All generic Odeon Luxe publicity shows large Scope screens, so therefore it is somewhat surprising (and dissapointing) to read that the screens here are just 1.85 Flat, especially the Isense screen. All this rather goes against their own publicity.
Far from being the ultimate movie exprience, watching letterbpxed Scope films becomes more like watching a large TV set. In fact it is rather worse as the way Scope films are held digitally, the sides are slightly trimmed if shown on a 1.85 screen. The aspect ratio is reduced from 2.39 to 2.32.
The original 11 screens of the 2007 build all had Scope screens.
A question about the 8 additional screens that Cineworld added in 2019; are they Scope or Flat? I ask because Cineworld has a tendency just to install Flat screens in its new cinemas.
I thought that the original cinema was quite impressive, big Scope screens, very dark auditoria with black matte walls, typical of the Vue style of the late 00s (as this was a Vue then).
Has the recent refurbishment by Cineworld improved on this or made it worse? I hope the former.
CF100, Yes all 9 screens at Vue Eastleigh are floating, all wall-to-wall and Scope.
In the early days of the mutiplexes, the standard Warner/Vue design was to install Scope screens in the larger auditoria and flat screens in the smaller ones. Typical examples were Gunwharf Quays at Portsmouth, Longwell Green in Bristol and Finchley Road in London.
Then in the late 00s, there seems to have been a change of heart with Scope screens being installed in all auditoria with Eastleigh (opening in 2009) being a prime example. When three extra screens were added to Gunwharf Portsmouth about the same time there were all Scope too bringing the balance there to 7 Scope and 7 Flat. I can but presume that this change of heart was due to the realisation that most films were now filmed in Scope.
It is sad to read that this policy now seems to have been abandoned and flat screens are becoming the norm again even in the larger auditoria.
I have not been to either of the Westfield Vues, in Shepherds Bush or Stratford. I would be interested in knowing, I just hope they are all Scope.
Sad to read that at least 2 of the auditoria just have ‘flat’ screens. Are there no Scope screens there at all ?
A few years back Vue built some excellent cinemas, I name the Vue at Eastleigh as one. All screens were wall-to-wall Scope and the walls and finishings were black matte making the auditoria very dark during the film.
I am sorry to read that these standards seem to have slipped with some newer builds. With the majority of films now in Scope, it seems rather baffling that they don’t want to have Scope screens to maximise the ‘cinema’ experience. I too have no wish to go and visit what is, in essence, just a rather large TV set.
I find it slightly perverse that two screens will be ‘flat’ considering that the majority of films nowadays are in ‘Scope. To me this is not the 'cinema’ experience at all, it is more like watching an extra large TV set where films are letterboxed onto it.
In fact it is worse than a TV set; there you can watch the correct 2.39 image. Here at the cinema, when ‘Scope films are shown 'flat’, some pixels are not displayed on the sides reducing the ratio down to 2.32.
Of all the cinema chains, Cineworld seems the least concerned at showing films properly. It is reported than some of their recent new cinemas have ‘flat’ screens in all auditoria. Quality technical presentation does not seem to be a high priority for them.
Bar the IMAX screen at 1.90, are all the other screens 2.39 Scope similar to the one in the photo ?
I ask because Cineworld has been prone to just install 1.85 screens in many of their new build cinemas necessitating Scope films be shown letterboxed as on TV.
Apparently Odeon have submitted plans to Islington council to refurbish the cinema.
Screen 3 will be abolished to make room for an enlarged foyer and the vacant shops on the side of the cinema will be redeveloped as restaurants linked to the cinema foyer.
The article below from the ‘Islington Tribune’ explains further. http://islingtontribune.com/article/restaurant-will-star-at-revamped-holloway-road-odeon
I do not know if the plans have been approved or when work will commence.
Presumable the cinema will be refurbished to ‘Odeon Luxe’ standards.
With regard to the seating types, am I correct in assuming that:
— the front circle and all the stalls are ‘Luxe Recliner’ seats.
— the rear circle is all ‘Luxe Classic’ seats.
December 2018 – refurbished and rebranded as Odeon Luxe.
The website states that it now has 9 screens. therefore presumably some reconfiguration has taken place during the refurbishment and one screen has been eliminated.
The photo uploaded below by CF100 of one of the old auditoria shows just a ‘Flat’ screen.
