A building control application for the current phase of works, dated as received 25th June 2018, is now listed on Westminster’s site.
The description field contains: “Refurbishment of cinemas 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 (small auditoria) of multiplex cinema. The refurbishment involves adjustment of stadia construction (1, 2, 5, 6 and 7), change of floor finishes, new illuminated nosing on the steps, adjustment of speakers, and installation of new seats.”
It will be interesting to see if the IMAX/Superscreen will be overhauled this year in a further phase of works or if, as a member of staff told me, Cineworld have no plans for this at the present time.
I visited the Vue Finchley Road (O2 Centre) today to attend a preview screening in Screen 8 (Xtreme), having not been here since the late 1990s, when I saw a couple of movies at this cinema.
According to Vue, the Xtreme screen is >16m wide and >7m high (or >52ft. x >23ft.), being “scope” format as PhilipWW says.
The Xtreme screen isn’t quite wall-to-wall but there’s no tabs or masking; perhaps the screen was increased in size when Vue rebranded the auditorium as “Xtreme,” but the rear array speakers certainly don’t seem to have been upgraded, being the same KCS surrounds that were installed at opening!
The auditorium is fairly deep with 16 rows, the front 5 of which are on a flatter rake, and the rest on a fairly steep stadia, with 5 rows of VIP seating in the centre section. Looking at satellite images of the complex, the auditorium is perhaps 80ft. deep, and I ended up in a seat near the rear of the auditorium.
The experience was therefore far from “Xtreme” but the picture quality was good, with no obvious signs of geometric distortion, and the sound was acceptable but not outstanding.
It has been overhauled to an extent since opening, Screen 8 being fitted with black stretched fabric on the auditorium walls and black leather seating (same type as Vue Westfield London (Shepherd’s Bush) IIRC — not comfortable at all and slightly sagging!) Corridors have the same signage and red coloured wallcoverings as Vue Westfield London (Shepherd’s Bush.)
It is mostly in reasonable condition though slightly shabby in a few places, notably with paint chipped off skirting corners along the vomitory access into the auditorium, and some slight damage to wall coverings in the corridors leading to the auditoria.
Some Warner Village late 90s “house style” features remain, such as the circular gantry in the foyer, from which I assume decorative “triangle” shaped blue and yellow cold cathode strips were originally hung, and “star” shaped handles on auditorium entrance doors.
The air conditioning was absolutely not up to standard, being hot in the corridors leading to the auditoria, and mostly too hot in the auditorium itself—just not a sufficient relief from the 30°C temperature outside. However, the atrium of the O2 Centre, with escalators leading up to cinema entrance level, was adequately cooled.
Incidentally, at this site Vue are currently offering “Super Monday” tickets at £4.99 for 2D screenings in standard seats (albeit with additional charges for 3D/Xtreme performances and VIP seats.)
Note to Cinema Treasures: It’s the “O2 Centre” rather than “02.”
LARGE_screen_format: (Responding first to the additional material in your revised post.)
Presumably, the new screens are auditoria 13 to 17 and use Barco laser projection (which is used at Showcase Cinema de Luxe, Southampton)? Their website just lists Sony 4K projection.
Screen 14 is programmed with “I Feel Pretty” at 4:30pm on Monday 25th June (I just selected a random date/time when poking about.) I can’t see any “events” programmed? AFAIK it features all reclining seats, so the seat count may belie the auditorium’s size.
Regular ticket prices seem reasonable (cheap compared to the West End, London!).
And… no 3D “upcharge” for the XPlus. :–)
Don’t often head out towards Dartford but this cinema seems like it warrants a special trip!
Dartford Schmartford, it’s in Greenhithe—the only thing worth visiting in Dartford is the River Crossing! ;–)
It’s easy for me to get to, so I’ll definitely check out the XPlus this summer.
60 feet (18.29m) wide, if indeed that is the size of the IMAX screen at Showcase Cinema de Luxe, Bluewater, is the same width as Cineworld, Hemel Hempstead. It seats 281 versus ~450 so I expected a larger screen. Will certainly watch a movie there and possibly also one in XPlus although I may save doing the latter in Showcase Cinema de Luxe, Southampton instead.
The two largest “blocks” in a 2017 aerial image (which shows no differences to a 1999 aerial image of that part of Bluewater other than a large block to the East, that apparently houses an indoor trampoline (!) park; not sure what else is in there) that could house a single auditorium measure slightly larger than 60ft. by between ~85-95ft. externally.
With 15 rows at, say, 4ft. spacing, 60ft. depth would be required for the seating area alone!
Looking at the fire exits using Google Streetview, the ~60ft. x ~85ft. block seems to be the more plausible location to house the IMAX. These “back of an envelope” estimates then add up pretty well, allowing for the distance of the last row to the screen to be beyond, but not disasterously so, the “maximum” 1x screen width—by how much would depend on whether the front row distance to the screen is closer than the “minimum” 0.35x screen width, as well as, obviously, the actual row spacing.
Thanks again for sharing some interesting info, I must say I do very much enjoy reading your posts. ;o)
Thank you again, I’m glad you like them. :–) I enjoy making contributions here, even if I suspect that I’m talking to myself most of the time. ;–)
I’ve been to this cinema (and therefore Bluewater) many times, but not for many years now and not since any of the later additions/alterations.
Of course, from the point of view of someone such as myself, the mall was full of useless overpriced womens' clothing retailers and bizzare soap shops from which overpowering scents seemed to curiously waft out. ;–)
It was originally masterplanned by Eric Kuhne & Associates and the main mall areas are very comfortable—albeit with very “pastiche” styling.
One of the seemingly pointlessly “vernacular” nods turns out to be functional—the “oast house”-styled shafts on the curved glazed roofs are actually used to provide ventilation.
Otherwise, it was largely a “retail palace” full of fakery—and it’s therefore perhaps ironic that the original cinema, separately designed, was a stripped down affair, the original cinema block exteriors being covered with grey cladding—-no fake columns or roofs hiding services!
