Omniplex High Wycombe
Crest Road,
Cressex,
High Wycombe,
HP11 1UA
Crest Road,
Cressex,
High Wycombe,
HP11 1UA
1 person
favorited this theater
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Omniplex Cinema Group has now taken over Empire Cinemas, High Wycombe
Ireland’s Omniplex Cinema Group Sets UK Expansion With Purchase Of Five Empire Cinema Locations
They have their own PLF, OmniplexMAXX
Here’s hoping they install one at High Wycombe as I’ll certainly be going there to check it out.
Architect of the Wycombe Six was Jim Unick, first manager was one Geoff Greaves who now operates the Merlin Cinemas circuit.
The American Seating Company is now only in transport sectors, they have no product lines for theatres/cinemas. The relevant assets for those were acquired by the Irwin Seating Company.
The Irwin Seating Company had reissued some of the classic American Seating Company lines, but this no longer seems to be the case. However, they do still have products of this type under their theatre lines; obviously, expectations of cinema seating are now very different.
The old Empire 1 seats look a good deal more “plush” than old photos of similar products from American Seating Company, so presumably were fully reupholstered. They were exceptionally comfortable, and part of that was the excellent “rocker” action.
theatreofvarieties: If I may ask, what they are doing in storage? Is there no plan to reuse or sell them?
The seats at Empire 1 where rocker seats. The seats at high wycombe maybe same company make not same model the seat back didn’t recline which made it less comfy.
The original seats in High Wycombe aren’t the same as the American comfort seats installed in 1960 in Empire 1. Having seen them side by side the difference is quite a lot. Yes, the seats back in old Empire 3 were the same as High Wycombe originals. Sadly, I don’t know who made them. i can tell you that they are VERY narrow, mainly due to the boxed out nature of the arm rests. There are about 100 of the American comfort seats from Empire 1 in storage.
Screens 3 & 4 now have upgraded seats in the rear half of the auditorium. Seat count has been reduced from 355 down to 218 (+3 disabled spaces) which now consist of:
130 Standard Seats
30 Electric Recliners
17 Double Sofas
24 Armchairs
Uplift charges for these upgraded seats cost £2 for sofa/armchair and £4 for a recliner.
It is good to see Empire Cinemas reinvesting in this site as it has been many years since anything has changed. It would have been fantastic if they could have upgraded screen 3 (which was previously a THX auditorium many years ago) to IMPACT with Dolby Atmos surround sound. Look forward to trying out these new upgraded seats on my next visit.
One design concept introduced, as part of The Film Works rebranding, that I very much like is their “black box” auditoria to improve viewing. The auditoria at this cinema retain that interior look even after Empire Cinemas took over. During a movie, all ceiling lights are switched off, something that no other cinema chains that I visit seem to do. I’ve emailed both Vue and Cineworld regarding how distracting it can be to have to sit through a movie with bright ceiling lights remaining lit and their response is that they have no choice due to health and safety requirements.
How is it then Empire Cinemas do not have to obey these requirements?
The backlit THX sign outside the old screen 1 was similar in concept to this:
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/thx-lightbox-sign-official-great-home-67378408
LARGE_screen_format: Hmm, I seem to recall that CIC was still around even after the name change—having a quick look through Companies House filings: UCI basically was CIC, AMC Entertainment (UK) Limited was renamed UCI (UK) Limited in 1989 following its acquisition by CIC/UA Multiplex BV. CIC (UK) continued to exist as an operating company but this starts getting into company structure spaghetti.
By the end of 1990 UA were no longer involved and the ultimate shareholders were MCA Inc. and Paramount Communications Inc., hence “UCI – A Universal/Paramount Company,” with UK subsidaries still directly owned by holding companies registered in the Netherlands.
Not sure when the former CIC sites changed their branding to UCI but certainly before the mid-1990s.
“the filmworks” was a UCI brand; going by the Cinema Treasures description and theatreofvarieties' earlier post on this page, the refurbishment was in 2002.
I can’t find any record of “the filmworks company” referred to in the Cinema Treasures description.
Odeon and UCI were acquired by Terra Firma Investments, Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group was formed, and High Wycombe was one of the divested sites acquired by Empire Cinemas in 2005.
Very difficult to find information on old seating products but I did find a catalogue (IIRC from the 2000s) with list prices for American Seating Company products. Far more expensive than I’d expected! That might explain why the seating, whether American Seating Company or not, but assumed to be of the highest quality, were replaced with cheaper models rather than overhauling the existing with replacement parts.
The “rocker” action of the old Empire 1 seats was absolutely fantastic, better than any other seat I’ve ever sat on!
Backlit THX sign? Must have been a custom one?
