Picturehouse Cinemas has announced a new addition – Picturehouse Central, a 1000 seat, 7 screen cinema on Shaftesbury Avenue near Piccadilly Circus, due to open in late spring 2015 complete with café, café-bar, and Members’ bar.
Extensive redevelopment plans of the Cineworld Shaftesbury Avenue have been granted full planning permission by Westminster Council and will transform the multiplex into the West End flagship cinema for Picturehouse.
Picturehouse Cinemas Managing Director, Lyn Goleby said: “This is much more than a refurbishment, we are building a brand new cinema in the heart of the West End.”
Café, café-bar, Members’ bar
The plans include a complete renovation of the colonnade along Great Windmill Street and re-opening the former entrance to the Trocadero Restaurant and Ballroom on the corner of Great Windmill Street and Shaftesbury Avenue as the entrance to Picturehouse Central.
The ground floor will include a New York Deli-style café (above) with capacity for more than 100 people and a grand staircase leading up to the first floor.
A first floor café-bar will have views over Shaftesbury Avenue and seating for 100 as well as lobby access to the cinema screens.
A double-height Members’ bar will be created on the second and third floors with a roof terrace and stunning views over London. The Members’ Bar will be a unique space for Picturehouse Members to come and while away the day in a relaxed, film-centric environment or somewhere private to meet, escaping the bustle of the busy London streets below. The Members’ Bar will be open to ticket holding Members of all 19 Picturehouses in London and throughout the UK.
Members’ discount on food and drink
Like all Picturehouse Cinemas, Picturehouse Central will launch with a Membership programme offering Members the best access to the cinema. Members will enjoy discounts on all food and drink throughout the 3 bars, up to £5 discount on all tickets including event cinema and Screen Arts, priority booking and Members’ booking rates for the Members Bar and Terrace.
About Picturehouse Cinemas
Formed in 1989 to challenge the multiplex model, Picturehouse Cinemas own and operate 19 cinemas and programme a further 42 venues across the UK.
Picturehouse Cinemas are located in city centres and are architecturally unique venues that provide café bars, restaurants and live events alongside the traditional movie-going experience. Their programmes encompass quality mainstream, family, art-house, independent, foreign-language and documentary films.
Picturehouse Cinemas were a pioneer of live satellite cine-casts in the UK, bringing non-film content such as Q&As and talks, concerts, art exhibitions, the New York Met Opera, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre and the Bolshoi Ballet to community cinema screens.