I should add that Bluewater’s setting is unique—entered by descending down into another world, a glitzy gulch that was once a chalk pit.
Onto the cinema. I actually can’t remember anything much about it other than the spacious but bland foyer!
LARGE_screen_format:
Added this to my list of cinemas to visit. I seem to recall watching one movie at this cinema in one of the small auditoria in the mid to late 90’s. Was shopping in Bluewater, hadn’t planned on watching a movie and had already seen the major new releases elsewhere. IIRC the seats seemed comfy (blue velour?) but that’s about all that I came away thinking at the time.
I vaguely recollect that the seats were indeed quite comfortable by the standards of the day, and maybe they were indeed upholstered in blue.
I don’t recall any major presentation gaffs (such as failing to switch to the anamorphic lens), I think all the auditoria I visited had moveable masking, but not sure if tabs were installed.
As I said above, though, even the THX certified auditoria were more or less run of the mill, e.g. in terms of sound quality.
Does anyone know the size of the IMAX screen (screen 4)? Seems a strange decision to have both an IMAX screen plus a XPlus screen (Showcase’s own large screen format) in the same cinema as they would be competing against one another.
Doing a quick search on the relevant local authority site, I can’t find any plans among various planning applications, and the licensing database doesn’t include them.
Looking at aerial images taken before the recent extension was built, I’d guess the IMAX screen is no more than 60ft. wide.
The proliferation of formats each with their own pros and cons is frustrating but it’s not unique in featuring both an “own brand” PLF screen as well as an IMAX—and Bluewater has a very high footfall of relatively affluent visitors presumably providing a steady supply of patrons willing to pay for premium tickets!
First performance is “Solo: A Star Wars Story” at 11:40am.
Maybe they’ve eliminated the back row as the licensing plans (for the original Empire fit-out) show 14 seats in the last row with no space to spare, whilst the new seating arrangement has 15 seats.
(The auditorium narrows to the back with an angled right sidewall, the space being used for access to Screen 5 (formerly 7.))
If that’s the case then were they to lose another couple of seats, this would enable the left sidewall to be altered, thereby creating a symmetrical auditorium. Alas, I doubt Cineworld are thinking in terms of symmetrical rear array speaker layouts in a small auditorium!
Look forward to updates on the “flies inside projector box” situation. ;–)
P.S. Forgot to ask — how was the picture and sound quality in the refurbished Screen 1?
“Dolby hasn’t announced yet where the seven new Dolby Cinema Odeons are going to be located (though an industry contact tells me that one is going to be the Odeon Leicester Square)…”
(Article author John Archer is well known as a contributor to various AV publications.)
As far as I could tell from outside, the circle foyer’s false ceiling has now been completely removed.
I have now processed and uploaded a photo into the circle foyer taken externally to the OLS. It can be seen that the false ceiling has indeed been removed.
I too thought the entrance would probably originate at the rear of the auditoria instead of either the left or right-hand side of the screen as often is the case in multiplexes I visit.
Hmm, I’m confused?
What the plan shows is an entrance from the lobby (typically a long corridor in multiplexes), which is labelled “ENTRANCE TO CURVED WALL FEATURE.”
The curved screen would then be walked past (the section of the video you linked to starts somewhere in the middle of this.)
In the video, there is a sharp left turn at the end of the curved wall section, then a walk along a corridor, followed by a right-angled turn down another corridor.
Some way down this corridor, there is a right-angled turn through doors into the auditorium, at the screen end.
Continuing straight down this corridor rather than entering the auditorium would lead to what appears to be a fire exit.
Notice the whole auditorium isn’t shown in the above linked possible plan; the dotted blue rectangle marks the area under the booth/rear seating.
Some interesting features of this layout are:
Instead of having a vomitory leading from the lobby heading into the auditorium, opening through the stadium seating, and emerging at the front of the stadium seating, there is a walled off corridor leading to the auditorium entrance and fire exit.
This enables a wall-to-wall screen which possibly otherwise would be impossible due to the fire exit location.
Between the auditorium entrance from the corridor and the assumed fire exit, there is a fair distance. I’ve marked the area to the right of the corridor, behind the screen, with “ASSUMED VOID AREA BEHIND SCREEN.” Possibly, the screen was moved forward if it was an existent theatre adapted for Dolby Cinema.
Odeon, Bournemouth (BH2) has been listed in my smartphone notes, that I’ve been compiling for a while, as a cinema I would like to visit at some point since reading about the opening of the BH2 Leisure Complex.
Surely Showcase Westquay first if you’re heading in that direction. ;–) Hmm, I ought to add that to my to-do list next time I’m in Hampshire…
LARGE_screen_format: Very interesting, thanks for the links!
As I mentioned previously on Cinema Treasures, planning applications were submitted in relation to the refurbishment of the OLS, and these don’t cover the auditorium alterations as planning permission isn’t required for them (and all of the auditorium except the rear of the circle is cropped out of the floor plans!)
However, there is a large “Double-D – DOLBY” logo in the glazed area above the front canopy. The best place to see this is the facade rendering on p12 of the Design and Access Statement which can be downloaded from the main planning application under “OLS DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT.”
As Odeon have already confirmed that it will be a “premium large format” screen and that it won’t be an IMAX (which is obvious anyway as it’s next door to one and the standard terms of agreement with IMAX include exclusivity within a certain area), I think there are enough clues to consider it a sure bet that it will be a Dolby Cinema.
Interesting that Odeon will be using Dolby SLS speakers from now on; AFAIK they’ve been using LW (Luis Wassmann) speakers in recent years.
I guess that means the screen speakers will be line arrays as plenty of output capability and directivity control is needed to cope with the large auditorium!
Regarding the curved Dolby Cinema entrance feature, in a typical multiplex, I’d guess the obvious layout would be to locate it under the booth/rear seating stadia structure; albeit if this space already houses a required use (toilets, for instance) then that use would have to be relocated.
