Odeon Marble Arch
10 Edgware Road,
London,
W2 2EN
10 Edgware Road,
London,
W2 2EN
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Planning permission (application submitted April 2021) for an alternative use of the cinema demise granted as below:
21/02728/FULLH - Use of part ground, part lower ground and part basement as an art gallery (Class F1).
A market report by CBRE (a “Global Commercial Real Estate Services” company) is included in the Documents, which says:
“[There has been a] lack of commercial proposals from rival operators since Odeon announced its reasons for not proceeding with the development. Ultimately, a site of this scale in this location is no longer in keeping with current operator demands; an issue exacerbated still further by the 2020 outbreak of COVID-19 and the effects that this has had on the sector.”
In view of the Premises Licence being issued in July 2020, per my previous post, one can only assume that this is a direct consequence of COVID.
Thankfully, not a great loss–Odeon’s scheme, after all, was no compensation for the ruination and subsequent demolition of the majestic piece of modernism that was the “large format” flagship cinema which once stood proud on this site.
Plans for the replacement Odeon Marble Arch are available within the premises licence, issued in July 2020:
Premises Licence.
These reveal a 5 screen basement cinema to be branded “Odeon Luxe and Dine.” Seating is shown as all-recliner.
Seat counts:
Screen widths all look to be under 30ft. with some of the auditoria being relatively deep.
This clearly is a very different scheme to the replacement Odeon Luxe West End. Hardly unexpected; but anyone who may have hoped for at least a tenuous nod to the heyday of large format super cinema wonderment is, alas, out of luck.
Similar shape it may well be… but lacking in elegance or proportion.
18-minute-long footage from 1989 exploring the Odeon Marble Arch: street, foyer, projection booth, stalls and circle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCKDStXcP1U
The new building shape is similar to that of the former Regal…
The replacement building, nearing completion in August 2021:- MARBLE ARCH PLACE
Reopened with 5 screens on January 3rd, 1997. Another ad posted.
Grand opening ad
Odeon Marble Arch opening 02 Feb 1967, Thu Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
Yet other pictures of the OMA when it opened. It’s the first time I see the auditorium photographed under that angle, and how the foyer was back then.
Side view of the stalls
Refreshment kiosk on the first floor
Recall watching 70mm presentations of Aliens and Terminator 2 at the old Odeon, Marble Arch back in the early 90’s.
Those were the days!
A few more demolition photos a few weeks later in the process (October 2016):–
OMA DEMOLITION
OMA DEMOLITION
OMA DEMOLITION
OMA SIGN
Ian: Fascinating photos, thank you… Of course, my reaction is something stronger than “sigh!” :–(
It was a fantastic cinema. But when they converted it into a nmulti-screen they killed the whole character of the place.
Some demolition shots from October 2016:–
EXTERIOR
BALCONY SCREENS
REAR – PART OF LOWER PROJECTION ROOM
Used to ride the bus past until June…sad to see the pictures getting ready for the demolition….remember it as a child in the 60’s
Indeed, a disasterous subdivision!
The planning documents show a cinema consigned to the basement—alongside plant rooms, services, etc. Alas, the auditoria are small, seating 8 abreast, and between 4-6 rows. I assume these are “premier” large seats.
A shame but the old Marble Arch was very hard to book as a single screen from the 80’s onwards and the latest incarnation was a bit of a mess…tight stadium seating that was never comfortable…Speed 2…The Full Monty…The Tailor of Panama so you can tell when the last times I was there
Odeon did a pretty good job sorting itself out to be sold from a service perspective hopefully new owners will leave it alone Basements may be the best we can hope for and take perspective that the Kingston plex is essentially downstairs and very good
RIP Odeon Marble Arch as we knew it
Some photos of the closed theatre being prepared for demolition in August 2016:–
ODEON MARBLE ARCH – OXFORD STREET
ODEON MARBLE ARCH – OXFORD STREET
ODEON MARBLE ARCH – EDGWARE ROAD ENTRANCE
Or perhaps AMC’s Chinese owners will have other ideas… :–(
Odeon give no regard for their older traditional cinemas. I only hope that AMC will invest in the flagship Leicester Square site….the loss of Marble Arch was appalling as a magnificent single screen venue
According to http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2016/05/23/demolition-starts-for-400m-marble-arch-place/ demolition has started. However, the developer states that their replacement scheme will “include a relocated Odeon.”
A shame for what was once one of the very finest cinemas in the country.
Really sorry to see that this cinema has closed, having spent many a happy hour working changing the screen and altering the curtain track and frame before they ruined it by chopping it into five screens, another real cinema bites the dust.
NOTE : Apparently without publicity or fanfare, Odeon Marble Arch has closed its doors for the final time. The redevelopment referred to did gain planning permission, and one assumes that demolition is not far off now.
JD Wetherspoon (operators of The Twyburn pub, within the same complex as the Odeon Marble Arch) have received permission for outdoor seating until February 2016, so it may be assumed the existent Odeon Marble Arch will stand until at least then…
The developer has submitted a planning application dated November 2014, which is pending a decision. Perhaps surprisingly, 6 screens, albeit 5 of which appear to be “studio” size, are shown in the drawing for basement level 1. The proposed entrance is on Edgware Road with access via escalators.
More details on this replacement scheme from this public exhibition blurb:
http://www.marblearchtower.co.uk/consultation-boards_2014_1027.pdf
A replacement basement cinema is shown. The purposed quasi-“pastiche”/postmodern (or whatever—“carbuncle-style” will do ;–) ) exterior design, IMO, is hideous.