I visited Screen 4, one of the medium size auditoria.
It had an impressively sized wall-to-wall Scope screen and together with the black matte walls making the auditorium very dark during the film, I found it an excellent place to see a movie in; I was impressed.
Speaking to the duty house manager afterwards, he told me that all the auditoria had Scope screens. Looking into some of the screens near Screen 4, that was generally true but Screen 5 (a smaller one) was showing a Scope film letterboxed onto a 1.85 screen.
Sadly this is not the first time that a cinema manager has told me incorrect information about his own cinema. Whether he knew or was just fobbing me off, I can only surmise.
I visited Screen 2, the largest auditorium. It has an impressive large Scope screen with no movable side masking. The auditorium was impressively very dark during the film itself.
Cineworld often gets criticism (on this site and other forums) about its modern multiplexes, typically comments about the auditoria being too light and some screens being ‘Flat’ necessitating Scope films to be letterboxed.
Back in the early 2000s, Cineworlds were designing their cinemas correctly, Yeovil being a good example. I could not fault Screen 2, it was excellent. I am told that all the other screens are Scope as well.
I never went into the old Odeon but may be tempted now it has been refurbished.
Can anyone tell me about the screens?
I guess they must be relatively small given the size of the cinema, but are they a good size relative to the auditorium sizes?
Have they changed with the refurbishment? Are they Scope?
Could someone kindly give all the new Screen numbers, new versus old. I am confused. I presume the IMAX and Impact (if it is still called that) screens are unnumbered, albeit perhaps with implied numbers, as before.
I have just added a photo (from the cinema website) of the main auditorium showing a very impressive screen for the size of the auditorium (130 seats).
I wish all cinemas near me were as good as this.
I sincerely hope it is a proper Scope screen.
However I suspect that it is PR jargon for a 1.90 screen which will mean that all Scope films, the majority of films nowadays, will be letterboxed with no top/bottom masking. Hardly a step forward.
Four of the five screens (Nos 2 to 5) have been refurbished and rebranded as ‘Odeon Luxe’.
The IMAX Screen 1 remains the same with 307 seats. The new (and reduced) capacities in the other screens are: Screen 2 (71), Screen 3 (50), Screen 4 (53) and Screen 5 (49) which gives a total capacity of 530. The figures have been taken from the Odeon web-site.
The seating capacities of screens 4 and 5 are only slightly reduced because they were already fitted with luxury seats.
Mention is made in a comment below to a photo in a ‘Time Out’ article. I rather think that Odeon are using generic photos in their publicity for Luxe cinemas, so that photo is probably not of one of the Swiss Cottage auditoria. I think I have seen it used before.
All 9 screens are wall-to-wall Scope with no side masking. Very dark during the film with black matte walls and no ceiling lights on. Stadium seating, aisles on the side and plenty of leg room.
This is a well designed multiplex; I cannot fault it. All 9 auditoria are to the same design, it is just a matter of size. It is a joy watching a movie on any of the screens.
Refurbished and re-opened as ‘Odeon Luxe’ in November 2017.
Seating reduced to 1062. The largest auditoria are Screens 6 and 7 with 144 seats in each and the smallest is Screen 1 with 49 seats. These seating figures are taken from the Odeon website.
Refurbished and re-opened under the ‘Odeon Luxe’ brand in November 2017.
The seating capacity is now 941 with Screen 1 the largest with 139 and Screens 3 and 9 the joint smallest with 35 each.
These capacities are taken from the Odeon web-site. The photos there seem to be generic ‘Odeon Luxe’ ones rather than at Glasgow Quay specifically.
This is now the fourth Odeon to be rebranded as ‘Odeon Luxe’ in 2017 after East Kilbride, Edinburgh West and Leeds-Bradford.
Two more are in the pipeline at Putney and Panton Street, London with probably more to follow in 2018.
The two largest auditoria (Nos 1 and 9) have Scope screens with side masking. The other 7 auditoria have just 1.85 ‘Flat’ screens necessitating that Scope films are shown letterboxed with the inevitable slight truncation to 2.32. There is no top/bottom masking.
Given that most films nowadays are in Scope it does seem strange that anyone would build a new cinema without proper Scope screens. I did write to Cineworld about this but received no understandable answer. In the past (and as recently as 2012) Cineworld were building multiplexes with all Scope screens but many of their more recent builds seem to go for this mixed approach.