I drew an “ASCII” text plan of a possible layout used in the video you linked to, but I can’t get it to format properly on Cinema Treasures!
Looking at these photos, the two IMPACT screens both use JBL 3635 rear subwoofers (one on each sidewall) and JBL 9300 side/rear speakers. Overheads are hard to make out but they might be JBL SCS 8.
Both IMPACT auditoria feature the same black stretched fabric with horizontal lines “inset” (as with the Leicester Square IMAX and the more recent IMPACT auditoria), a design which incidentally can be found in other locations using Eomac’s Pro-Stretch system—grey coloured in the “LUXE” auditorium, and blue in the “BLUE” auditorium.
Downfiring LED modules are fitted on the stadia risers behind the seating, red colour in the “LUXE” auditorium, and (surprise!) blue in the “BLUE” auditorium.
Seating: Rear two rows recliners, next two rows sofas in black/red/gold, all rows to front standard. (Again in both IMPACT auditoria.)
The “BLUE” auditorium has a angled “splay” section at the screen end with an exit whilst the right section is straight. As the screen is “wall-to-wall,” this results in an off-centre screen.
Suffice it to say that IMO it would have been a far better to have compromised on screen size to gain a centred screen and I’d avoid this auditorium on that basis alone. However, looking at the original planning application, the left wall was originally right angled to the screen, so presumably this was a “forced” compromise.
The “LUXE” screen is slightly off centre to allow for an exit on the front right, although the right sidewall angles out slightly to account for this, and it looks to be a far more marginal issue.
With what looks like a promising sound system and comfortable interior, the “LUXE” auditorium could be a good place to see a film.
Zappomatic: I was surprised by your comment on the screen size as I’d previously estimated it to be about the same as the Leicester Square 4DX in width. I’ve just reestimated it from the licensing plans and it looks to be as much as 50ft. wide.
That being the case, I wonder if dual projectors are being used and poor alignment between them might explain the “ghosting” issue you identified? (Or perhaps they’re not using a suitable screen for the 3D polarisation.)
Regarding 4DX effects, I found that they were sometimes “glitchy,” and the timing wasn’t always quite right. (Could have been just bad programming or hardware bugs/limitations.) If my recollection is correct, after an intense sequence of “motion chair effects” the seats would stop moving and a few seconds they would then slowly return back to unity position, which seemed odd.
When I say beams I mean that the suspended ceiling is interrupted by an off-centre grid of solid sections around 75cm wide that sit flush, presumably supporting the floor above.
Looking at a high resolution photo of the auditorium (presumably reposted from Cineworld press materials) with some post-processing in Photoshop to pull out the low level details, so it is. Well spotted!
I think you are right that the ceiling has been raised, and—I can’t be sure but—above the suspended 4DX gear it looks like there’s an exposed concrete slab. They certainly seem to have used every last inch of space available and I can’t see that there would be much left space for HVAC ducting—it looks like there’s something boxed out above the right sidewall, just behind the suspended 4DX gear.
Many thanks for the Cineworld Unlimited code, I’ll use yours if I decide to proceed so that you also get the free month in return—it would seem to be a no-brainer if the Leicester Square Superscreen doesn’t incur an additional uplift charge. I can’t find the uplift charges for IMAX, 4DX or 3D at Leicester Square, though?
Back in the 90’s the cinema that I visited the most (UCI Wycombe 6, now Empire Cinemas 8-screen) had red curtains installed in all six auditoria.
Alas, I never did get there (in the early to mid 90s) as I was a teenager at the time and when I asked my Father “Where’s High Wycombe?” the response was “Miles away…”! (Read: “No, I don’t want to go for a jaunt around the M25 just to go to the cinema…”)
I suppose there might have been a window of opportunity that I missed after I’d learnt to drive.
Nowadays this seems to have become less and less the norm. Most of the auditoria that I visit do not have curtains or masking.
Alas so. I’ve told this story previously on Cinema Treasures but I might as well repeat it here: I remember the first time I went to a screen with no masking or tabs, it was an AMC in the American Midwest, where I was staying with some local people. When I complained about the lack of tabs, they said “Curtains? Aren’t they old fashioned?!”
In addition to looking more professional in terms of presentation, would I be correct in saying that the movable masking provides not only a cleaner edge to the projected image but it may also enhance the perceived contrast as it is a true black, unlike the very dark grey that is seen by most non-laser projection systems?
Digital projection will produce clean edges although if there is severe geometric distortion then those edges would be curved instead of straight. There can be a problem if the image requires “overscanning” because the side edges have unwanted content or aren’t always filled, which occurred with “Avengers: Infinity War” when I recently saw it in the Cineworld (Empire) Leicester Square 4DX. But then this could be fixed by performing the “overscanning” digitally, i.e. slightly upsampling the picture and cropping it, although I have to ask why it wasn’t resolved in post-production?
It does enhance the perceived contrast and also removes light scattering from the unmasked screen area which return back to the filled out, causing a subtle “wash out.” An auditorium with black coloured finishes also helps in this respect.
The suspended ceilings in Screen 5/7 appear to be the same as they were prior to the refurbishment, only with tiles removed where overhead speakers are hung.
“the bass and midrange drivers do use cone surrounds” –> “the bass and midrange drivers do use FOAM surrounds.”
“Not sure how levels would be adjusted in an automated digital projection environment?” –> “Not sure whether levels would be adjusted on the basis of auditorium fill in an automated digital projection environment?”
What changes, if any, have Vue made to the auditoria since taking over from Warner Village Cinemas at this location?
To be uncharitable—but not entirely unfair—it might be said the only thing Vue did to this cinema (other than a sale and leaseback!) for a very long time was gradually let it fall to bits…
…but then, in 2017, all “public” areas were completely refurbished at a cost of ~£6.7m (as stated in Vue’s publicity.) This was covered in a Cinema Technology Magazine article on p82 of the September 2017 edition and I also posted several comments in relation to this on Cinema Treasures.
