Comments about Cineworld Cinema - Leicester Square in London, GB

CF100 on May 12, 2025 at 7:29 am

Having now obtained measurements (courtesy of LARGE_screen_format) for the Superscreen’s, er, screen… and it turns out my previous estimate was widely off the mark.

The filled width is ~14.75m (~48.4ft.) The gap between the filled width and the masking is ~15-20cm.

The auditorium width is ~70ft. (measured off licensing plans) and Empire Cinemas originally gave the screen width (floating screen on frame) as 20.5m (~67.25ft.) Hence almost 20ft. of the screen has been covered by the side masking.

The reduction in screen width over the previous Barco DP4K-32BLP projection appears to be about 1.2m either side, for a total of 2.4m (~7.9ft.,) yielding a screen width of ~17.2m (~56.3ft.)

The width of ~48.4ft. is somewhat less than the maximum 60ft. width that the HDR by Barco (LS-4K) projection may be capable of, per my previous post.

So, other than the possible problem of the short throw resulting in a restricted picture size, what other reasons might there be for the reduction in screen size?

One might be ensuring that no direct view of the high power laser light source is possible from any standing position (even with the removal of some seats.) Another could be sightlines. The reduced area of screen fill also presumably moved up the bottom edge up of the filled area, which renders sightlines from the front row of the balcony narrowly viable for “flat” ratio content. (Can’t remember what the sightlines were like previously.)

Having seen “Sinners” presented in HDR by Barco, I am pleased to say that, whilst this title was hardly a “wham bam” demonstration of what HDR can do, the projection quality was very “cinematic”–smooth, only a bit of grain in some scenes, consistent grading, and good detail.

Checking on the end title crawl, I still think the sharpness isn’t as good as IMAX with Laser GT or COLA, and the black levels are clearly elevated, perhaps again pointing to the superior prism-free optical path in those ultra high-end IMAX digital projectors.

Sound was also very good, not reference level, but with excellent clarity, imaging and extended sub-bass–the best I’ve heard in this auditorium to date, demonstrating the high specification of the system and outstanding engineering of the JBL ScreenArray stage speakers (Academy Award for Technical Excellence relating to some of the technologies used.)

I also note that, I suspect both the IMAX and Superscreen seats have had some work done to them, possibly reupholstered. The armrests certainly look like they have been. Overall, not as comfortable as they were when new, but they’re in good condition.

CF100 on April 30, 2025 at 1:32 pm

The Accountant 2 listing on Cineworld’s site gives the presentation type as “SUPERSCREEN HDR 2D,” thereby denoting the HDR by Barco format.

CF100 on April 27, 2025 at 10:47 am

Additions to previous post..

Reduced screen width/fill:

On opening as an “IMPACT” auditorium, when the site was operated by Empire Cinemas, the full frame of the floating screen was visible, being almost wall-to-wall. It can be seen on Ian’s flickr-uploaded photo.
Masking was later added covering all 4 screen edges, as can be seen in promotional images on the Headbox’s hire page.
The masking added for the LS-4K “HDR by Barco” installation is, I think, to the sides only. This explains why even in full frame, the unmasked screen area is not filled vertically.
The additional side masking, measured using my arm (!), is ~2ft. wide. It appears to be about the same width as the original side masking, for a total of -8ft. width loss.
Empire Cinemas gave the screen width as 20.5m (~67.25ft.)
Hence with the side masking, the screen width is now ~18m (~59.25ft.) Barco’s site seems to be bereft of basic technical information on the LS-4K “HDR by Barco” projector.
However, according to a post on film-tech, in an interview, Barco stated that the maximum screen width for a single LS-4K is 18m. This is due to the peak brightness requirement of 300nits, about 3x that of Dolby Cinema.

In totality, the above seems to “hang together” (pun not intended,) and so I think it’s reasonable to quote the screen width as ~18m. This is about the same as the old Empire 1 on closure.

For anyone wishing to know more about HDR by Barco, there is some further discussion on the film-tech site, albeit quite technical.

However, there is a good overview on Forbes:

Barco Light Steering Uses AI Tech To Brings True HDR To The Big Screen.

Barco’s executive vice president worked on Dolby Cinema/Vision, and claims “HDR by Barco” to be superior. As for the headline, it seems to be another case of AI-as-buzzword, for what’s (very basically) happening is using algorithms running on nVidia GPUs to calculate the interference/reinforcement patterns needed to steer the laser light sources.

