Odeon Port Solent

PhilipWW on April 7, 2018 at 6:27 am

All 6 screens are Scope with movable side masking.

Screen 3 (the largest) is particularly impressive and is a great place to see movies in. Screen 2 (second largest) is also very good.

Some of the other screens (4, 5 and 6) don’t seem quite as full Scope as they should be. I have no way of measuring but I would estimate they are more 2.25 to 2.30 shaped than the proper 2.39. They always have been like this even in 35mm days.

Since the cinema went digital Screens 4 and 5 show the Scope image very slightly letterboxed top and bottom, presumably in an attempt to make the image closer to 2.39. As it is I find the slight letterboxing rather irritating.

Speaking to the management they say that there is nothing they can do locally, all such technical decisions are controlled from Head Office. The solution would require altering the fixed part of the masking and the projection lens to give correct shaped Flat and Scope images. Despite being informed, Odeon Head Office have shown little interest in fixing the problem, perhaps because it would involve spending some money.

One can only hope that Odeon’s new owners will sort this out whenever they come to upgrading the cinema. At the moment the logo ‘Fanatical About Film’ rings slightly hollow.