To recap:
All auditoria were restepped with wider row spacing, new luxury black leather seating of which some at the front are electronically adjustable reclining seats.
New floor coverings.
Side/rear wall coverings replaced with black stretched fabric walls and acoustic wall carpeting (Eomac), all finishes now black including the art deco “stepped” coving around the prosenia which had previously had each “step” coloured in a different shade of grey.
Existing suspended ceilings in 5/7 were I think completely redone for Atmos but otherwise existing presumably kept.
Prior to this any changes made were very limited, possibly the carpets were replaced but I can’t remember if this was prior to the Vue acquisition/rebranding. The
Existing tabs kept.
LED-lit side fibre optic rods at the top of the new step risers in aisle locations.
Screen 5/7 have LED strip features incorporated into the sidewalls.
Here’s a couple of photos of Screen 7 as it was before the 2017 refurbishment:
Has the projector(s) used, sound system and speakers all be changed/upgraded?
Digital screenings – Sony 4K projectors added as with all other Vue sites. Not sure if there were any changes made but IIRC they were not replaced in 2017 at which point there were 2xSony SRX-R515DS in each of Screens 5/7 and Sony SRX-R320 in all other auditoria.
AFAIK celluoid projection no longer available.
Harkness Clarus XC170 screens were installed in Screens 5-8 in 2017.
Screen 5/7 JBL speakers were changed at some point for Martin Audio speakers; I think this was prior to the Vue acquisition, and the auditoria were still THX certified with the replacement speakers (they are on THX’s Approved Equipment list)—however, that reminds me—the THX certification was dropped from Screen 5 first, and only later Screen 7. Vue have themselves used Martin Audio in other locations, so it does get confusing!
Screen 5/7 sound systems replaced in 2017 with CP850 (Atmos) processors, Dolby Multichannel Class D amplifiers, and Dolby SLS speakers.
Not sure about the rest of the auditoria. Post-refurbishment, going by photos posted by DavidSimpson on Cinema Treasures, JBL 8330 rear arrays are still used in some auditoria. They’d possibly still be OK for smaller auditoria but they were never designed for discrete digital surround and the bass and midrange drivers do use cone surrounds (prone to “foam rot”), and electrolytic capacitors (albeit bypassed) are used in the crossovers.
All auditoria other than Screens 5/7 equipped with Dolby CP750 processors providing 7.1 surround.
Which row would you recommend when watching a movie in screen 5 or 7, both from an optimum viewing position and audio sweet spot.
Good question. When I said that I sat “towards the front,” I really meant the front row—which I had all to myself!
The first row in Screen 5, going by the licensing plans, I’d estimate to be about 0.6x screen width distance from the screen. Relatively speaking, this would relate to about row E at the Cineworld (Empire) Leicester Square IMAX, which is a couple of rows ahead of what I’d regard as the sweet spot in that auditorium.
Trouble is that the stepping isn’t as steep as more recent multiplexes and as was pointed out by someone else on Cinema Treasures the seating isn’t staggered so you might risk the screen being obscured, but this aside I think Row D might work well. Recalling that IMAX calls for no greater a seating distance than 1x screen width, this is altogether too far from the screen (I’d estimate just under the screen width away) but better placed for the rears/overheads.
Thinking about it, Row C might be a better choice, as (for the centre seating section) the next row are recliners, thus hopefully resolving the screen obstruction issue.
Also, Row C or D would probably relate to where I’ve sat in Screens 5 or 7 many times before the 2017 refurbishment.
But this is a somewhat arbitrary recommendation on my part—Dolby’s Atmos guidelines/manuals are likely to specify which location is to be optimised in terms of levels, time alignment, etc.
The Vue trailer that you linked to is one of two that have been shown each time that I have visited one of their cinemas over the past few years. Often the sound during this trailer demonstrates the surrounds and LFE far better than during most/all of the movie!
I’ve seen the Vue trailer at other locations (such as Vue Westfield London (Shepherd’s Bush)) and I wasn’t impressed on those occasions but it was certainly very impressive this time—and, yes, embarrassingly far better than the movie itself!
That was quite a detailed account of your visit, the only thing missing from making it a mystery customer report would have been commenting on the purchase of your ticket and food/drink including whom you were served by and how courteous etc they were!
LOL. Thanks, I like detail and precision. :–) Having said that, this “cinema obsession” is a curse—maybe it would be better if I could just “relax and enjoy the film” rather than report writing in my head for a later brain dump!
How full was the performance of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom that you watched? AFAIK reference levels are usually saved for peak times when the auditorium is full or near to full. Certainly, off-peak performances when auditoria are often almost empty are played at lower volume levels.
It was an early evening performance, when I entered the auditorium it was almost empty. There were other patrons in the row behind, so I didn’t want to keep turning my head around to see how busy it was but I did get out of my seat once the end credits started and it looked fairly busy though not packed.
Not sure how levels would be adjusted in an automated digital projection environment?
By “not reference level” I mean quite a bit lower, not just a slight adjustment down.
Incidentally, IMAX Digital systems do allow the operator to adjust away from reference level but this is presumably to allow for specific screenings. IIRC if it’s left there IMAX’s Network Operations Centre will soon be in contact to ask why it’s not been set back to reference level!
But I’ve certainly attended screenings in near-empty non-IMAX auditoria where the levels must have been well over 120dB peak with enough LFE level to shake teeth loose—although understandably that’s not to everyone’s taste!
Sleep is now due, so replying to the rest of your post is to follow.
Zappomatic: Interesting that you didn’t find the projection brightness to be inadequate; hopefully this has indeed been rectified as the projection seemed underspecified!
How did you find it compared to the Wandsworth 4DX, including picture/sound/4DX effects, and did you find that the 4DX effects had been programmed to work effectively with “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”?
It turns out that 4DX actually have several versions* of their system with “premium” variants for additional types of “Environmental Effects” and enhanced “Motion Chair Effects” options.
