I have read (in Estates Gazette) that the building has recently been sold and the new owners plan to refurbish the building. The article says they will take a ‘conservationist'approach, so looks like a good future for this cinema.
Thank you for your reply, a wealth of knowledge and advice as always!
With regards to 2D/3D I don’t hate 3D but I just find it slightly annoying having to wear the glasses over my own glasses.
As much as I would enjoy the OLS, as a fairly recent graduate living in London I can’t quite stretch my budget to the £35 tickets in the stalls for the weekend i’m looking to go. I probably wrongly tend to compare ticket prices in cinemas to going to the theatre, and could probably get some alright seats to a West End show for that price.
I used to live in Greenwich up until last year and the o2 was our go to cinema, I however never liked the superscreen there. For every film we went to see the auditorium was almost empty, the sound was always too quiet, and I found it just generally not a nice place to sit for 2+ hours.
I’ll have to consult with the person I intend to go with and weigh up the pros and cons of our options using your great advice. Thanks again!
I’m looking to visit either here or the Cineworld across the square to see Star Wars this December. Would a seat towards the rear of the circle of the OLS be best (row F for example). Or would a seat in the superscreen be better? They are a similar price – around £20 but there is a much wider choice of seats in the superscreen. Does the tech in the OLS amke it a better choice overall, or would better seats be a wiser choice?
I have just seen an article on the Royal Albert Hall and wondered if perhaps the OLS status as the ‘premiere’ cinema it was in past decades has diminished slightly since refurbishment.
Now that the RAH has been equipped with a new £2m speaker system, it looks like it will be a more impressive place for the bigger premieres that the OLS was once first choice for, and for which it perhaps doesn’t have that unique ‘wow’ factor it once had.(Being more or less a black box like most other places)
Article on RAH: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/royal-albert-hall-acoustics-renovation
A new £2 million speaker system has been installed as of April 2019. Lots of details via this link: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/royal-albert-hall-acoustics-renovation
As always that’s a great and very detailed analysis CF100!
I think all this theatre needs is a set of tabs and some more inventive lighting, and it would be spectacular. I personally can’t fault anything else that has been done, I even think the dark colour of the auditorium makes it look a lot more dramatic.
Perhaps when they hold a live stage event they might see that these things are needed? and someone with knowledge of live theatre/stage/lighting will be employed to cast their opinion on what looks good and creates a proper show!
I have just contacted the Odeon Help team regarding curtains via twitter.
They informed me they in turn spoke to the appropriate people in Leicester Square, and there are in fact no curtains installed since the refurbishment. The digital safety curtain is now their permanent replacement.
It’s nice the organ will be a regular weekend feature according to their Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/BsfbQ0InZ2C/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=egjdadcb9qct
A few more details in the above link (although mostly what we’ve read before)plus a mention of curtains, which I don’t really understand. At least there’s not long to wait to find out now!
In my opinion the ‘digital’ recreation of the safety curtain is actually a good thing. As an aspect of the OLS I’ve never actually seen myself, it will bring the history (albeit false)of the OLS to a much wider audience (even if they don’t know what it is, and assuming its shown before every presentation)
However looking at the rendering it seems as though they’ve recreated it with the wear and tear of 80+ years. Surely this would’ve been the perfect opportunity to digitally restore it ‘slightly’, and make it look less like its fading away before your eyes.
If it is supposed to be a genuine replacement of tabs (Which I think is unlikely) then the designers have completely missed the mark.
But surely if it is to retain its theatre function, as they have made clear with the retention of the orchestra pit, movable speakers etc. Then correct me if I’m wrong but a set of curtains would be necessary for this aspect if nothing else?
This was my local cinema when I was younger and I always remember how big the auditorium looked (perhaps because of how much younger I was then) As far as I recall all the screens even had curtains, which is surprising for a fairly new cinema.
Also for those of you who have Twitter there is a video on Odeons page of the interior, and quite a few pictures not featured in the articles which I assume were taken by the journalists they invited.
Do you think the prices will remain the same when it’s open for a full release such as Mary Poppins? £10.75 seems very reasonable for a cinema of this kind.
I completely agree FanaticalAboutOdeon. I would love to see one of those films accompanied by live orchestra events they do at the RAH(Despite the rather expensive price!). However have always thought they would be better suited to the OLS, as its actually a cinema with the capability to accommodate an orchestra, and not the other way around! Which would surely produce a better outcome?
That makes sense as it’s not like they have a new logo, perhaps they’ve just give the old ones a good scrub :)
I believe Mary Poppins is having it’s European premiere at the Royal Albert Hall. It would’ve been nice to see the OLS all done up for a premiere, but I hope they’re saving it for something even bigger!
I have read (in Estates Gazette) that the building has recently been sold and the new owners plan to refurbish the building. The article says they will take a ‘conservationist'approach, so looks like a good future for this cinema.
CF100:
Thank you for your reply, a wealth of knowledge and advice as always!
With regards to 2D/3D I don’t hate 3D but I just find it slightly annoying having to wear the glasses over my own glasses.
As much as I would enjoy the OLS, as a fairly recent graduate living in London I can’t quite stretch my budget to the £35 tickets in the stalls for the weekend i’m looking to go. I probably wrongly tend to compare ticket prices in cinemas to going to the theatre, and could probably get some alright seats to a West End show for that price.
