Picturehouse Central
Great Windmill Street and Shaftesbury Avenue,
London,
W1D 7DH
Great Windmill Street and Shaftesbury Avenue,
London,
W1D 7DH
7 people
favorited this theater
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November 1st, 1991 ad
MGM Trocadero opening 01 Nov 1991, Fri Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
According to a press release titled “Christie RealLaser Helps Cineworld Eastbourne Become Europe’s First All-RGB Laser Cineplex,” Picturehouse Central has received an upgrade to Christie RGB laser projection. The specific auditorium is not mentioned, so it might be imagined that Screen 1 has received the upgrade.
PhilipWW: Definitely! Good place to go even if you’re not seeing a film.
I have just been into Screens 1 and 2, both excellent to watch movies in. Both had very large and impressive Scope screens, with no side masking if I recollect.
I was told that Screens 4 through 7 also have full Scope screens. Screen 3, for architectural reasons, just has a 1.85 screen which results in Scope films being shown letterboxed with no top/bottom masking.
I thought the cafe downstairs was excellent too. In fact, the whole cinema just has a nice feel to it which makes you want to go back there again.
A short blurb on the refurbishment to create the Picturehouse, as well as a number of photos, are on the website of Phelan Construction:
http://www.phelans.co.uk/portfolio/projects/picturehouse-central-piccadilly
The project duration was 20 weeks, including strip-out, minor structure alterations (to walls and floors, and new steel work) and fit-out.
It’s the most expensive Picturehouse cinema, even on weekday daytimes.
It has got one of the best cinema cafes. Last time I had mushroom soup and chili beef
I spent a pleasant hour or so in the main bar, a comfortable and airy place to seek refuge from the chaos outside—at least earlier in the day!
The interior is a mish-mash; worst of all are the exposed ceilings/services, and bare brick walls—no objection to this, if it’s done right—not when it (particularly in the bar area) reveals the scars left by years of alterations. (The Trocadero is, after all, a labyrinth block of various buildings knocked together.)
Then there’s the “art” (to be charitable) by the entrance staircase…
Nit-picking aside, though, I concur with SethLewis—a very, very nice pre/post-film hangout.
Technical information
Some key points:
Screen 1/Screen 2 are renamed Screen 2/Screen 1.
Screen 1 is fitted with a Dolby Atmos system.
2 largest screens are equipped with 4K projection.
4 screens support RealD 3D.
35mm/70mm capability in Screen 1 (formerly Screen 2), 35mm in Screen 7.
All auditoria retained but completely re-fitted, including increased floor rake in Screen 1 and increased screen sizes in 1 and 2.
Photos – inc. Screen 1
Preview of Brooklyn a few weeks ago…can still inject a bit more professionalism into managing events and the wide range of things going on here…but as good a moviegoing experience as there is in London right now
According to Picturehouse publicity in November 2015, the auditorium capacities are: Screen 1: 341, Screen 2: 177, Screen 3: 131, Screen 4: 127, Screen 5: 82, Screen 6: 78 and Screen 7: 65. A total of 1,001 seats.
A great experience…a lovely ground floor cafe…well laid out mezzanine entrance with multiple ticket and snack points…pick and mix, donuts, and another bar so a great place to meet and chill before and after The cinema layouts appear to be similar to the old Cineworld but with new seats Saw Love & Mercy the Brian Wilson story great projection and sound No adverts Despite the high prices this is a great grown up place to see a movie
Off to the launch event tonight – looks great in the photos!
Due to open this Summer.
https://www.picturehouses.com/cinema/Picturehouse_Central
Some drawings of the bar area etc. Looks hideous!
Few photographs of the exterior and lobby from April 2008 and two exterior photos from the period of renovation, February 2015.
The Odeon Covent Garden was not a bad conversion from the ABC 1&2…The Panton Street needs to go…now! The most uncomfortable theatre in London
The Dalek is now down the road at Cineworld Haymarket.
Have not seen a film there in some time and last time I did was not impressed by what I can only describe as an outdated and run-down multiplex. It isn’t closed for good though, it’s being refurbished into a Picturehouse and it will have its own entrance.
Although accessing a screen often involved going up a frustratingly large number of escalators, it’s a still a shame it closed. It had formed a good partnership with the Cineworld Haymarket down the road in that Shaftesbury Avenue would normally show the big, populist blockbusters and Haymarket the smaller art-house films, although sometimes one would be in the other – the last film I saw here was ‘The Congress’ a few weeks before it closed. The disinterest of some of the staff was apparent who probably already knew they were losing their jobs, but I did like the random appearance of a Dalek by one of the escalators, constructed by a staff member for the 2013 50th anniversary episode and left there ever since. Wonder where that is now.
Poor Haymarket now has a challenge in what films it can fit into its three screens. The Fulham Road/Chelsea cinemas have a similar sharing of content between them (situated minutes walk away from each other) but the distribution seems a bit more random there, both big and smaller releases shared between both cinemas.
With both the Curzon and Picturehouse on Shaftesbury Avenue I think Odeons art house properties further down the Avenue and at Panton Street will quickly close.
That does sound good, perhaps the hotel conversion will finally put paid to the Trocadero being no-man’s land as it has been for a decade…!
to be called Picturehouse central & to be Picturehouse Flagship
the west end cineworld unlimited card will still be valid for tickets & other unlimited cards will have a £2 uplift so not to bad as the place was a dump
well done to Cineworld for a great deal when they could of said its a Picturehouse now unlimited cards only for Cineworlds lets face it not gonna be cheap to refit that flea pit
Affordable hotel rooms being at a premium let’s not begrudge the overhaul of Trocadero…for the 40s 50s 60s 70s the London Pavilion Cinema…for the 90’s and 00’s a multiplex rebranded 5 times…a cool new arthouse and budget hotel for the next generation…onwards and upwards
Shame that most of the remainder of the Trocadero is being reconstructed into yet another hotel, there’s more than enough space for all sorts of more interesting uses. I suppose £150/night rooms are more profitable than cinemas (or run-down arcades!) May as well remove entertainment from the heart of the West End and build hotels instead. :–(
From Friday’s Evening Standard…this is good news http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/trocadero-to-be-turned-into-sevenscreen-arthouse-cinema-9742912.html?origin=internalSearch But probably a death knell for the Odeon Panton St (no great loss) and possibly the Odeon Covent Garden…the now Warner Picadilly is sadly a waste
It closed yesterday for the conversion to a ‘Picturehouse’, for reopening next year. I have uploaded pictures of the lobby one day before closing and the boarding opposite the entrance for the hotel conversion work. Not the most welcoming approach!
Reading through the above linked planning application, the existing old Trocadero friezes are to be kept but with improved lighting.
This gives a good idea of the plans: http://idoxpa.westminster.gov.uk/online-applications/files/93DA31A65D443CD6C7055EFA366DBBFB/pdf/13_09849_FULL-TROCADERO_DESIGN_ACCESS_AND_HERITAGE_STATEMENT-3180371.pdf