(*At the time of posting this comment, in the “4DX THEATERS” section of this page, with PRIME/PRO/STANDARD/ECONOMY options and respective “Motion Chair Effects” and “Environmental Effects” capabilities listed for each.)
Regarding the structural aspects of the conversion, I’m not sure what you mean by visible beams, save for those used to suspend the 4DX gear?
I suppose I’ll now have to consider getting an “Unlimited” card as seeing a film in all available formats is an absurdly costly proposition for a cinema trip—even allowing for inflation, almost 10x times the cost of a ticket for a weekday matinee performance at Empire 1 in the 1990s!
As I alluded to in my previous post, I don’t think a lack of Auro 11.1 locations is overly concerning as it’s superseded and Atmos rollout is ongoing.
From my point of view, there are 3 Atmos locations within 20 minutes' drive of where I reside, plus getting to the West End is also trivial, even if in recent years finding the time (to go to any cinema) hasn’t been!
Regarding Dolby Vision, I’d guess there are political factors, pre-existing contracts, and so on to consider.
For example, Vue uses Sony projectors in all auditoria, save for IMAX, and it’s only fairly recently that they’ve commissioned IMAX screens themselves, the first being at Cheshire Oaks (2015.)
Dolby Vision might gain more traction in the UK now that Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group has been acquired by AMC; I think it might have a UK launch at the remodelled Odeon Leicester Square.
Alas, I’m sorry to say that I can’t provide a more definitive answer than the above, but clearly operators are investing in UK sites.
A building control application for the current phase of works, dated as received 25th June 2018, is now listed on Westminster’s site.
The description field contains: “Refurbishment of cinemas 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 (small auditoria) of multiplex cinema. The refurbishment involves adjustment of stadia construction (1, 2, 5, 6 and 7), change of floor finishes, new illuminated nosing on the steps, adjustment of speakers, and installation of new seats.”
It will be interesting to see if the IMAX/Superscreen will be overhauled this year in a further phase of works or if, as a member of staff told me, Cineworld have no plans for this at the present time.
Taken June 2018.
The waterfall feature can be seen in this photo:
http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/21180/photos/89737.
(I’m sure that it was linked to in the original “Description” field text, but links/markup doesn’t seem to work there…)
I visited the Vue Finchley Road (O2 Centre) today to attend a preview screening in Screen 8 (Xtreme), having not been here since the late 1990s, when I saw a couple of movies at this cinema.
According to Vue, the Xtreme screen is >16m wide and >7m high (or >52ft. x >23ft.), being “scope” format as PhilipWW says.
The Xtreme screen isn’t quite wall-to-wall but there’s no tabs or masking; perhaps the screen was increased in size when Vue rebranded the auditorium as “Xtreme,” but the rear array speakers certainly don’t seem to have been upgraded, being the same KCS surrounds that were installed at opening!
The auditorium is fairly deep with 16 rows, the front 5 of which are on a flatter rake, and the rest on a fairly steep stadia, with 5 rows of VIP seating in the centre section. Looking at satellite images of the complex, the auditorium is perhaps 80ft. deep, and I ended up in a seat near the rear of the auditorium.
The experience was therefore far from “Xtreme” but the picture quality was good, with no obvious signs of geometric distortion, and the sound was acceptable but not outstanding.
It has been overhauled to an extent since opening, Screen 8 being fitted with black stretched fabric on the auditorium walls and black leather seating (same type as Vue Westfield London (Shepherd’s Bush) IIRC — not comfortable at all and slightly sagging!) Corridors have the same signage and red coloured wallcoverings as Vue Westfield London (Shepherd’s Bush.)
It is mostly in reasonable condition though slightly shabby in a few places, notably with paint chipped off skirting corners along the vomitory access into the auditorium, and some slight damage to wall coverings in the corridors leading to the auditoria.
Some Warner Village late 90s “house style” features remain, such as the circular gantry in the foyer, from which I assume decorative “triangle” shaped blue and yellow cold cathode strips were originally hung, and “star” shaped handles on auditorium entrance doors.
The air conditioning was absolutely not up to standard, being hot in the corridors leading to the auditoria, and mostly too hot in the auditorium itself—just not a sufficient relief from the 30°C temperature outside. However, the atrium of the O2 Centre, with escalators leading up to cinema entrance level, was adequately cooled.
Incidentally, at this site Vue are currently offering “Super Monday” tickets at £4.99 for 2D screenings in standard seats (albeit with additional charges for 3D/Xtreme performances and VIP seats.)
Note to Cinema Treasures: It’s the “O2 Centre” rather than “02.”
Zappomatic: Thanks for the updates!
Good to hear the “cine-flies” (“Flies More at Cineworld”?) are being kept at bay!
Shame there’s no photos of the access to Screen 3 before it was given a makeover.
By the sounds of it Screen 3 won’t be left with many seats after the impending overhaul!
LARGE_screen_format: (Responding first to the additional material in your revised post.)
See website banner for Laser Projection at Showcase Cinema de Lux Bluewater. :–)
On the bookings page those advertised with recliner seating are 14, 16, and 17, so with XPlus being Screen 15, I assume 14-17 are the new auditoria.
As for whether they’re using Barco laser projectors:
National Amusements to install Barco laser projectors in all Showcase XPlus houses.
Screen 14 is programmed with “I Feel Pretty” at 4:30pm on Monday 25th June (I just selected a random date/time when poking about.) I can’t see any “events” programmed? AFAIK it features all reclining seats, so the seat count may belie the auditorium’s size.
And… no 3D “upcharge” for the XPlus. :–)
Dartford Schmartford, it’s in Greenhithe—the only thing worth visiting in Dartford is the River Crossing! ;–)
It’s easy for me to get to, so I’ll definitely check out the XPlus this summer.
The two largest “blocks” in a 2017 aerial image (which shows no differences to a 1999 aerial image of that part of Bluewater other than a large block to the East, that apparently houses an indoor trampoline (!) park; not sure what else is in there) that could house a single auditorium measure slightly larger than 60ft. by between ~85-95ft. externally.