Now that it is being reconfigured and refurbished to Odeon Luxe standard, I hope all 4 new auditoria will be given wall-to-wall Scope screens. Surely this has to be essential for London’s most prestigious cinema.
November 2018 – Refurbished and rebranded as Odeon Luxe with a corresponding reduction in seating capacity; the largest (Screen 1) reduced from 362 to 141.
I have been told by one of the managers there that all 8 screens are ‘Flat’ necessitating that Scope films are shown ‘letterboxed’ with black bars top and bottom. The photos on here back that up.
This seems to be a common trend for recently built Cineworlds. They seem to have lost interest in showing Scope films properly. With 80%+ of movies nowadays filmed in Scope this does seem rather a strange decision. Cineworld top management don’t seem fussed; perhaps they are not moviegoers themselves. Their cinema experience is like watching a big TV set.
I happened to be passing by recently and popped in to have a look.
The Duty Manager told me that all screens were 1.85 Flat necessitating that Scope movie will be shown letterboxed.
I was slightly surprised as later build Vue cinemas are generally with all Scope screens and the 1990s early Vue (ex Warner) did normally have Scope screens in their larger auditoria. Here all the screens are Flat which also has the consequential result that Scope films are slightly trimmed from 2.39 to 2.32 as some of the side pixels are not shown as the projector will remain set to ‘Flat’.
I hope that they are not replacing Scope screens with Flat 1.85 screens necessitating that Scope movies have to be letterboxed.
In Cineworld jargon the terms ‘Superscreen’ or ‘Studio’ do often mean Flat 1.85 screens.
I hope my fears are misplaced.
All generic Odeon Luxe publicity shows large Scope screens, so therefore it is somewhat surprising (and dissapointing) to read that the screens here are just 1.85 Flat, especially the Isense screen. All this rather goes against their own publicity.
Far from being the ultimate movie exprience, watching letterbpxed Scope films becomes more like watching a large TV set. In fact it is rather worse as the way Scope films are held digitally, the sides are slightly trimmed if shown on a 1.85 screen. The aspect ratio is reduced from 2.39 to 2.32.
Not good.
October 2019 : Refurbished and rebranded as ‘Cinema de Lux’
Are all screens Scope ?
Are all the screens Scope ratio after the refurbishment ?
All three auditoria have Scope screens with side masking.
The original 11 screens of the 2007 build all had Scope screens.
A question about the 8 additional screens that Cineworld added in 2019; are they Scope or Flat? I ask because Cineworld has a tendency just to install Flat screens in its new cinemas.
I thought that the original cinema was quite impressive, big Scope screens, very dark auditoria with black matte walls, typical of the Vue style of the late 00s (as this was a Vue then). Has the recent refurbishment by Cineworld improved on this or made it worse? I hope the former.
CF100, Yes all 9 screens at Vue Eastleigh are floating, all wall-to-wall and Scope.
In the early days of the mutiplexes, the standard Warner/Vue design was to install Scope screens in the larger auditoria and flat screens in the smaller ones. Typical examples were Gunwharf Quays at Portsmouth, Longwell Green in Bristol and Finchley Road in London.
Then in the late 00s, there seems to have been a change of heart with Scope screens being installed in all auditoria with Eastleigh (opening in 2009) being a prime example. When three extra screens were added to Gunwharf Portsmouth about the same time there were all Scope too bringing the balance there to 7 Scope and 7 Flat. I can but presume that this change of heart was due to the realisation that most films were now filmed in Scope.
It is sad to read that this policy now seems to have been abandoned and flat screens are becoming the norm again even in the larger auditoria.
I have not been to either of the Westfield Vues, in Shepherds Bush or Stratford. I would be interested in knowing, I just hope they are all Scope.
Sad to read that at least 2 of the auditoria just have ‘flat’ screens. Are there no Scope screens there at all ?
A few years back Vue built some excellent cinemas, I name the Vue at Eastleigh as one. All screens were wall-to-wall Scope and the walls and finishings were black matte making the auditoria very dark during the film.
I am sorry to read that these standards seem to have slipped with some newer builds. With the majority of films now in Scope, it seems rather baffling that they don’t want to have Scope screens to maximise the ‘cinema’ experience. I too have no wish to go and visit what is, in essence, just a rather large TV set.
