Save Curzon Mayfair Cinema

Statement from Edward Fletcher, CURZON CEO

Curzon Mayfair has been a success for 90 years, hosting numerous world premieres and just a few months ago enjoyed its best ever weekend with a showing of the blockbuster Oppenheimer. This is no accident, as at the heart of our success is a team with decades of experience and expertise in the industry. However, we are not standing still and have credible plans with world-renowned Benedetti Architects to refurbish this iconic building and offer film lovers an accessible, high-quality experience ‘unrivalled’ across London.

The proposals include the latest audiovisual screen technology, improved acoustic and lighting inspired by ‘industry-leading’ solutions, along with enhanced seating and a new food and drinks offering, which will improve the current customer experience without compromising cinema activities.

Our plans would protect and restore the building’s historic features, while retaining the two screens and seating capacity of 373, meaning the cinema will continue to be open to the community with competitive ticket prices.

However, the landlord has steadfastly blocked our plans at every turn and made it abundantly clear they are not interested in seeing the Curzon Mayfair continue as a fully functioning cinema. Instead, the landlord has relaunched alternative proposals to combine the restaurant next door and cinema, undermining the special heritage of this unique building and going against the policies of Westminster Council’s City Plan. The result will be a loss of seating and a new venue where the film offer will be increasingly diluted with dance, music and even sporting events, with a programme aimed at a select few, rather than the local community.

If the Landlord’s plans get the go ahead, Curzon Mayfair will become no more than a glorified private members’ club rather than a cinema and an iconic cultural institution will be lost forever.

This issue has touched a nerve in the wider community with more than 20,000 people signing a petition to keep the Curzon Mayfair, and hundreds more lodging objections against the plans. The Landlord has tried to muddy the waters with their plans for the cinema, but people are fully aware of what is being proposed and that is why so many concerns have been made by the Mayor of London, GLA Members and others to the council calling for the plans to be rejected. They say they have consulted various groups, but the reality is that they are reacting to individual issues and don’t understand the bigger picture - that their plan to fundamentally alter the cinema is not wanted.

The future of Curzon Mayfair remains in a precarious position. However, we are determined to keep on fighting to remain as custodians of this wonderful institution for decades to come.

 

The future of iconic Grade II listed Curzon Mayfair, our flagship cinema established in 1934, is in jeopardy. The lease will expire in March 2024, and whilst we are keen to sign on for a new lease, our landlord has made an alternative proposal for the site that threatens our residency. We remain fiercely committed to Curzon Mayfair. Over our many decades there we have delivered a peerless programme of film and events, alongside numerous star-studded premieres, and have loved sharing the best films and events with you all. We have long been keen to invest in refurbishment projects, but have been prevented from doing so without the security of a new lease.

Under Government legislation, Curzon has a statutory right to renew our lease on similar terms at a market rent. Curzon has now formally applied for a new lease and if the Landlord refuses, the resulting legal process would give a court the power to grant a new tenancy for up to 15 years. Once a new lease is granted, we are prepared to make a substantial investment by upgrading and refurbishing the iconic building, without compromising its historical features. We are thrilled to announce that renowned Benedetti Architects, who recently worked on the redesign of the BAFTA headquarters, have been appointed to make a proposal for a sensitive but extensive refurbishment of the cinema.

More than 19,000 people have already signed a petition, and several stars of screen and stage have added their support to ensure the cinema remains under Curzon’s stewardship.

The Cinema’s landlord previously sought to apply pressure in 2017 when the upper floors were converted to residential use and the landlord demanded that costly noise mitigation works be undertaken. At that time, a ‘Save the Curzon Cinema’ campaign quickly gained more than 27,000 signatures. The Mayor of London intervened to protect long established cultural venues from ‘agent of change'; from new neighbours complaining about long-existing noise.

Concerns for the future of the Curzon cinema have resulted in the venue being granted further protection by London’s Westminster City Council after it was designated an Asset of Community Value (ACV).

The Curzon Mayfair has been an integral part of the local community since it opened its doors in 1934 and is regularly used for red-carpet events. With its Sixties Art Deco-inspired ceiling and listed wall reliefs by renowned sculptor William Mitchell, the cinema boasts some of the most iconic pieces of British cinema design. The landlord will have to officially confirm their plans for the venue and under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, the cinema operators are entitled to apply to court to enforce their right to renew their lease. Such renewal can only be denied by the landlord in very limited circumstances, and we hope the landlord will come back to the negotiating table now that we have submitted an application for a new lease.

Hollywood A-lister Margot Robbie recently attended a Q&A for blockbuster Babylon at the Curzon, which was host to more than 20 film premieres last year.

We also host high profile events for paying customers including our own live event strand In Frame - a series of in-depth and intimate conversations with some of the world's foremost filmmakers including Wim Wenders and Ruben Östlund.