Following a confirmation of Curzon earlier this month, it has withdrawn from the site of Curzon Mayfair, a London cinema. Fantasio, a London-based real estate company led by Dan Zaum, has announced a timeline for the film’s redevelopment and reopening.
Curzon has withdrawn from the site after an ongoing combat series with Fantasio (formerly known as 38 Curzon Lease), which was announced earlier this month, cinema operators have withdrawn from the site following nearly 90 years of operation and legal challenges to landlords’ redevelopment plans.
Curzon is expected to open its facility in January 2026, and development of Fantasio will begin soon after, subject to planning conditions. The redevelopment takes about 18 months, and the film is expected to resume in 2027.
Saum and his company previously renovated Ned London and Coco Camden. In 2023, they wanted to leave the UK exhibitor distributor Curzon to run their own renovated cinemas, invest £15 million in their own money in the venue, providing entertainment and media hubs and dining destinations. Zaum has been the site’s landlord since 2016.
In 2024, Saum took on the role of director of UK producer Financial Gold Rush Photography. The company supports projects, including Brian Cox’s directorial debut Glenrotan and Jessica Housener Club Zero.
In a statement released earlier this month about its decision to withdraw from the site, Curzon Mayfair, the iconic Curzon Mayfair, which the company acquired its name in 1934, has been the flagship cinema for 90 years, earning many world premieres and the best Arthouse and Independent Cinema, as well as a quarter-quarter growth.
“The suggestion by the landowner that it is a declining venue is clearly incorrect.”
Scroll down for the full Curzon statement
The UK Exhibitor Distributor was acquired at the end of 2024 by a US Company Fortress with 17 venues throughout the UK. To renovate various aspects of the venue, we submitted market rate offers to acquire buildings from each turn.
“The facts here are clear: it is the landlord who has solidly blocked Curzon’s plans on every turn, and the landlord has made abundantly clear that he has no interest in watching Curzon Mayfair continue as a fully functional cinema.
In the plan, first outlined in 2023, Fantasio offered its commitment to offering a “range” of ticket prices at the new venue.
“I also know that because I’ve been running Curzon Mayfair for 91 years, the landlord’s plan to spend more than £15 million on cinemas is not a viable business proposal without charging exorbitant ticket prices or making individual member clubs extremely wealthy,” Curzon’s statement said.
In response to the proposal, the building corresponds to a private member club with a high ticket price. A representative of Fantasio said: “This is absolutely not true and Curzon’s plans have not changed. Cinemas have access to ticket prices ranges, as not revealed in the planning application. Work.”
Curzon Mayfair’s Curzon Statement
The iconic Curzon Mayfair, which the company acquired its name in 1934, has been the flagship cinema for 90 years and hosts many world premiers, arthouses and independent cinemas, and industry-leading growth this quarter at +25%. The landlord’s suggestion that it is a declining venue is clearly incorrect.
Since the landlord bought the building in 2016, Curzon has fought for its future. That October, London Mayor Sadiq Khan was forced to step in to stop landlords from pushing soundproofing measures that would damage the listed features of the building.
Curzon has been hoping to renovate Curzon Mayfair for over eight years, commissioned to a plan by the world-renowned Benedetti Architects, renovating the building to provide film enthusiasts with accessibility and quality experiences throughout London. Curzon has submitted multiple landlord plans to renovate various aspects of the venue, and has submitted market rate offers from the landlord to acquire the building. At each turn, these offers are blocked instantly by the landlord.
The facts here are clear. It was the landlord who decisively blocked Curzon’s plans every turn. The landlord has made abundantly clear that he has no interest in watching Curzon Mayfair continue as a fully functional cinema. Instead, the landlord proposed the equivalent of a private member club. It has taken one of the most beloved cinemas from London residents.
The issue touches on the nerves of the wider community, with over 20,000 people signing petitions to maintain Curzon Mayfair and hundreds more lodging challenges to Mayfair Council on landowners’ alternative plans. The local community led by Steven Spielberg and the wider film industry are all saying the same thing. The landowner’s plan to fundamentally change the film is not wanted.
Sadly, Curzon concluded that if the challenge fails, there is no other option but to withdraw the legal challenge to the landlord’s plan, given the risk of meeting the landlord’s vast legal costs. The Landlords and Tenants Act of 1954 is supposed to protect tenants in this situation, but if the tenant faces the landlord with a deep enough pocket, that protection is sadly unsuitable for purpose. Curzon would have loved to stay at Curzon Mayfair for another 90 years.
I also know that, as I ran Curzon Mayfair for 91 years, the landlord’s plan to spend more than £15 million on cinemas is not a viable business proposal without charging exorbitant ticket prices or directing private member clubs to extremely wealthy people.
Despite Curzon’s deep love for Curzon Mayfair, we are sorry that we must now withdraw from the site and focus our attention on establishing a new flagship venue elsewhere in London. More announcements will continue in the near future.
Curzon wants to use this opportunity to thank everyone involved in the campaign to save Curzon Mayfair and to all the film lovers who have joined us over the years. Your support is highly appreciated.
(TagStoTRASSLATE) Exhibition (T) UK/Ireland
