5 Best Cinemas in London (2026)

Leicester Square is the beating heart of London's West End cinema scene, home to the city's biggest premieres, red-carpet events and a cluster of major screens surrounding the square itself. Reviewers describe a genuinely festive atmosphere year-round, buskers, street performers and a Christmas ice rink adding to the draw, though the crowds that come with that reputation are a real trade-off. It's the single most-reviewed cinema destination on this list by a wide margin.

BFI IMAX at Waterloo is the UK's biggest cinema screen, run by the British Film Institute and showing a mix of IMAX blockbusters, alternative content and educational screenings. Reviewers consistently call out the scale of the picture and the depth of the sound as unmatched, with some becoming regular members after a first visit. Ticket prices run higher than a standard screen, which several reviewers note but still consider worth it for the right film.

Prince Charles Cinema is London's independent screen just off Leicester Square, built around cult films, classics, sing-along screenings and Q&A events rather than first-run blockbusters. Reviewers describe it as more than a cinema, part of London's culture, with cheap membership tickets, old-school seating and a bar serving alcohol. It's frequently called the oldest independent cinema in the West End.

Picturehouse Central sits between Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square on Shaftesbury Avenue, a seven-screen cinema built with a restaurant, cafe and members' bar alongside the auditoriums. Reviewers call it stylish without being pretentious and note it's comparably affordable for such a central location, with generous legroom and a broad film selection. A few longtime visitors mention the food menu has changed from what it used to be.

BFI Southbank runs four screens seven days a week on the river at Belvedere Road, positioning itself as a cultural hub as much as a cinema, with festivals like BFI Flare and a shop alongside its screenings. Reviewers describe it as a place to spend an afternoon around, not just watch a film, and several mention returning after long breaks from cinema-going. It shares the BFI's IMAX-adjacent reputation for serious, wide-ranging programming.