40 Leicester Square,
London,
WC2H 7LP

08712 244 007

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Standard ticket price and discounts: £10 (Evenings and weekends); £6 Mon-Fri, before 5pm; £6 Concessions

Capacity: Screen One: 500; Screen Two: 700

Facilities: concession stand, bar, Haagen Dazs shop in foyer

The Odeon West End is the main venue for the London Film Festival every November, though during the rest of the year it usually sticks to mainstream Hollywood fare.

Not to be confused with the Odeon Leicester Square, it is centrally located, on the south side of Leicester Square and has two decent-sized screens.

The sound systems in both screen one and screen two are excellent – it is especially noticeable in screen two, as the room is bigger. The seating in each screen is arranged differently: screen one has tiered seating, meaning that sight-lines are always excellent.

Screen two, however, despite being the bigger screen, has only a slight incline, so if someone tall sits in front of you, it can be a nuisance. The seats themselves are comfortable and there is adequate leg-room.

The bar and the concession facilities are of the usual standard, though the bar area itself is quite spacious. Extra points are scored for the Haagen Dazs shop, which has an entrance onto Leicester Square and an entrance inside the cinema. (This is especially useful if ticket-holders are being asked to wait outside in the rain – you can slip in and grab a coffee or an ice-cream while you wait).

In terms of the ‘Big Screen Experience’, then, the Odeon West End scores highly and is an excellent place to see a film.

However, it suffers from the same problem as all the other Leicester Square cinemas, namely that ten pounds is still Way Too Expensive. And six pounds is nobody’s idea of a ‘bargain price’.