London’s iconic Prince Charles Cinema (PCC) has launched a petition protesting against the break clause in its landlord’s latest contract, which would allow the cinema to be closed with only six months’ notice.
According to the PCC, Zedwell LSQ Ltd, owned by Criterion Capital, has demanded the inclusion of the break clause in the latest lease.
“This could leave us homeless with only six months’ notice should they receive planning permission to redevelop the cinema,” said a statement published by the cinema on its Instagram page today.
“We feel that this demand amounts to a clear attempt by Zedwell LSQ Ltd and their ultimate parent company Criterion Capital, to use their significant financial resources to disregard our legal entitlement to a new lease and bully us out of the building once the existing one ends in Sept 2025,” continued the statement.
“We are calling on Zedwell LSQ Ltd and their parent company Criterion Capital, immediately to withdraw the demand of a break clause in our new lease and come to the table to negotiate on reasonable terms without the need for a protracted legal process.”
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The petition launched on the 38 Degrees site today (Tuesday, January 28), and is already at 9,125 signatures of a requested 10,000 at time of writing.
The PCC was opened in 1962 as a theatre, before converting to a cinema in the mid-1960s. It is known for its independent spirit, with a programme mixing upcoming arthouse and international cinema with special events – including regular screenings of Tommy Wiseau’s 2003 cult classic The Room.
The PCC statement includes a comment from Paul Thomas Anderson praising the venue. Other fans of the cinema include Quentin Tarantino; while writer-directors are already sharing the petition, including Edgar Wright and Screen Star and Censor director Prano Bailey-Bond.
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