Look for a grand, cream-colored façade with dramatic columns, intricate patterns, and a sparkling glass canopy labeled “CINEMA” and “CASINO” in bright lights-right ahead of you, it’s impossible to miss on the north side of Leicester Square.
Welcome to the Empire Leicester Square! Imagine you’re standing in front of this palace of entertainment, and take a moment to breathe in the energy of the square-the lights glitter, footsteps echo, and excited chatter floats through the night air. Over a century of stories hide behind the Empire’s doors, and oh, does this place know drama-not just on the screens, but in real life. So, ready for the show? Let’s set the scene: It's April 17, 1884. A crowd in top hats and feathered hats gathers-this very spot opens as the Empire Theatre, ready to dazzle London’s West End with a 2,000-seat variety show and ballet spectacle. You could almost hear the ruffle of tutus and the tap of dancing shoes. Theatres like this were the Netflix of their day, but with a much dressier audience and, sadly, no pause button.
The Empire quickly becomes the place to see and be seen. Adeline Genée helps bring British ballet back from the brink, while a parade of comic operas and over-the-top musicals delights crowds-imagine a show so extravagant they needed 50 ballet dancers. By the late 1800s, this theatre is so popular that in 1893, they add a glitzy new foyer for crowds to swirl their capes in as they breeze in.
Now, here comes the twist! It’s 1896, and moving pictures arrive. The Lumière brothers' films flicker here, giving folks their first ever look at real moving images. Just think, audiences back then had never seen anything like it-if you saw a video of a train back then, you might actually duck! Soon, film and live shows blend together at the Empire.
Jump to the Roaring Twenties, and the movies are in charge! Hollywood swoops in-imagine MGM buying up this site for over a million dollars (that’s like buying a small kingdom at the time). They smash down the old theatre in 1927, build a new American-style cinema-palace, and unveil it in cinematic glory-complete with a Wurlitzer organ and one of the very first UK air conditioning systems (imaging sitting through Ben-Hur in a summer suit, not breaking a sweat). And speaking of Ben-Hur: in 1959, the Empire rips out over a thousand seats and fits a gigantic new screen just for that epic chariot race. People lined up for nearly a year and a half to see it.
But empires never sit still, do they? In the Sixties, it’s disco time: the cinema gets a ballroom underneath and a hip, modern foyer upstairs, all marble and velvet and the air of James Bond cowed by the glitter. As time flashes forward, the Empire earns a starring role in Charlie Chaplin’s Limelight, hosts laser shows that practically shout “The Most Spectacular Cinema in the World,” and upgrades sound systems faster than you can eat a box of popcorn.
Ever heard an IMAX sound system thunder through a room, or felt a Dolby Atmos speaker make you jump in your seat? Here’s where it happens-today, the Empire has no less than nine separate theatres, including a 723-seat IMAX that’s the biggest in Britain. In recent years, they’ve added 4DX features that literally shake and rattle your seat; this cinema doesn’t just show you films-it puts you right in them. And the lobby? It’s like stepping into a futuristic nightclub, with glowing LED stairs and reflective ceilings.
So, as you stand in the glow of these bright lights, picture all the tuxedos, tutus, movie stars, dancers, and delighted crowds that have packed this place for almost 140 years. If these walls could talk, they’d probably spoil the ending. Good thing I’m here-Andy, your chatty tour guide-who only gives away the best bits. Shall we roll credits and head to the next stop?
Seeking more information about the ownership changes, 21st century technical upgrades to screen 1 or the imax conversion of screen 1? Ask away in the chat section and I'll fill you in.