“The Accountant 2” was indeed shot digitally, as I suspected. However, softer/more diffuse lens types were used, so I await other content to subjectively review whether the “HDR by Barco” system is competitive with “IMAX with Laser” GT/COLA’s ability to resolve areas of high contrast/fine detail without diffusion. IMAX claims that the prism-free design of the optical path of these projectors results in superior performance compared to conventional multi-chip digital cinema designs.

CF100 on April 26, 2025 at 5:44 pm

A “HDR by Barco” DCP has finally been supplied for the new Barco projection in the Superscreen, namely for “The Accountant 2”–and I therefore took the opportunity to attend a performance.

It was hard to assess the picture quality during adverts/movie trailers, not least due to the leakage from the sidewall “Superscreen” signage.

However, all lights were out for the main feature. The “HDR by Barco” trailer played between the BBFC rating card and the studio title, ending on the “Superscreen” and “HDR by Barco” logos. This was a good demonstration of the system’s capabilities in terms of colour gamut (saturation) and bright highlights, with the projection featuring Barco’s light steering technology.

“The Accountant 2” is not the most aesthetically pleasing movie, with backdrops often being gritty and muddy. However, it does feature night scenes which showed off the good black levels achieved (albeit IMAX with Laser GT or COLA, I think, are superior) and “shafts” of light from the projector for bright highlights could be seen. Colour rendition appeared to be very accurate.

Overall, the picture had good centre-to-edge brightness uniformity, and a very smooth look with little or no signs of digital oddities. Despite the film’s aesthetic, the picture was virtually grain free with well resolved details. However, the image appeared slightly more diffuse than IMAX with Laser GT or COLA, with detail such as stubble or other facial textures not as sharply resolved.

Some quibbles–the slight curvature of the screen is uncorrected and so as mentioned there is some barrel distortion to the top and bottom of the picture. This was obvious due to the unmasked areas of a flat ratio screen on a scope title. However, the lack of masking in this areas was not overly bothersome due to the above average black level achieved.

There is a slightly “speckled” look to the picture, which I suspect was caused by the screen’s coating, which was replaced with a Harkness “Hugo” screen:

Harkness Screens Elevates Cinema Experience with Hugo Screen Installation at Cineworld Leicester Square.

It did not seem to have the movement of laser light source speckle, and it would be hoped by now this is well controlled through various engineering techniques.

Sound quality was first rate, likely not reference level but with good dynamic range and impact during peaks, and very good surround imaging. The signal to noise ratio seems to be slightly compromised, as “hiss” was occasionally just audible in quiet sections. Perhaps the sound system gain structure needs optimising, or I didn’t notice this previously.

HVAC was good with the temperature well regulated and comfortable, albeit there were only a few in, who incidentally were very quiet and well-behaved.

The projection model can be seen by looking through the porthole glass into the booth, namely Barco LS4K.

It’s hard to be sure, but the newly positioned side masking appears to cover over about 2ft. on each side of the screen, with the picture size reduced over the previous. I’m not sure why this is, although apparently HDR by Barco is restricted in screen size due to the peak brightness level requirements for highlights, and I wonder if the short throw of the projection means no lens is available that would achieve a larger screen fill.

However, this actually proportions the screen more suitably for the front rows of the auditorium, which were closer than IMAX specifications relative to screen width, and also should place the last row of the balcony about one screen width away from the screen, within IMAX specifications (i.e., much closer than industry standard auditoria, including many other “PLF” screens.)

Talking to a member of staff, it was confirmed that:

Cineworld Leicester Square has two technical members of staff.
The “HDR by Barco” projection is on loan, initially for three months, but this has been extended.
Barco themselves were involved in the projector installation and adjustments to screen masking.
A slight bump in the screen (not too noticeable) about 40% from the left, and 1/3rd of the way up, could be seen. Asked about this, they said this has only just appeared and no-one knows how it happened, and/or why.
They believe that there may be upgrades to the sound systems in the IMAX and Screen 2, though they were not sure of the details.
Certainly the “Kanga” speakers (LCR/“Voice of God”/LS/RS) in the IMAX are previous generation compared to the newer “Danley” single source horn types found in venues such as the IMAX at Cineworld Watford.
I’m not sure of the need to upgrade either as they are both well specified and replacing the “Kanga” speakers behind the IMAX’s screen could prove logistically challenging, and the screen itself has only recently been replaced.