I find it slightly perverse that two screens will be ‘flat’ considering that the majority of films nowadays are in ‘Scope. To me this is not the 'cinema’ experience at all, it is more like watching an extra large TV set where films are letterboxed onto it.
In fact it is worse than a TV set; there you can watch the correct 2.39 image. Here at the cinema, when ‘Scope films are shown 'flat’, some pixels are not displayed on the sides reducing the ratio down to 2.32.
Of all the cinema chains, Cineworld seems the least concerned at showing films properly. It is reported than some of their recent new cinemas have ‘flat’ screens in all auditoria. Quality technical presentation does not seem to be a high priority for them.
Bar the IMAX screen at 1.90, are all the other screens 2.39 Scope similar to the one in the photo ?
I ask because Cineworld has been prone to just install 1.85 screens in many of their new build cinemas necessitating Scope films be shown letterboxed as on TV.
Refurbished and rebranded as Odeon Luxe as of June 2019.
Seating capacities now vary from 143 (Screen 6)to 44 (Screens 1 and 12).
Refurbished and rebranded as Odeon Luxe as of June 2019.
Screen sizes vary from 101 in Screen 6 to 53 each in Screens 3, 7 and 8.
Refurbished and rebranded as Odeon Luxe as of June 2019.
Screen sizes vary from 118 in Screen 1 to just 18 in Screen 10.
Screens 9 and 10 seem to have been added after the original 2000 opening and their seating has not changed during the refurbishment.
Apparently Odeon have submitted plans to Islington council to refurbish the cinema.
Screen 3 will be abolished to make room for an enlarged foyer and the vacant shops on the side of the cinema will be redeveloped as restaurants linked to the cinema foyer.
The article below from the ‘Islington Tribune’ explains further. http://islingtontribune.com/article/restaurant-will-star-at-revamped-holloway-road-odeon
I do not know if the plans have been approved or when work will commence.
Presumable the cinema will be refurbished to ‘Odeon Luxe’ standards.
December 2018 – refurbished and rebranded as Odeon Luxe
With regard to the seating types, am I correct in assuming that: — the front circle and all the stalls are ‘Luxe Recliner’ seats. — the rear circle is all ‘Luxe Classic’ seats.
Addendum: The Hull Daily Mail reports that the cinema has 766 seats (including wheelchair spaces).
The Odeon web-site still has Screen 10 listed (at 150 seats) which I think is no longer there. Hence some muddle.
December 2018 – refurbished and rebranded as Odeon Luxe.
The website states that it now has 9 screens. therefore presumably some reconfiguration has taken place during the refurbishment and one screen has been eliminated.
Screen 5 is now branded as an ISENSE screen
The photo uploaded below by CF100 of one of the old auditoria shows just a ‘Flat’ screen.
Now that it is being reconfigured and refurbished to Odeon Luxe standard, I hope all 4 new auditoria will be given wall-to-wall Scope screens. Surely this has to be essential for London’s most prestigious cinema.
November 2018 – Refurbished and rebranded as Odeon Luxe with a corresponding reduction in seating capacity; the largest (Screen 1) reduced from 362 to 141.
I have been told by one of the managers there that all 8 screens are ‘Flat’ necessitating that Scope films are shown ‘letterboxed’ with black bars top and bottom. The photos on here back that up.
This seems to be a common trend for recently built Cineworlds. They seem to have lost interest in showing Scope films properly. With 80%+ of movies nowadays filmed in Scope this does seem rather a strange decision. Cineworld top management don’t seem fussed; perhaps they are not moviegoers themselves. Their cinema experience is like watching a big TV set.
November 2018 – Now refurbished and rebranded as Odeon Luxe.
With the recliner seats the capacity has been greatly reduced with the two largest auditoria reducing from 255 to 101 seats.
I happened to be passing by recently and popped in to have a look.
The Duty Manager told me that all screens were 1.85 Flat necessitating that Scope movie will be shown letterboxed.
I was slightly surprised as later build Vue cinemas are generally with all Scope screens and the 1990s early Vue (ex Warner) did normally have Scope screens in their larger auditoria. Here all the screens are Flat which also has the consequential result that Scope films are slightly trimmed from 2.39 to 2.32 as some of the side pixels are not shown as the projector will remain set to ‘Flat’.
Now refurbished and rebranded as ‘Odeon Luxe’ (October 2018)