I used to live in Greenwich up until last year and the o2 was our go to cinema, I however never liked the superscreen there. For every film we went to see the auditorium was almost empty, the sound was always too quiet, and I found it just generally not a nice place to sit for 2+ hours.
I’ll have to consult with the person I intend to go with and weigh up the pros and cons of our options using your great advice. Thanks again!
I’m looking to visit either here or the Cineworld across the square to see Star Wars this December. Would a seat towards the rear of the circle of the OLS be best (row F for example). Or would a seat in the superscreen be better? They are a similar price – around £20 but there is a much wider choice of seats in the superscreen. Does the tech in the OLS amke it a better choice overall, or would better seats be a wiser choice?
https://www.homesandproperty.co.uk/property-news/art-deco-gem-restored-to-former-glory-exterior-of-thirties-cinema-building-in-harrow-could-be-a132746.html
Possibility of a restoration, albeit only the facade.
I’d love to see the Flying Ladies themselves lit up a little more
A new development on this site appears to be in the very early stages, and may never happen – would be a shame if they got rid of this cinema.
https://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/9927
I have just seen an article on the Royal Albert Hall and wondered if perhaps the OLS status as the ‘premiere’ cinema it was in past decades has diminished slightly since refurbishment.
Now that the RAH has been equipped with a new £2m speaker system, it looks like it will be a more impressive place for the bigger premieres that the OLS was once first choice for, and for which it perhaps doesn’t have that unique ‘wow’ factor it once had.(Being more or less a black box like most other places)
Article on RAH: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/royal-albert-hall-acoustics-renovation
A new £2 million speaker system has been installed as of April 2019. Lots of details via this link: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/royal-albert-hall-acoustics-renovation
From the pictures in this link:
https://twitter.com/jonwardle/status/1101205343483412485?s=21
it looks like the lighting was set to a warmer more red/orange colour for an event held there recently, which I think looks a bit nicer.
As always that’s a great and very detailed analysis CF100!
I think all this theatre needs is a set of tabs and some more inventive lighting, and it would be spectacular. I personally can’t fault anything else that has been done, I even think the dark colour of the auditorium makes it look a lot more dramatic.
Perhaps when they hold a live stage event they might see that these things are needed? and someone with knowledge of live theatre/stage/lighting will be employed to cast their opinion on what looks good and creates a proper show!
I have just contacted the Odeon Help team regarding curtains via twitter.
They informed me they in turn spoke to the appropriate people in Leicester Square, and there are in fact no curtains installed since the refurbishment. The digital safety curtain is now their permanent replacement.
It’s nice the organ will be a regular weekend feature according to their Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/BsfbQ0InZ2C/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=egjdadcb9qct
The leopard print carpets are a very nice touch, perhaps tabs will arrive along with the flying ladies (missing toe reattached!)
https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/behind-scenes-dolby-cinema-odeon-3635999
A few more details in the above link (although mostly what we’ve read before)plus a mention of curtains, which I don’t really understand. At least there’s not long to wait to find out now!
In my opinion the ‘digital’ recreation of the safety curtain is actually a good thing. As an aspect of the OLS I’ve never actually seen myself, it will bring the history (albeit false)of the OLS to a much wider audience (even if they don’t know what it is, and assuming its shown before every presentation)
However looking at the rendering it seems as though they’ve recreated it with the wear and tear of 80+ years. Surely this would’ve been the perfect opportunity to digitally restore it ‘slightly’, and make it look less like its fading away before your eyes.
If it is supposed to be a genuine replacement of tabs (Which I think is unlikely) then the designers have completely missed the mark. But surely if it is to retain its theatre function, as they have made clear with the retention of the orchestra pit, movable speakers etc. Then correct me if I’m wrong but a set of curtains would be necessary for this aspect if nothing else?
This was my local cinema when I was younger and I always remember how big the auditorium looked (perhaps because of how much younger I was then) As far as I recall all the screens even had curtains, which is surprising for a fairly new cinema.
https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/refurbished-odeon-leicester-square-criticised-ticket-prices-123109593.html?guccounter=1
They’ve also now released the tickets for Mary Poppins with different pricing
CF100: here are the images I saw
https://twitter.com/dangrabham/status/1067408321332879361?s=21
https://twitter.com/phildesemlyen/status/1067388026517635073?s=21
Also for those of you who have Twitter there is a video on Odeons page of the interior, and quite a few pictures not featured in the articles which I assume were taken by the journalists they invited.
https://www.homecinemachoice.com/content/making-dolby-cinema-behind-scenes-odeon-luxe-leicester-square
This link confirms the suggestion that the safety curtain is in fact a digital recreation.
Do you think the prices will remain the same when it’s open for a full release such as Mary Poppins? £10.75 seems very reasonable for a cinema of this kind.
I completely agree FanaticalAboutOdeon. I would love to see one of those films accompanied by live orchestra events they do at the RAH(Despite the rather expensive price!). However have always thought they would be better suited to the OLS, as its actually a cinema with the capability to accommodate an orchestra, and not the other way around! Which would surely produce a better outcome?
That makes sense as it’s not like they have a new logo, perhaps they’ve just give the old ones a good scrub :)
I believe Mary Poppins is having it’s European premiere at the Royal Albert Hall. It would’ve been nice to see the OLS all done up for a premiere, but I hope they’re saving it for something even bigger!
what is the difference with the sign? It looks the same as the old one.