I must thank this member of staff for their exceptional willingness to answer questions. Their enthusiasm shone through, and their knowledge was very good, especially considering their non-technical role.

I also had the opportunity to see behind the screen, and it turns out that the JBL 4645B subwoofers are placed on the floor spaced out along the entire auditorium width. This was surprising, as the recommended configuration is clustering them together, which results in mutual coupling. This may explain why the low frequency impact has never matched that achieved when they were installed in Empire 1, clustered 4 wide, 4 high in the centre of the baffle wall that was behind the screen. (The IMAX has 8xlow frequency cabinets, each with 4 drivers, stacked four high, with their drivers/ports 90° to the screen, facing each other.)

I could not make out the main screen speakers, positioned higher up, but they looked to still be the JBL ScreenArray series that were originally installed. The bafflettes that theatreofvarieties mentioned in a previous post on Cinema Treasures also could not be seen.

Finally, suitable classic non-sync music was played before the performance started. Quibbles aside, though the overall experience is still not a match for overwhelming scale and special qualities of the IMAX, finally this auditorium has reached its potential with the expected high standard of presentation and is certainly one of the better places to see a film.

At least until cinema moves to direct view LED displays…

Photos of the auditorium and projector to follow. (Hopefully!)

CF100 on February 4, 2025 at 5:18 pm

Zappomatic: The screen is indeed of the “floating” type with masking wrapped over the sides post-opening.

Going back over some of The Empire’s history, following the IMAX conversion, the 2x4K (DP4K-32B) Barco projection and the sound system was then moved over to the (then named) “IMPACT” auditorium, albeit with the Dolby 3D system replaced by the Masterimage system (polarised type like RealD) and the Atmos processor/rears/overheads replaced.

On my first trip, the image was not satisfactory with barrel distortion to the horizontal edges. And, indeed, the screen was not filled, with–if I remember correctly–slight gaps to the sides, and the screen on frame is taller than the maximum 1.9:1 (or rather 1.85:1 on non-IMAX DCP’s) ratio.

According to Cinema Technology Magazine, the lenses used in the old Empire 1, with a ~120ft. throw to the screen, had not been replaced to suit the much shorter throw.

Changes over time included the addition of masking (as you note), dropping 3D with one projector in use only, and installing Barco’s laser-phosphor light source retrofit to the remaining projector. The projection quality did improve over opening.

I have yet to see a “Barco HDR” release, but on a recent visit, the picture quality did seem to have improved. Centre-to-edge brightness uniformity was excellent, with limited hot-spotting visible, and good colour saturation was achieved. However, the black levels were not comparable to IMAX with Laser GT, and there seemed to be some barrel distortion (like an old CRT display) to the top/bottom edges of the projected picture. It’s slightly hard to say as it could be perceptual and possibly a consequence of the slight screen curvature. I’d prefer it to be slightly pin-cushioned vertically.

If I’m not mistaken, the picture may have been moved up slightly. The masking has been tidied up with the very shabby sections near the front audience left entrance no longer half falling off (staples were visible,) and the slight gap that was on the left of the top edge masking also eliminated.

The JBL ScreenArray stage speakers still have the edge over any other, IMO, for top-end clarity and uncoloured response. Unfortunately, for being equipped with the best available everything, the experience still seems to fall short of the finest venues. It could be said it’s a bland “black box multiplex”-style auditorium, but that doesn’t account for picture/sound not quite being “wow!” It should exceed the high standards of the old Empire 1, e.g., given the far more controlled acoustics. Or, possibly, my “wow” factor expectations have been raised by the IMAX…

Finally (in the unlikely event that anyone has read this far!) the left/right stage speakers are actually beyond the edges of the projected screen area; this can be heard when entering or existing the auditorium from the front.

Zappomatic on December 25, 2024 at 6:22 pm

I’ve added a photo illustrating the reduced width of the Superscreen - compare to older photos. Note black levels are much better than appear in the photo. This photo shows the credits to Wicked which is a 2.39:1 ratio.

Interestingly looking at photos of the original Impact screen (as Empire called it) when new it appears to be a floating screen that the projector was incapable of filling, subsequently masked.