I’m not 100% on the dates that ownership changed hands but unless I’m mistaken this cinema went through the following:
CIC > UCI > Odeon > The Filmworks > Empire
Unless I’m mistaken the super comfortable original red velour seats were all changed to ultra-cheap (plastic backed, barely padded armrest plus cup holders) around the mid-90’s. This was due to a number of the original seats being damaged or becoming tired looking and to have them refurbished would have cost too much.
Seem to recall the overhaul (conversion to stadium seating and renumbering the auditoria numbers from 5, 3, 1, 2, 4, 6 to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) happened around the early 00’s.
One difference I have remembered between the original Wycombe 6 seats and Empire (screen 1), LSQ was that the latter reclined slightly (rocker style) when you leaned back. The Wycombe 6 seats did not, they were fixed. They did have headrests though and may well be identical to those you linked to from Empire (screen 2) LSQ?
Shame I didn’t take more photos back in those days. The backlit sign for screen 1 (This auditorium is THX certified) for example. I do still have one of the original ‘This Theatre Features DTS Digital Sound’ plaques somewhere from this cinema.
LARGE_screen_format: Responding to the relevant parts of your post on the “Odeon North Greenwich” page dated 2nd July 2018…
The only auditorium photo I can find of this cinema in its original state is one uploaded to Cinema Treasures. Very difficult to tell!
However, there is a photo available of another mid-80s CIC auditorium, namely the old Empire 3, which provides a better view of its seating; these seats do seem to bare some resemblance in form to the American Seating Company seats that were in the old Empire 1, although they have a headrest section.
Perhaps, then, those installed at High Wycombe were a similar model to those in the old Empire 1.
Photo of an auditorium at Empire High Wycombe dated 2015.
Are these the ones that were installed for “the filmworks” overhaul? I assume the stadia was built then also?
I guess at that point the path of least resistance was to “skip” the old and replace.
If that’s how that auditorium looks today then it really needs a makeover—the seats are sagging and the carpet looks like it’s seen better days! (Maybe wet cleaning would be sufficient.)
Alas, the American Seating Company sold its “Architectural Fixed Seating” business to the Irwin Seating Company. Of the American Seating Company’s auditorium seating product lines, the “Stellar” series is in their catalogue, but one might imagine that there might be implications in terms of spare parts availablity for older seats. Now if only I could find “Empire 1”-type (“1960 Comfort Deluxe mode” according to a post on Cinema Treasures by theatreofvarieties) seats on eBay…
Multi-chain cinemas (Cineworld, Vue, Odeon, Empire etc) don’t seem to supply very much if any information about the sound systems installed in their various auditoriums. Which is a shame as second only to wanting to watch a movie on their largest screen, I’d like the best quality sound to accompany it.
And why has the UK not got an DolbyVision equipped auditoriums? Movies have been presented in this format for a couple of years now in the U.S.
The majority of the IMAX screens in the UK are also significantly smaller (especially the height) of ones elsewhere across the globe. Had a look at the IMAX screen in Cineworld, Stevenage recently and was very disappointed. I’ve seen larger non-IMAX screens, screen 12 of Cineworld, High Wycombe for example.
LARGE_screen_format: Interesting.
Albeit the loss of the THX certification wouldn’t exactly result in the “removal” of the THX “sound system” (or more specifically the “B-chain,”) the only equipment THX supplied was the THX active crossover for the screen speakers. AFAIK the active crossover circuits were on cards (installed in the THX rack mounted unit) leased from THX.
They’re just Linkwitz-Riley 24dB/oct 2-way crossovers with time-alignment, not too hard to replace with other gear… and obsolete now… (e.g. Empire 1’s (/Empire LSQ IMPACT/Cineworld LSQ Superscreen) JBL ScreenArray system uses dbx digital loudspeaker management units…)
As far as I know the refurbishment had nothing to do with the removal of the THX equipped sound system in screen 1 (which later was re-numbered as screen 3). The cinema had already lost it’s THX certification prior to this. THX would send one of their engineers over from America once per year to test that the system met all of its very strict criteria. They advised that this was not the case and outlined all the works that needed to be done by a certain date and as this was not they lost their certification and could no longer advertise themselves as having a THX certified auditorium.
Such as shame as it was one of only a few cinemas that had a THX equipped auditorium in the whole of the UK. The THX engineer said, with the exception of the purpose built private auditorium at Planet Hollywood, Leicester Swuare in London, it was the best THX sound system in the UK.
Screen 1 was also one of the first auditoriums in the UK to be equipped with DTS and Dolby Digital sound systems (1993) and also had a 70mm projector.
The side and rear surround speakers were installed inside what looked like black wall pillars.
the refurbishemnt that removed the THX screen was done in 2002 by UCI.
Cheesebrush
Wow what a sheer waste and shame and shame on Empire cinemas UK.
Yeah that’s pretty much how I vaguely recall see it. It had fabric for the amazing sonic acoustics of stillness it was like no other, propose made THX certified screen.
