Princess Cinemas

What it is

Waterloo’s independent art-house cinema, running since 1985 across two venues a short walk apart in uptown: the original Princess on Princess Street and the Princess Twin on King. The programming is the point — international and festival films, 4K restorations, documentaries and National Theatre Live broadcasts that otherwise never reach the region — with fresh seats installed across summer 2026.

Why locals rate it

For four decades the Princess has been the region’s window onto cinema beyond the multiplex: the Cannes winner that never gets a wide release, the restored Kurosawa on an actual screen, the NT Live broadcast that saves you a trip to London. It’s an institution in the honest sense — generations of students discovered “real” film here and kept their memberships long after graduating — and the uptown location makes it the natural anchor of a dinner-and-a-film evening, with half our Waterloo restaurant list within a ten-minute walk.

What to do first

See whatever restoration or festival title is playing that you can’t see anywhere else — that’s the Princess’s entire reason for being. Pair it with dinner in uptown beforehand, and consider a membership on your first visit if you’ll come twice a year; it pays for itself quickly.

Insider tip

The two venues program differently — the Twin leans toward extended runs of acclaimed features while the Original handles the adventurous single screenings — so check both calendars before assuming “the Princess isn’t showing anything.”

Heads-up

Art-house programming means art-house pacing: if your group wants a reliable Friday blockbuster, this isn’t the venue, and popular one-night screenings sell out to members before casual browsers notice they exist.