Zappomatic on November 27, 2024 at 2:20 pm

Visited the Superscreen today and a few seats in row H (two rows in front of the booth) have been removed and the space blocked off.

Screen width is now reduced with what appears to be additional masking but height remains the same, making Scope content look a bit strange with a significant amount of unmasked screen space above and below. Presumably the new projector is unable to cope with the relatively short throw versus screen size - a retrograde step and hopefully something they can rectify in time.

Zappomatic on November 22, 2024 at 12:50 am

Seats immediately in front of and adjacent to the projection booth are showing as unavailable when booking a screening; I intend to visit on Tuesday so will be interesting to see if the booth has been expanded.

Zappomatic on November 13, 2024 at 7:22 am

The Superscreen is getting a new HDR capable Barco projector, and a new Harkness Hugo screen to coincide with the release of Gladiator II. https://variety.com/2024/film/global/gladiator-2-cineworld-first-hdr-by-barco-theater-international-1236206252/

CF100 on September 15, 2024 at 4:14 pm

An article on p24 of the Kinematograph Weekly, Thursday 7th January 1960 titled “Preparing The Empire for ‘Ben-Hur’–Special problems required drastic alterations” contains quite a bit of information on the 1959 alterations made for “Ben Hur.”

Some of the key points:

Seating capacity was reduced by 1000 to 1725. (?–albeit the exact count is rather moot now…)
Projection throw was reduced to 78ft.
The new screen was a Superla pearl, 56ft. wide (width of projected image 52ft.)
For acoustic isolation, the new booth positioned in the rear stalls was built with “two shells.” The inner was built on piers down to foundations to isolate it from the main building structure. The article notes this was successful, as only during changeovers could faint sounds generated within be heard during quiet scenes, if seated nearby.
Water cooling was required for the arc and projectors.
Other changes included covering the new booth and disused stalls with “wine-coloured non-flam silk.”
The general contractor was G.E. Wallis, ventilation/plumbing by J. Jeffreys and Co and A.E. Mohring was consulting engineer (all same as the 1962 reconstruction.)
The architect for the scheme was George Coles (!) (err… same as the 1962 reconstruction.)

The article notes that “Ben-Hur” would be the last film to play at the Empire, with its run anticipated to last 12-15 months, upon which “the theatre was to be demolished and replaced with a smaller cinema.” Of course, literally speaking, this turned out to not quite be the case–though it would be no exaggeration to describe the 1962 reconstruction scheme as “drastic!”

CF100 on September 2, 2024 at 11:52 am

The link Zappomatic posted to the video showing the installation of the IMAX screen is no longer working.

However, it’s also been posted by Cineworld on Facebook.

Some comments:

It appears that Maeve Contractors (IMAX conversion, 2018 Cineworld refurbishment, etc.) were again involved in this.
The numerous shakers (to reduce laser speckle) can be seen mounted off the screen frame.
Diagonal members of the primary roof truss can be seen boxed out just behind the sides of the screen frame, as well as two trusses either side. (More on this to come in another post, referencing a 1928 Architectural Review article.)
With the screen removed, it’s more obvious just how far into the former stalls the acoustic wall behind the screen is.
Was IMAX’s spray-painted coating pre-applied to the screen? My understanding is that for the largest scale IMAX venues it has to be done in-situ, because there is not enough space in the manufacturing facility(/ies) to hang the screen. Perhaps this applies to 1.43 ratio screens where there is insufficient height; it can certainly be seen in videos of screen replacements over at the BFI showing the computer-controlled rig used.

Having attended a few performances since the installation of the replacement screen:

Perhaps surprisingly, I couldn’t discern any substantive difference in picture quality, e.g., brightness.
The projection had “developed” an issue where a grid pattern of boxes that were of lower illumination could be seen across the screen. It was more noticeable in high illuminated uniform areas of the picture. This problem appears to have been resolved.
Possibly, some other subtle digital artifacts have been reduced.

Additional comments:

During one performance, due to a particularly irritating person sitting in the adjacent seat, I moved to the far back audience left.
When seated centrally, the centre-to-edge brightness loss remains. However, in this off-centre seating position, the opposite side of the screen became relatively brighter, and hence is caused by the gain/directionality of the screen material.
There are four Tannoy speakers mounted on the rear wall under the booth level overhang. It turns out that these are fill speakers for the rear surrounds, and are effective. For example, foley panned from the left side speaker to the left surround speaker could be perceived as intended.