Also the lights are not turned off during the film, just dimmed. Together with the fact that the walls are red covered which reflects light (as can be seen in the photo section), the auditorium is not really very dark during the film.
Praise is given on User websites to the good seating and legroom. That may be true, but all in all, the lack of Scope screens, the general brightness during the film and the closeness of the screen to the front half of the seats in some of the smaller auditoria does not make this a good place to watch movies in. It is, simply, just badly designed.
Wall-to-wall Scope screens with no masking in all auditoria. Screen 6 has the largest screen branded ‘XPlus’ but the screen size in each is impressive relative to the auditorium size.
All have stadium seating with large reclining seats in spacious rows.
Very dark during the film enhanced by having black matte walls.
If this is the standard design for Showcase ‘Cinema De Lux’, it is a very good formula. This is an excellent new cinema and great place to watch movies in.
The screens are a mixture of 2.39 Scope and 1.85 with the majority being Scope. I don’t know the Nos of which auditoria are which, though one of the largest ones has surprisingly just a 1.85 screen.
When I was there a few years back the 1.85 screens had top down masking for Scope films, though I presume this has probably gone now as is usual practice with digital projection.
This cinema often appears in any list of “Ten Best Cinemas in England”. Indeed, as the photo shows, architecturally it is an impressive building with its glass façade and location overlooking the marina. It has a nice café inside and as the photo also shows you can also sit outside on the veranda and appreciate the surroundings.
However I think that a good cinema should primarily be judged on how it operates as a cinema rather than its architecture and surroundings.
On this score the verdict is more mixed.
Screen 1 is good; it is wide with a full Scope screen and movable side masking. It was refurbished a few back to a high standard with comfortable seats and plenty of leg room. The layout was changed removing the centre aisle and having sides instead; this was all good.
However on the down side, the auditorium is very light during the film as the lights are just dimmed and not turned off. It is far too light in my experience and detracts from one’s enjoyment. The management are aware of this and say that changing it is on their radar; however that is not that easy as the electrics are not wired to allow them turn the lights off over the seats but leave them on over the aisles. Additionally the fire exit cuts a corner out of the auditorium and makes the fire door with its lights very visible. Small points perhaps, but ones that stop Screen 1 from being an excellent place to watch movies in.
Screen 2 is not so good; it has bigger problems. The screen does not take up all the end wall as there is a passage down one side (fully lit) leading to the fire door. There is nothing subtle about its presence; it probably takes up about a quarter of the end wall and I found it very distracting. Consequentially the screen is only 1.85 which in 35mm days had top masking and in my opinion made the screen far too small for the size of the auditorium. I have stopped going to this screen so I don’t know if the top masking has been retained for digital projection; I presume not as is common practice nowadays.
Overall while the architects designed a building that looks great externally, I don’t think that they had much clue as to design cinema interiors that are great for the moviegoing experience. The current management do a fine job in successfully running a cinema that caters for all tastes but sadly they are rather hampered by the design of the building.
Refurbished and rebranded as ‘Odeon Luxe’ in October 2017 with all screens having spacious recliner seats. Total seating capacity across all 9 screens is reduced to 652. Screen 1 is an ‘ISense’ screen.
This was the first site to to upgraded to the ‘Odeon Luxe’ brand by Odeon’s new owners AMC. The next two are at Wester Hailes in Edinburgh (rebranded as Odeon Luxe Edinburgh West) in Nov 2017 and Odeon Panton Street, London (rebranded as Odeon Luxe Haymarket) in Dec 2017.
Refurbished and rebranded as ‘Odeon Luxe Edinburgh West’ in November 2017 with all screens having spacious recliner seats.
This is the second site to to upgraded to the ‘Odeon Luxe’ brand by Odeon’s new owners AMC. The first was the Odeon East Kilbride in Oct 2017 and the next will be the Odeon Panton Street, London (rebranded as Odeon Luxe Haymarket) in Dec 2017.
I saw THE GREAT ESCAPE and ALFIE there in the 1960s. I remember that it has a very impressive size Scope screen in its wide proscenium.
This was a better place to see a movie in than the ABC Forum over the road, which had a far smaller proscenium and was not ideal for Scope movies
I have not been but the screen size at 41' sounds very impressive.
Some of these old cinemas with wide prosceniums can have very impressive Scope screens, often larger than that on offer from many modern multiplexes.
