Leicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. The Square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west.
Leicester Square is the centre of London's cinema land, and one of the signs marking the Square bears the legend "Theatreland." It is claimed that the Square contains the cinema with the largest screen and the cinema with the most seats (over 1600). The square is the prime location in London for major film premieres and has seen the likes of James Bond films, animation films such as Shrek and even co-hosts the London Film Festival each year.
Prince Edward Theatre
The Prince Edward Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Old Compton Street, just north of Leicester Square, in the City of Westminster. The theatre was designed in 1930 by Edward A. Stone, with an interior designed by Marc-Henri Levy and Gaston Laverdet. Named after Prince Edward (then the Prince of Wales, briefly Edward VIII and later Duke of Windsor), it opened on April 3, 1930 with a performance of the musical Rio Rita. Owned by the Delfont Mackintosh Group, and with a capacity of 1,618, it currently hosts Jersey Boys which opened 18 March 2008. Until 12 January 2008 it hosted Mary Poppins, before the show toured.
Odeon Leicester Square
ODEON is the largest cinema chain in the UK, with over one hundred cinemas. ODEON entertain more people in the UK than any other cinema chain accounting for nearly a third of all tickets sold in the UK. Founded in 1930 by Oscar Deutsch, ODEON was acquired in 1941 by J Arthur Rank who had interests in film production and distribution. ODEON remained a part of The Rank Organisation for a further 58 years. It ccupies the centre of the eastern side of Leicester Square, London, dominating the square with its huge black polished granite facade and 120 feet (37 m) high tower displaying its name. Blue neon also outlines the exterior of this amazing building at night.
Prince Charles Cinema
This is a repertory cinema located in Leicester Place, 40 metres north of Leicester Square in the West End of London. It shows a rotating program of cult, arthouse, and classic films alongside recent Hollywood releases, often over ten different films a week on two screens (285 seats downstairs and 104 seats upstairs). It also hosts the sing-a-long version of The Sound of Music, which has been shown on a regular basis for over five years, as well as The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Joseph. The cinema has achieved a cult status amongst fans, standing out as the only independent cinema in the West End.