With 15 rows at, say, 4ft. spacing, 60ft. depth would be required for the seating area alone!
Looking at the fire exits using Google Streetview, the ~60ft. x ~85ft. block seems to be the more plausible location to house the IMAX. These “back of an envelope” estimates then add up pretty well, allowing for the distance of the last row to the screen to be beyond, but not disasterously so, the “maximum” 1x screen width—by how much would depend on whether the front row distance to the screen is closer than the “minimum” 0.35x screen width, as well as, obviously, the actual row spacing.
Thank you again, I’m glad you like them. :–) I enjoy making contributions here, even if I suspect that I’m talking to myself most of the time. ;–)
I’ve been to this cinema (and therefore Bluewater) many times, but not for many years now and not since any of the later additions/alterations.
Of course, from the point of view of someone such as myself, the mall was full of useless overpriced womens' clothing retailers and bizzare soap shops from which overpowering scents seemed to curiously waft out. ;–)
It was originally masterplanned by Eric Kuhne & Associates and the main mall areas are very comfortable—albeit with very “pastiche” styling.
One of the seemingly pointlessly “vernacular” nods turns out to be functional—the “oast house”-styled shafts on the curved glazed roofs are actually used to provide ventilation.
Otherwise, it was largely a “retail palace” full of fakery—and it’s therefore perhaps ironic that the original cinema, separately designed, was a stripped down affair, the original cinema block exteriors being covered with grey cladding—-no fake columns or roofs hiding services!
I should add that Bluewater’s setting is unique—entered by descending down into another world, a glitzy gulch that was once a chalk pit.
Onto the cinema. I actually can’t remember anything much about it other than the spacious but bland foyer!
LARGE_screen_format:
I vaguely recollect that the seats were indeed quite comfortable by the standards of the day, and maybe they were indeed upholstered in blue.
I don’t recall any major presentation gaffs (such as failing to switch to the anamorphic lens), I think all the auditoria I visited had moveable masking, but not sure if tabs were installed.
As I said above, though, even the THX certified auditoria were more or less run of the mill, e.g. in terms of sound quality.
Doing a quick search on the relevant local authority site, I can’t find any plans among various planning applications, and the licensing database doesn’t include them.
Looking at aerial images taken before the recent extension was built, I’d guess the IMAX screen is no more than 60ft. wide.
The proliferation of formats each with their own pros and cons is frustrating but it’s not unique in featuring both an “own brand” PLF screen as well as an IMAX—and Bluewater has a very high footfall of relatively affluent visitors presumably providing a steady supply of patrons willing to pay for premium tickets!
Showcase Cinema de Lux Bluewater Unveils Four New State-of-the-Art Screens – Inside Kent Magazine.
According to the above linked article, all four of these auditoria are equipped with laser projection and Dolby Atmos, and feature recliner seating.
One of them is an “XPlus,” Showcase Cinemas' premium large format brand, with an approx. 64ft. wide by 27ft. high screen.
That was quick!
First performance is “Solo: A Star Wars Story” at 11:40am.
Maybe they’ve eliminated the back row as the licensing plans (for the original Empire fit-out) show 14 seats in the last row with no space to spare, whilst the new seating arrangement has 15 seats.
(The auditorium narrows to the back with an angled right sidewall, the space being used for access to Screen 5 (formerly 7.))
If that’s the case then were they to lose another couple of seats, this would enable the left sidewall to be altered, thereby creating a symmetrical auditorium. Alas, I doubt Cineworld are thinking in terms of symmetrical rear array speaker layouts in a small auditorium!
Look forward to updates on the “flies inside projector box” situation. ;–)
P.S. Forgot to ask — how was the picture and sound quality in the refurbished Screen 1?
“7 Dolby Cinema Sites to Open in the UK” – Forbes 13th June 2018.
“Dolby hasn’t announced yet where the seven new Dolby Cinema Odeons are going to be located (though an industry contact tells me that one is going to be the Odeon Leicester Square)…”
(Article author John Archer is well known as a contributor to various AV publications.)
Following my comment earlier this week:
I have now processed and uploaded a photo into the circle foyer taken externally to the OLS. It can be seen that the false ceiling has indeed been removed.
Sure can:
Showcase Cinema de Lux Southampton.
Oops—just realised the plan puts the curved screen on the wrong side.
Revised Possible plan of the Dolby Cinema curved wall feature as seen in the video linked to by LARGE_screen_format.
LARGE_screen_format:
Hmm, I’m confused?
What the plan shows is an entrance from the lobby (typically a long corridor in multiplexes), which is labelled “ENTRANCE TO CURVED WALL FEATURE.”
The curved screen would then be walked past (the section of the video you linked to starts somewhere in the middle of this.)
In the video, there is a sharp left turn at the end of the curved wall section, then a walk along a corridor, followed by a right-angled turn down another corridor.
Some way down this corridor, there is a right-angled turn through doors into the auditorium, at the screen end.
Continuing straight down this corridor rather than entering the auditorium would lead to what appears to be a fire exit.
Notice the whole auditorium isn’t shown in the above linked possible plan; the dotted blue rectangle marks the area under the booth/rear seating.
Some interesting features of this layout are:
Instead of having a vomitory leading from the lobby heading into the auditorium, opening through the stadium seating, and emerging at the front of the stadium seating, there is a walled off corridor leading to the auditorium entrance and fire exit.
This enables a wall-to-wall screen which possibly otherwise would be impossible due to the fire exit location.
Between the auditorium entrance from the corridor and the assumed fire exit, there is a fair distance. I’ve marked the area to the right of the corridor, behind the screen, with “ASSUMED VOID AREA BEHIND SCREEN.” Possibly, the screen was moved forward if it was an existent theatre adapted for Dolby Cinema.
Surely Showcase Westquay first if you’re heading in that direction. ;–) Hmm, I ought to add that to my to-do list next time I’m in Hampshire…
Possible plan of the Dolby Cinema curved wall feature as seen in the video linked to by LARGE_screen_format:
https://ibb.co/h0CDjd
LARGE_screen_format: Very interesting, thanks for the links!
