Beloved West End cinema fighting for its future

A West End cinema beloved by the directors behind the movies Pulp Fiction and Boogie Nights has launched a campaign to save it from closure.

A petition supporting the Prince Charles Cinema was launched after the management said it believed its future was under threat, due to new terms being imposed by its landlord.

It says the building's owner wants to raise its rent and has demanded a new clause which, if triggered, could leave the cinema homeless with six months' notice.

Paul Thomas Anderson, the director of Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood and Inherent Vice, has previously spoken up for the Leicester Square cinema, which he described as "like tuning into your favourite radio station".

In a petition that has received more than 50,000 signatories, the Prince Charles said it believed the landlord was seeking planning permission to redevelop the site.

The online petition page quotes Mr Anderson: "The Prince Charles has a place in my heart. It's the people, the programming, the accessibility, feeling, texture... you cannot go wrong.

"You also know that on any given day, you can close your eyes, press your finger to the programme, and you'll hit something great."

Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs director Quentin Tarantino has previously described the cinema as "everything an independent movie theatre should be", adding that "for lovers of quality films, this is Mecca".

The venue, one of the last remaining independent cinemas in central London, has accused the landlord, Zedwell LSQ, of trying to "bully" the business out of the building.

Criterion Capital, Zedwell LSQ's parent company, said the terms of a new lease were standard practice and not unreasonable.

Criterion, which is owned by billionaire developer Asif Aziz, has a number of hotels and other properties in the West End.

The company has continually rejected requests for negotiation, the cinema said.

A spokesperson for the venue said: "We are one of the last remaining independent cinemas in central London, receiving no public funding and attracting over 250,000 customers a year at a time when the industry is struggling.

"Losing the Prince Charles Cinema would mean losing not just an iconic cultural institution, but also an engine for the economy of the West End... This would have repercussions way beyond the building itself."

Criterion Capital said: "A break clause is standard commercial practice, reflecting long-term property planning, not unreasonable intent."

It added that its rental expectations were based on a fair market assessment and that it remained "open to constructive dialogue" with the cinema's operator Bubble Chamber Ltd.

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