, 2009 at 6:02 pm

I love this cinema, such great memories of skiving school and spending warm comfy afternoons here. I saw so many great movies here in the late 80s (before I got to ten), and I even enjoyed going here through the 90s. I live in East London, so it is hard to get there, and in spite of it being turned into a Multiplex, I love this building, it has such great atmosphere, and if they demolish this it will be a very sad day indeed.

woody on September 15, 2008 at 2:36 am

sept 2008 photo of the exterior early evening
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2853859282/

JohnHolloway on September 12, 2008 at 5:35 am

HowardBHaas’s photo of the curtain brings back memories of my visit to London last year when I caught a movie at the Tottenham Court Road Odeon. One can only guess that these purple house tabs are now the Odeon “style”. Auditorium at Tottenham Court was pitch black save for a spotlight centred on the curtain (as above). NOT a good look.

lostmemory on September 11, 2008 at 6:25 pm

Here is another photo of the Odeon Kensington.

SethLewis on August 2, 2008 at 11:15 am

Add to the above A History of Violence, Reign of Fire (running out every few minutes to negociate a job offer), Bedazzled, The Life Aquatic

SethLewis on August 2, 2008 at 2:44 am

Am fully expecting that this theater will be demolished and replaced with residential sooner than later…the good news is that the internal / underground screens that Odeon has created aren’t the worst and that in x years a modern 5 screener will be better than the 1 great 2 ok 2 frankly small screens we’ve got now will be an improvement…Some fun times over the years here from Breaking Away with my mom in 1980 when it was a 4 screener to Silence of the Lambs and Sleeping with the Enemy and 4 Weddings in the big screen in the 90s to The Departed last year (Nigel Havers and I in a tizzy for the length of the queue), Fun with Dick and Jane, a preview of Moulin Rouge, and in smaller screens In Her Shoes, Adaptation, Black Hawk Down and despite my respect for Anthony Minghella Cold Mountain which I found endless…always a pretty well run moviegoing experience

HowardBHaas on March 1, 2008 at 6:06 am

1999 Time Out (count about the same in more recent versions) of Time Out London says 520 seats in Aud 1; 2: 66, 3: 91, 4: 265, 5:171, 6: 204 and that (in 1999)screens 2 & 3 were air conditioned.

How was the theater divided up, in terms of which screens were placed in Stalls and in Circle and anywhere else? Where’s the 520 seat auditorium & what’s it like? (how big is the screen)

porterfaulkner on March 1, 2008 at 12:42 am

The local council have approved demolition imminently but retention of the facade. This in spite of there being whole sections of the theatre in their original state. These are mostly out of view to public or behind modern walls.This is a great loss for the community, a complete turnaround by Odeon who were recently premiereing films here as an alternative to Leicester Square.It was always considered by Odeon as one of the prestige venues.

HowardBHaas on January 1, 2008 at 9:16 am

Those last 2 photos show ornate, original details. Shame if the interior is going to be demolished!

Ian on January 1, 2008 at 9:00 am

More pictures taken in 1988 (mainly interiors) here:–

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