As I mentioned previously on Cinema Treasures, planning applications were submitted in relation to the refurbishment of the OLS, and these don’t cover the auditorium alterations as planning permission isn’t required for them (and all of the auditorium except the rear of the circle is cropped out of the floor plans!)
However, there is a large “Double-D – DOLBY” logo in the glazed area above the front canopy. The best place to see this is the facade rendering on p12 of the Design and Access Statement which can be downloaded from the main planning application under “OLS DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT.”
As Odeon have already confirmed that it will be a “premium large format” screen and that it won’t be an IMAX (which is obvious anyway as it’s next door to one and the standard terms of agreement with IMAX include exclusivity within a certain area), I think there are enough clues to consider it a sure bet that it will be a Dolby Cinema.
Interesting that Odeon will be using Dolby SLS speakers from now on; AFAIK they’ve been using LW (Luis Wassmann) speakers in recent years.
I guess that means the screen speakers will be line arrays as plenty of output capability and directivity control is needed to cope with the large auditorium!
Regarding the curved Dolby Cinema entrance feature, in a typical multiplex, I’d guess the obvious layout would be to locate it under the booth/rear seating stadia structure; albeit if this space already houses a required use (toilets, for instance) then that use would have to be relocated.
I drew an “ASCII” text plan of a possible layout used in the video you linked to, but I can’t get it to format properly on Cinema Treasures!
Incidentally, some (not sure how many) iSense auditoria have a similar entrance feature—see p25 of the June 2017 issue of Cinema Technology Magazine as an example.
“First Dolby Cinema sites to launch in UK with Odeon” — Screendaily 13th June 2018.
(The article does not confirm that the OLS will be one of them.)
On the opening date.
Apparently, the opening was postponed due to a delay in seating delivery.
360° “3D” phototour.
Looking at these photos, the two IMPACT screens both use JBL 3635 rear subwoofers (one on each sidewall) and JBL 9300 side/rear speakers. Overheads are hard to make out but they might be JBL SCS 8.
Both IMPACT auditoria feature the same black stretched fabric with horizontal lines “inset” (as with the Leicester Square IMAX and the more recent IMPACT auditoria), a design which incidentally can be found in other locations using Eomac’s Pro-Stretch system—grey coloured in the “LUXE” auditorium, and blue in the “BLUE” auditorium.
Downfiring LED modules are fitted on the stadia risers behind the seating, red colour in the “LUXE” auditorium, and (surprise!) blue in the “BLUE” auditorium.
Seating: Rear two rows recliners, next two rows sofas in black/red/gold, all rows to front standard. (Again in both IMPACT auditoria.)
The “BLUE” auditorium has a angled “splay” section at the screen end with an exit whilst the right section is straight. As the screen is “wall-to-wall,” this results in an off-centre screen.
Suffice it to say that IMO it would have been a far better to have compromised on screen size to gain a centred screen and I’d avoid this auditorium on that basis alone. However, looking at the original planning application, the left wall was originally right angled to the screen, so presumably this was a “forced” compromise.
The “LUXE” screen is slightly off centre to allow for an exit on the front right, although the right sidewall angles out slightly to account for this, and it looks to be a far more marginal issue.
With what looks like a promising sound system and comfortable interior, the “LUXE” auditorium could be a good place to see a film.
Zappomatic: I was surprised by your comment on the screen size as I’d previously estimated it to be about the same as the Leicester Square 4DX in width. I’ve just reestimated it from the licensing plans and it looks to be as much as 50ft. wide.
That being the case, I wonder if dual projectors are being used and poor alignment between them might explain the “ghosting” issue you identified? (Or perhaps they’re not using a suitable screen for the 3D polarisation.)
Regarding 4DX effects, I found that they were sometimes “glitchy,” and the timing wasn’t always quite right. (Could have been just bad programming or hardware bugs/limitations.) If my recollection is correct, after an intense sequence of “motion chair effects” the seats would stop moving and a few seconds they would then slowly return back to unity position, which seemed odd.
Looking at a high resolution photo of the auditorium (presumably reposted from Cineworld press materials) with some post-processing in Photoshop to pull out the low level details, so it is. Well spotted!
I think you are right that the ceiling has been raised, and—I can’t be sure but—above the suspended 4DX gear it looks like there’s an exposed concrete slab. They certainly seem to have used every last inch of space available and I can’t see that there would be much left space for HVAC ducting—it looks like there’s something boxed out above the right sidewall, just behind the suspended 4DX gear.
Many thanks for the Cineworld Unlimited code, I’ll use yours if I decide to proceed so that you also get the free month in return—it would seem to be a no-brainer if the Leicester Square Superscreen doesn’t incur an additional uplift charge. I can’t find the uplift charges for IMAX, 4DX or 3D at Leicester Square, though?
Reestimating the screen width from the above linked licensing plans, the 4DX screen is as much as 50ft. wide.
LARGE_screen_format:
The rest of my reply:
Alas, I never did get there (in the early to mid 90s) as I was a teenager at the time and when I asked my Father “Where’s High Wycombe?” the response was “Miles away…”! (Read: “No, I don’t want to go for a jaunt around the M25 just to go to the cinema…”)
I suppose there might have been a window of opportunity that I missed after I’d learnt to drive.
Alas so. I’ve told this story previously on Cinema Treasures but I might as well repeat it here: I remember the first time I went to a screen with no masking or tabs, it was an AMC in the American Midwest, where I was staying with some local people. When I complained about the lack of tabs, they said “Curtains? Aren’t they old fashioned?!”
Digital projection will produce clean edges although if there is severe geometric distortion then those edges would be curved instead of straight. There can be a problem if the image requires “overscanning” because the side edges have unwanted content or aren’t always filled, which occurred with “Avengers: Infinity War” when I recently saw it in the Cineworld (Empire) Leicester Square 4DX. But then this could be fixed by performing the “overscanning” digitally, i.e. slightly upsampling the picture and cropping it, although I have to ask why it wasn’t resolved in post-production?
