Vue West End
3 Cranbourne Street,
Leicester Square,
London,
WC2H 7AL
3 Cranbourne Street,
Leicester Square,
London,
WC2H 7AL
15 people favorited this theater
Showing 101 - 125 of 134 comments
Exterior photos from April 2008 and February 2009.
I have put an early picture of the Warner
Another Vue (sorry) of the cinema
VUE CINEMA
When it comes to THX, it should be noted that the largest auditorium was the first European cinema to be equipped with a THX sound system in 1986, using JBL amplifiers and speakers.
When it was the Warner West End in 1973, I saw ‘O Lucky Man’ here. The ending of the film itself took place right outside this very theatre.
A vintage photograph of the Warner Theatre in April 1955 screening Judy Garland in “A Star Is Born”:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/allhails/5153872149/
Only the facade was kept for the multiplex conversion. The rest of the building was new including the gutted out basement.
I went to see the first of the Christopher Reeve ‘Superman’ films at the Warner, and was very disappointed with the picture and sound quality by comparison with the Dominion Tottenham Court Road and the Odeon Marble Arch.
A history of the former Daly’s Theatre which stood on the site, including vintage photographs and memorabilia, plus some more recent photographs of the Village West End/Vue:
http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/DalysTheatre.htm
VUE West End is due for new makeover this is the word.
This (Friday October 2nd 2009) just gone I was chatting to a chap who works for VUE in and (outside mostly) and word is starting around early 2010 VUE is going to get a brand new spanking makeover.
They’d been looking for archival pictures that date back to the 1930’s but can’t find any? I’ve only found ones on the internet that only go as far back as 1950’s.
Does anyone here have pictures dating as far back too 1930’s?
Thanks
Also VUE has just had its THX updated as well as Dolby tightening up the sound in all its screens.
Three views of the Warner Theatre on 3rd January 1957, the opening day of “Giant”:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/allhails/2821640832/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/allhails/2820798505/
At night:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/allhails/2820804623/
The spectacular neon display at night in this November 1955 photograph of the Warner Theatre:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/allhails/2808549510/
Lost
I find the outside of the cinema just damn right ugly looking with that bright in your face orange logo that is so unappealing no worse undesirable.
For god sakes please change it back to Warner Bros the Warner shield logo looked the part, its if they VUE has robbed from the poor and need to change their name.
Seth
I agree with that statement it’s a real shambles now! I think VUE has lost its THX licence for one of its two THX screens so they only have one THX screen now, not that it presents threat to Empire screen 1. Empire would just smile and VUE would tremble at the knees and fall to Empire’s feet begging for mercy.
Last film I’ve seen at the VUE was Wolverine in Dolby SR-D THX. And VUE has slyly sneaked in Martin Audio loudspeakers THX certified but I’m not a Martin Audio fan I’m a JBL fan have been for 20 years now.
The film before that was Maverick in THX Dolby SR.
saw , “the wild bunch,” here when still a single screen. Frankly it was a better cinema then than this vue cinema is now.
Scarily enough haven’t been here since Brokeback Mountain…the shame of the Vue and of Leicester Sq in general is the loss of identity of certain screens with certain studios i.e. the big WB movies would open here, Paramount/Universal product at the Empire and Disney/Columbia at the Odeons…the big screen here was still a great experience until the refurb
yes, Lost Memory is correct. That’s a photo of the Odeon, not of this theater.
Here is another photo. I think this is December 2007:
http://tinyurl.com/2ll8xf
And an earlier view from 1980 here:–
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A photo of the Warner in 1987 here:–
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I recall the old Warner Westend shortly before demolition of the auditorium block. It was always a favourite place of mine to see a film in the 1980’s even the smaller screens built in the basement were good althpugh I seem to remmember they were reached through a maze of narrow corridors and could be hard to find!! The replacement is awful and bland and as I remember has a very strange angled auditorium in one of the screens.
This was dominating two THX screens at the VUE cinema on Thursday well one actually it was (interlocked) and a few other substandard screens now that is taking the Mickey and I wanted to see Fantastic 4 in THX. So did I bother seeing The Simpson’s in THX no way in bugger that.
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nightime shot taken march 2007
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Saw “Maverick†there in Dolby Stereo SR type THX sound system. One thing that I remember was the projectionist “Andy Symes†chief projectionists was on the ball when! Pop Berrr Blerrrrr sounds where coming out of all the loudspeakers, sounded like when you remove an RCA or phone lead where the negative end of the lead isn’t making contact with the audio component.
Still it was quite an impressive Dolby Stereo SR THX presentation, not as impacting as the Empire or High Wycombe. I did manage to get to talk to Andy, that day. He was kind enough to show me around the THX booth, very impressive.
My photo from April:
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My closeups of the exterior sculptural decoration:
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