I’m pretty sure the surrounds was placed behind the fabric as they’re no sign of them when I saw Arachnophobia.
I can picture the crappy wall paint on the concrete I guess Empire cinemas are now into crappy cheap fast digital waste of time cinema with fake 3D.
I used to visit this cinema on a fairly regular basis specifically for the amazing THX screen back in the days when it was owned by UCI. I think the first film I saw there was Star Trek: Generations and I stopped going once a new cinema much closer to me opened with a THX screen (although that only lasted 6 months).
I went back there a few years ago when I heard they’d converted to all digital projection, in the hope that the former THX screen would still be pretty good. Unfortunately I was in for a bit of a shock.
The auditorium has been totally gutted and filled with low quality, rickety stadium seating, the plush red draped walls are now pretty much just painted breeze blocks, all the subdued lighting has gone as has the pleated screen curtain. The only thing this screen now shares with it’s predecessor is the same geographical location; there is quite literally NOTHING left from its days as one the best (if not the best) cinema screens in the country.
I really can’t understand the logic of it. Odeon (or whoever it was who refitted it) must have spent a reasonable amount of money just to make it a shadow of its former self. It’s like taking a Ferrari to a garage, asking them to spend £20k on it and they give you back Ford Mondeo.
My advice to AndySummers… don’t visit there; what they’ve done to the place will make you cry! Even just typing this now is making me angry!
This cinema site hasn’t or won’t even grab my attention not if they don’t have the original JBL THX specification set-up which was 10/10. I mean I thought alien Earth encounters installed it from another world because it was out of this world.
I don’t care what you think about THX we’ve all been to the site we’ve all read the white papers on the whole capper and as far as I’m concerned it’s the only thing that would get my on coach to travel from Bournemouth to High Wycombe. But! Not if they don’t have THX that is on par with the original because that was untouchable.
Sorry should have stated Empire purchased this cinema off Odeon which Cineworld is in the same group of companies, on a recent vist I saw “The Boat That Rocks” projected on film! in Screen 4 it looks if it had the digital equipment had been removed! Has the cinema stopped stating “Digital Presentation?” I also went into screen 8 very small theatre was built in the old bar area looked ok as a mini cinema
two new digital screens have just opened here taking total to 8 screens
The THX screen was screen number 1 but during the refurbishment in 2002 the screens were re-numbered and it is now screen 3.
Cineworld do not own this cinema and contrary to a previous posting, is not ‘part of the same holding company’ It is owed wholly by Empire cinemas and is not being shut or bulldozed and is holding it’s own very well against the 12 screen Cineworld that has opened in the town centre.
I think they should install THX back into its main screen, what was the number of that screen as I’ve only been there one?
Went to this cinema on its opening day way back in 1987 it was one of the first multiplexes built in the UK and one of the first to have THX installed & 70mm was a great showpiece,on a recent visit (have not lived in the area for over 15 years or so)it now has stadium seating installed together with DIGITAL projection installed in all screens!Cineworld have never operated this site but has the same holding company
Well, at least the EMPIER cinemas @ the Limelight in Sunderland isn’t as bad as this one, as the only evidence of Cineworld is the Cineworld star on the Tickets, Pick and mix and Games sign. If only I saw an example of UCI/thefilmworks branding left.
Wow didn’t see this screen here! Well I remember seeing “Arachnophobia†at the THX screen back in 1990 WOW what a sound presentation it had “it literally pressed†on your body without any colourisation of the sub bass and bass frequencies.
Midrange sounds where easy to pin point across the screen along with excellent surround coverage made me look around to my sides and rear during the “THX Broadway†trailer fantastic.
The opening credits of “Arachnophobia†was very deep but before I get there I do however remember just popping into see what it sound like as a friend and I drove up to High Wycombe during the weekend. After buying our tickets we had to wait nearly two hours before the next showing. But that didn’t stop me for just standing at the back of the auditorium.
The scene that was playing was a low level scene with quite music dialogue and sound effects level. Having already seen the film once at the poorly, Odeon Westover Road! The sound at the back of the cinema was all over my body, it was pressing with such tightness, where it just wowed me.
Stepping out quietly we waited until the next showing.
The opening credits of “Arachnophobia.â€
I have heard a few films at the Empire Leicester square that delighted me such pleasurable surprise, but this one was in my face from the moment “Trevor Jones†score started it just grew louder and louder not too loud but right on the money of THX specifications standards. Each octave just hit me in the stomach and chest!
The opening score must have lasted 8 or 10 minutes until it faded down in the mix. Anyway one of the best THX sound system presentations I’ve seen there. Sadly the site no longer has THX sound thou I’m sure it still sounds fairly good but without the delights of THX I guess it would be lacking power and performance.