I visited Screen 4, one of the medium size auditoria. It had an impressively sized wall-to-wall Scope screen and together with the black matte walls making the auditorium very dark during the film, I found it an excellent place to see a movie in; I was impressed.
Speaking to the duty house manager afterwards, he told me that all the auditoria had Scope screens. Looking into some of the screens near Screen 4, that was generally true but Screen 5 (a smaller one) was showing a Scope film letterboxed onto a 1.85 screen.
Sadly this is not the first time that a cinema manager has told me incorrect information about his own cinema. Whether he knew or was just fobbing me off, I can only surmise.
I visited Screen 2, the largest auditorium. It has an impressive large Scope screen with no movable side masking. The auditorium was impressively very dark during the film itself.
Cineworld often gets criticism (on this site and other forums) about its modern multiplexes, typically comments about the auditoria being too light and some screens being ‘Flat’ necessitating Scope films to be letterboxed.
Back in the early 2000s, Cineworlds were designing their cinemas correctly, Yeovil being a good example. I could not fault Screen 2, it was excellent. I am told that all the other screens are Scope as well.
I see from the photo that Screen 1 has movable side masking.
Are all the screens Scope ?
Impressive Scope screen in the main auditorium
Impressive Scope screen
I never went into the old Odeon but may be tempted now it has been refurbished.
Can anyone tell me about the screens? I guess they must be relatively small given the size of the cinema, but are they a good size relative to the auditorium sizes? Have they changed with the refurbishment? Are they Scope?
Could someone kindly give all the new Screen numbers, new versus old. I am confused. I presume the IMAX and Impact (if it is still called that) screens are unnumbered, albeit perhaps with implied numbers, as before.
I have just added a photo (from the cinema website) of the main auditorium showing a very impressive screen for the size of the auditorium (130 seats). I wish all cinemas near me were as good as this.
What is a “large format” screen ?
I sincerely hope it is a proper Scope screen. However I suspect that it is PR jargon for a 1.90 screen which will mean that all Scope films, the majority of films nowadays, will be letterboxed with no top/bottom masking. Hardly a step forward.
I hope I am wrong.
Four of the five screens (Nos 2 to 5) have been refurbished and rebranded as ‘Odeon Luxe’.
The IMAX Screen 1 remains the same with 307 seats. The new (and reduced) capacities in the other screens are: Screen 2 (71), Screen 3 (50), Screen 4 (53) and Screen 5 (49) which gives a total capacity of 530. The figures have been taken from the Odeon web-site.
The seating capacities of screens 4 and 5 are only slightly reduced because they were already fitted with luxury seats.
Mention is made in a comment below to a photo in a ‘Time Out’ article. I rather think that Odeon are using generic photos in their publicity for Luxe cinemas, so that photo is probably not of one of the Swiss Cottage auditoria. I think I have seen it used before.
All 9 screens are wall-to-wall Scope with no side masking. Very dark during the film with black matte walls and no ceiling lights on. Stadium seating, aisles on the side and plenty of leg room.
This is a well designed multiplex; I cannot fault it. All 9 auditoria are to the same design, it is just a matter of size. It is a joy watching a movie on any of the screens.
Odeon web-site confirms that it will be re-opened as an Odeon Luxe in Decemeber 2017.
Refurbished and re-opened as ‘Odeon Luxe’ in November 2017.
Seating reduced to 1062. The largest auditoria are Screens 6 and 7 with 144 seats in each and the smallest is Screen 1 with 49 seats. These seating figures are taken from the Odeon website.
Refurbished and re-opened under the ‘Odeon Luxe’ brand in November 2017.
The seating capacity is now 941 with Screen 1 the largest with 139 and Screens 3 and 9 the joint smallest with 35 each. These capacities are taken from the Odeon web-site. The photos there seem to be generic ‘Odeon Luxe’ ones rather than at Glasgow Quay specifically.
This is now the fourth Odeon to be rebranded as ‘Odeon Luxe’ in 2017 after East Kilbride, Edinburgh West and Leeds-Bradford.
Two more are in the pipeline at Putney and Panton Street, London with probably more to follow in 2018.
The two largest auditoria (Nos 1 and 9) have Scope screens with side masking. The other 7 auditoria have just 1.85 ‘Flat’ screens necessitating that Scope films are shown letterboxed with the inevitable slight truncation to 2.32. There is no top/bottom masking.
