Empire Leicester Square

One of London’s oldest cinemas (it opened as a theatre in 1884, and as a cinema following World War II) the Empire in Leicester Square was until recently home to London’s biggest non-Imax cinema screen. It’s now been refurbished, with its massive main auditorium separated into one full Imax screen and one smaller, 400-seat Impact (ie, big but not quite Imax) theatre. There are also a number of smaller screens tucked away throughout the building, making a total of nine. Don’t come here to watch an award-winning three-hour Turkish drama. The programme is as mainstream as you’d expect from a central London multiplex, with all the big Hollywood hitters. The prices, too, reflect the cinema’s tourist-friendly location. Snacks are the usual hot dogs, nachos and popcorn.