Finally, the seating in the IMAX auditorium, particularly in the “sweet spot” central area, is getting tired with one or two cases of poor quality attempts at reupholstering them. AFAIK the supplier (Seating Concepts) is no longer in business. On all occasions, the auditorium was also in need of a full clean.

Zappomatic on February 16, 2024 at 10:26 am

IMAX screen replaced this week https://x.com/marcusryder/status/1757395406235840768?s=20

Lionel on October 2, 2023 at 10:37 pm

Another picture of the marquee in the 1990s:

https://www.dreamstime.com/editorial-image-empire-cinema-london-england-image63186885

Lionel on September 4, 2023 at 2:36 pm

Royal Film Performance 1997 for TITANIC in 70mm. Nice views of the marquee, foyer and projection booth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfquSxcN084&t=1s

theatreofvarieties on September 4, 2023 at 2:19 pm

CF100 - please send me your contact details to n.goulding@virgin.net

CF100 on June 23, 2023 at 2:54 pm

theatreofvarieties: Many thanks for offering the original Empire 1 seats. I’d love to have one… how can we go about arranging this?

theatreofvarieties on June 23, 2023 at 6:03 am

I’m having a clear out and have some of the original reclining seats from Empire 1 that were removed when it was converted to IMAX. Would anyone be interested in one?

theatreofvarieties on June 23, 2023 at 5:57 am

CF 100 - yes there was removal of asbestos on the boiler pipework and some elements of the structural steels. No, the decorative plasterwork did not contain asbestos, it was tested for it before removal.

CF100 on September 8, 2022 at 4:13 pm

Cineworld have announced:

“Cineworld and certain of its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Group Chapter 11 Companies”) have commenced Chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (the “Court”).”

Source: Cineworld Group plc - Announcement.

The above link is to a newly launched website pertaining to the proceedings, under the domain cineworldstrong.com, a somewhat odd name.

Meanwhile, IMAX’s CFO states that IMAX sites operate under a master lease agreement that covers all of an operator’s locations. She goes on to suggest:

“[If they’re going to operate they will] clean up the under-performing complexes and either sell them off or do something with them. But that’s not where IMAX screens are — IMAX screens are all in the top-performing complexes.”

Clearly, in a world where “tentpole” releases still drawn in crowds, whilst streaming is snapping on the heels of mid-budget titles, a cinema with 3 premium format screens, one of which is exceptional, and 6 “studio” sized auditoria, is configured in a way that is more suitable than “megaplexes”…

CP200 on September 1, 2022 at 2:59 pm

next the skips to throw that cineworld sign and that liemax superscreen into the rubbish skip like, empire cinemas did to the only THX cinema in the uk.

CF100 on August 19, 2022 at 7:34 am

The Wall Street Journal reports that Cineworld are preparing to file for bankruptcy. The writing has been on the wall, given mounting debts. Will be interesting to see the future of this and their other flagship locations.

CF100 on July 23, 2022 at 6:33 pm

Exterior footage of The Empire, Leicester Square in 1896 (!) with “Lumiere Cinematographe” signage (and yes, horses and carts to boot…)

Lionel on February 10, 2022 at 9:56 am

Filmed in 1986 and posted today on YouTube:

Demonstrating screen masking for 35mm and 70mm aspect ratios at the Empire

This was the installation from 1962 on to when they slightly enlarged the screen in the early 2000’s.

CP200 on February 4, 2022 at 12:48 pm

Couldn’t care less about empire 1 anymore its gone turned into a rubbish Liemax video screen tiny screen.

CF100 on January 3, 2022 at 11:10 am

Bagnall Demolition — The Empire.

According to the above-linked page, when UCI operated the cinema, this company performed an asbestos survey, in which asbestos-containing materials identified included “spray coatings, asbestos insulation board ceilings and cement.” Subsequently, removal work took place (logistically not so easy) and a new survey to update the asbestos register was undertaken.

Hmm. I’d still be surprised if no asbestos removal was needed above the ceiling during the strip-out of the old Empire 1. I’m fairly surprised that the old wall/ceiling tiles apparently didn’t contain any… (otherwise the wall tiles wouldn’t have been removed aggressively ASAP after the auditorium closed for renovation.)

Cineworld Cinema - Leicester Square

5 Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7NA

5 Leicester Square,
London, WC2H 7NA