Given that most films nowadays are in Scope it does seem strange that anyone would build a new cinema without proper Scope screens. I did write to Cineworld about this but received no understandable answer. In the past (and as recently as 2012) Cineworld were building multiplexes with all Scope screens but many of their more recent builds seem to go for this mixed approach.
Also the lights are not turned off during the film, just dimmed. Together with the fact that the walls are red covered which reflects light (as can be seen in the photo section), the auditorium is not really very dark during the film.
Praise is given on User websites to the good seating and legroom. That may be true, but all in all, the lack of Scope screens, the general brightness during the film and the closeness of the screen to the front half of the seats in some of the smaller auditoria does not make this a good place to watch movies in. It is, simply, just badly designed.
Wall-to-wall Scope screens with no masking in all auditoria. Screen 6 has the largest screen branded ‘XPlus’ but the screen size in each is impressive relative to the auditorium size. All have stadium seating with large reclining seats in spacious rows. Very dark during the film enhanced by having black matte walls.
If this is the standard design for Showcase ‘Cinema De Lux’, it is a very good formula. This is an excellent new cinema and great place to watch movies in.
The screens are a mixture of 2.39 Scope and 1.85 with the majority being Scope. I don’t know the Nos of which auditoria are which, though one of the largest ones has surprisingly just a 1.85 screen.
When I was there a few years back the 1.85 screens had top down masking for Scope films, though I presume this has probably gone now as is usual practice with digital projection.
Is the reason for closing known ? I’m not aware of any new multiplex opening up nearby recently.
This cinema often appears in any list of “Ten Best Cinemas in England”. Indeed, as the photo shows, architecturally it is an impressive building with its glass façade and location overlooking the marina. It has a nice café inside and as the photo also shows you can also sit outside on the veranda and appreciate the surroundings.
However I think that a good cinema should primarily be judged on how it operates as a cinema rather than its architecture and surroundings.
On this score the verdict is more mixed.
Screen 1 is good; it is wide with a full Scope screen and movable side masking. It was refurbished a few back to a high standard with comfortable seats and plenty of leg room. The layout was changed removing the centre aisle and having sides instead; this was all good.
However on the down side, the auditorium is very light during the film as the lights are just dimmed and not turned off. It is far too light in my experience and detracts from one’s enjoyment. The management are aware of this and say that changing it is on their radar; however that is not that easy as the electrics are not wired to allow them turn the lights off over the seats but leave them on over the aisles. Additionally the fire exit cuts a corner out of the auditorium and makes the fire door with its lights very visible. Small points perhaps, but ones that stop Screen 1 from being an excellent place to watch movies in.
Screen 2 is not so good; it has bigger problems. The screen does not take up all the end wall as there is a passage down one side (fully lit) leading to the fire door. There is nothing subtle about its presence; it probably takes up about a quarter of the end wall and I found it very distracting. Consequentially the screen is only 1.85 which in 35mm days had top masking and in my opinion made the screen far too small for the size of the auditorium. I have stopped going to this screen so I don’t know if the top masking has been retained for digital projection; I presume not as is common practice nowadays.
Overall while the architects designed a building that looks great externally, I don’t think that they had much clue as to design cinema interiors that are great for the moviegoing experience. The current management do a fine job in successfully running a cinema that caters for all tastes but sadly they are rather hampered by the design of the building.
As of October 2017, it has 16 screens comprising of the 12 original ones plus 4 Studios.
Refurbished and rebranded as ‘Odeon Luxe’ in October 2017 with all screens having spacious recliner seats. Total seating capacity across all 9 screens is reduced to 652. Screen 1 is an ‘ISense’ screen.
This was the first site to to upgraded to the ‘Odeon Luxe’ brand by Odeon’s new owners AMC. The next two are at Wester Hailes in Edinburgh (rebranded as Odeon Luxe Edinburgh West) in Nov 2017 and Odeon Panton Street, London (rebranded as Odeon Luxe Haymarket) in Dec 2017.
Refurbished and rebranded as ‘Odeon Luxe Edinburgh West’ in November 2017 with all screens having spacious recliner seats.
This is the second site to to upgraded to the ‘Odeon Luxe’ brand by Odeon’s new owners AMC. The first was the Odeon East Kilbride in Oct 2017 and the next will be the Odeon Panton Street, London (rebranded as Odeon Luxe Haymarket) in Dec 2017.
I’m impressed if they actually installed a Scope screen as in the picture rather than show Scope films “letterboxed” on a 1.85 screen.