The cinema [Philafrenzy 2015, detail, wikimedia (CC-by-SA-4.0)]

MORE than 135,000 people have signed a petition from the Prince Charles Cinema warning it is facing a closure threat.

The independent venue in Leicester Square – regarded as one of the true gems of the West End – said the building’s owner, billionaire Asif Aziz’s Criterion Capital, was demanding terms that could lead to it being evicted.

Landlord Zedwells LSQ wants to increase rents and introduced a six-month break clause in a new lease agreement.

West End developer Criterion Capital, Zedwell’s parent company, said the terms of a new lease were standard practice and not unreasonable.

A spokesperson for the venue said: “We are one of the last remaining independent cinemas in central London, receiving no public funding and attracting over 250,000 customers a year at a time when the industry is struggling.

“Losing the Prince Charles Cinema would mean losing not just an iconic cultural institution, but also an engine for the economy of the West End… This would have repercussions way beyond the building itself.”

The cinema campaign has been backed by high profile names including the Boogie Nights director Paul Anderson, while Quentin Tarantino has previously described the venue as “everything an independent cinema should be”.

A Criterion statement said: “A break clause is standard commercial practice, reflecting long-term property planning, not unreasonable intent.”

It added that its rental expectations were based on a fair market assessment and that it remained “open to constructive dialogue” with the cinema’s operator Bubble Chamber Ltd.

The petition will be sent to Zedwell, Criterion Capital, Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan and the culture secretary Lisa Nandy.

The petition can be found on the 38 degrees website.