It does enhance the perceived contrast and also removes light scattering from the unmasked screen area which return back to the filled out, causing a subtle “wash out.” An auditorium with black coloured finishes also helps in this respect.
Corrections:
The suspended ceilings in Screen 5/7 appear to be the same as they were prior to the refurbishment, only with tiles removed where overhead speakers are hung.
“the bass and midrange drivers do use cone surrounds” –> “the bass and midrange drivers do use FOAM surrounds.”
“Not sure how levels would be adjusted in an automated digital projection environment?” –> “Not sure whether levels would be adjusted on the basis of auditorium fill in an automated digital projection environment?”
To be uncharitable—but not entirely unfair—it might be said the only thing Vue did to this cinema (other than a sale and leaseback!) for a very long time was gradually let it fall to bits…
…but then, in 2017, all “public” areas were completely refurbished at a cost of ~£6.7m (as stated in Vue’s publicity.) This was covered in a Cinema Technology Magazine article on p82 of the September 2017 edition and I also posted several comments in relation to this on Cinema Treasures.
To recap:
Here’s a couple of photos of Screen 7 as it was before the 2017 refurbishment:
Photo 1.
Photo 2.
Photo of Screen 6 towards the end of the refurbishment. A driverless subwoofer cabinet can be seen!
Good question. When I said that I sat “towards the front,” I really meant the front row—which I had all to myself!
The first row in Screen 5, going by the licensing plans, I’d estimate to be about 0.6x screen width distance from the screen. Relatively speaking, this would relate to about row E at the Cineworld (Empire) Leicester Square IMAX, which is a couple of rows ahead of what I’d regard as the sweet spot in that auditorium.
Trouble is that the stepping isn’t as steep as more recent multiplexes and as was pointed out by someone else on Cinema Treasures the seating isn’t staggered so you might risk the screen being obscured, but this aside I think Row D might work well. Recalling that IMAX calls for no greater a seating distance than 1x screen width, this is altogether too far from the screen (I’d estimate just under the screen width away) but better placed for the rears/overheads.
Thinking about it, Row C might be a better choice, as (for the centre seating section) the next row are recliners, thus hopefully resolving the screen obstruction issue.
Also, Row C or D would probably relate to where I’ve sat in Screens 5 or 7 many times before the 2017 refurbishment.
But this is a somewhat arbitrary recommendation on my part—Dolby’s Atmos guidelines/manuals are likely to specify which location is to be optimised in terms of levels, time alignment, etc.
I’ve seen the Vue trailer at other locations (such as Vue Westfield London (Shepherd’s Bush)) and I wasn’t impressed on those occasions but it was certainly very impressive this time—and, yes, embarrassingly far better than the movie itself!
LOL. Thanks, I like detail and precision. :–) Having said that, this “cinema obsession” is a curse—maybe it would be better if I could just “relax and enjoy the film” rather than report writing in my head for a later brain dump!
It was an early evening performance, when I entered the auditorium it was almost empty. There were other patrons in the row behind, so I didn’t want to keep turning my head around to see how busy it was but I did get out of my seat once the end credits started and it looked fairly busy though not packed.
Not sure how levels would be adjusted in an automated digital projection environment?
By “not reference level” I mean quite a bit lower, not just a slight adjustment down.
Incidentally, IMAX Digital systems do allow the operator to adjust away from reference level but this is presumably to allow for specific screenings. IIRC if it’s left there IMAX’s Network Operations Centre will soon be in contact to ask why it’s not been set back to reference level!
But I’ve certainly attended screenings in near-empty non-IMAX auditoria where the levels must have been well over 120dB peak with enough LFE level to shake teeth loose—although understandably that’s not to everyone’s taste!
Sleep is now due, so replying to the rest of your post is to follow.
Zappomatic: Interesting that you didn’t find the projection brightness to be inadequate; hopefully this has indeed been rectified as the projection seemed underspecified!
How did you find it compared to the Wandsworth 4DX, including picture/sound/4DX effects, and did you find that the 4DX effects had been programmed to work effectively with “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”?
It turns out that 4DX actually have several versions* of their system with “premium” variants for additional types of “Environmental Effects” and enhanced “Motion Chair Effects” options.
(*At the time of posting this comment, in the “4DX THEATERS” section of this page, with PRIME/PRO/STANDARD/ECONOMY options and respective “Motion Chair Effects” and “Environmental Effects” capabilities listed for each.)
Regarding the structural aspects of the conversion, I’m not sure what you mean by visible beams, save for those used to suspend the 4DX gear?
I suppose I’ll now have to consider getting an “Unlimited” card as seeing a film in all available formats is an absurdly costly proposition for a cinema trip—even allowing for inflation, almost 10x times the cost of a ticket for a weekday matinee performance at Empire 1 in the 1990s!
LARGE_screen_format:
As I alluded to in my previous post, I don’t think a lack of Auro 11.1 locations is overly concerning as it’s superseded and Atmos rollout is ongoing.
From my point of view, there are 3 Atmos locations within 20 minutes' drive of where I reside, plus getting to the West End is also trivial, even if in recent years finding the time (to go to any cinema) hasn’t been!
Regarding Dolby Vision, I’d guess there are political factors, pre-existing contracts, and so on to consider.
For example, Vue uses Sony projectors in all auditoria, save for IMAX, and it’s only fairly recently that they’ve commissioned IMAX screens themselves, the first being at Cheshire Oaks (2015.)
Dolby Vision might gain more traction in the UK now that Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group has been acquired by AMC; I think it might have a UK launch at the remodelled Odeon Leicester Square.
Alas, I’m sorry to say that I can’t provide a more definitive answer than the above, but clearly operators are investing in UK sites.
P.S. You might like to read a feature on LED direct view cinema screens in Cinema Technology Today.
Oops, forgot to link to the Vue trailer that was played yesterday.