Cineworld Cinema - Sheffield
Valley Centertainment, Broughton Lane,
Sheffield,
S9 2EP
Valley Centertainment, Broughton Lane,
Sheffield,
S9 2EP
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Sheffield’s VIP lounge is now closed down because Cineworld doesn’t want to do the buffet anymore.
Talking of THX certified cinemas didn’t realise until earlier today that the AMC Broadway Plaza 12 (now Odeon, Broadway Plaza in Birmingham) was originally THX certified.
I believe it was that auditorium (Screen 7) that was converted to IMAX.
Sheffield Telegraph article.
I also vaguely recollect that Screen 7 was THX certified on opening, but I’m not confident about this.
Was that screen (70 feet wide) then converted to it’s current IMAX screen or was it a different auditoria altogether?
LARGE_screen_format: The loss of side seats progressively towards the front of the auditorium occurs elsewhere, notably at the Cineworld (Empire) Leicester Square since the circle/stadium section of the converted 1960s auditorium is very wide (estimated (from licensing plans) almost 120ft. at the rear, and about 105ft. at the front row of the stadia, the seating width being reduced there to about 75ft. for IMAX 3D.)
From the licensing plans:
IMAX – 723 seats (and 4 accessible spaces) of which 486 are “3D seats” and 128 are “2D seats” (614 seats for 2D IMAX performances), with the remaining 109 seats being “Non IMAX seats.”
Looking at Odeon’s online booking pages, the BFI IMAX loses 32 seats for 3D presentations.
Regarding Dolby Atmos vs. IMAX 12 channel, Dolby Atmos is unquestionably technically more sophisticated as an objects-based system which can adapt to different speaker layouts. It also provides a separate LFE channel and a derived rear sub-bass (where needed to meet output capability specs for the rears/overheads,) whereas IMAX has one derived sub-bass channel feeding the screen subwoofers.
However, IMAX auditoria ought to be more consistent in terms of geometry and layout, thus reducing the need for an “adaptive” objects-based system. Furthermore, to date all 12 channel installations have been in larger IMAX venues as the original IMAX with Laser system was intended to replace 15/70 projection in IMAX “Grand Theatre” locations.
Thus the speakers should be identical and relatively similarly placed in all auditoria, and the content is remixed by IMAX for their 12 channel format.
Dolby Atmos allows for a range of venues and equipment, albeit Dolby Atmos has quite specific specifications, including speaker layouts, and every installation requires their approval.
An Atmos installation such as the one at the Cineworld (Empire) Leicester Square will certainly beat 12 channel IMAX but this a top-end installation (e.g. 5 JBL ScreenArray screen speakers with bafflettes and full active digital crossovers) and so its superiority is not only due to the sound format.
IIRC at the time of opening Cineworld (then Virgin) Sheffield had the widest screen in the country; my vague recollection is that it was about 70ft. wide.
Unless I’m mistaken this is the sixth largest IMAX screen in the UK (23.91m x 12.92m) and only the second to have IMAX with Laser installed. 15 rows x 43 seats.
Shame it’s so far away!
Perhaps my notes are incorrect? I had noted the two screens you mentioned as measuring:
SUPERSCREEN Cineworld O2, Greenwich – 22m x 9.2m
SUPERSCREEN Cineworld ‘Empire’ Leicester Square – 20.5m wide by 11m
Both are certainly decent sizes for non-IMAX screens.
Do you find a Dolby Atmos sound system superior to both IMAX 6-channel and 12-channel sound systems?
Yes, Superscreen is Cineworld’s name for what Vue called Screen 11. Huge screen as you say however the cavernous auditorium has acoustic issues.
My favourite non-IMAX large format screen is the Superscreen at Cineworld Leicester Square – it’s 0.5m narrower than the O2 one but is taller (1.9 ratio) and has an absolutely superb Dolby Atmos set up.
@Zappomatic
Has the SUPERSCREEN at Cineworld O2, Greenwich replaced the old screen 11 which I have noted down as having a screen measuring 22m x 9.2m? That’s a decent size for a non-IMAX screen and worthy of the name SUPERSCREEN imo. Many other SUPERSCREENs are not. Similar to Vue Xtreme they are certainly taller than regular screens but not particularly wide. But the real problem, certainly with Vue Xtreme, is that they are not scope screens meaning if you watch a scope movie then a large portion of the screen becomes unmasked black bars top and bottom. This results in the viewable portion no longer looking particularly big. Vue, Westfield (Shepherds Bush) charge a big premium for Vue Xtreme. Not worth it imo. Would far sooner travel elsewhere to an IMAX screen.
Sounds similar to the SUPERSCREEN (originally created as an IMPACT screen whilst owned by Empire cinemas) at Cineworld ‘Empire’ Leicester Square.
Watched a movie there in July 2016 after a mate of mine read about it having a balcony and wanting to check it out. Looking over the balcony at the end of the movie at the seats below they all looked far too close to such a large screen in our opinion.
This auditorium has a Dolby Atmos sound system yet I did not notice any activity whatsoever in the overhead speakers. This has been the case on each occasion that I have watched a movie on an IMPACT (Empire cinemas) or SUPERSCREEN (Cineworld) which each have Dolby Atmos systems installed. Has anyone else found this?
After first reading about Dolby Atmos some years ago I was so hyped to check it out. Outside of London the rollout of Dolby Atmos seemed slow and very limited in the UK. Watched Captain America: Civil War on an Empire cinema IMPACT screen and was hugely disappointed. Did not notice any sound from above. Expected an action-packed movie such as this to give the object-based speakers a thorough workout throughout but sadly not.
Surely, each of the Dolby Atmos equipped auditoriums that I have visited can’t be poorly/incorrectly set up?
Since the refurb at the O2, including the balcony the Superscreen there now seats a total of 850. Prior to this it had a capacity of 785 and the seats on the balcony were in a VIP-style setup with small tables between each pair of seats.
Has anyone watched a movie in IMAX with Laser at both this cinema and Cineworld ‘Empire’ Leicester Square, if so how did the experience in the Sheffield auditorium compare to that of Leicester Square?
From the article linked to above by @CF100, presumably the reason for less seats being available for IMAX 3D showings (460) versus 2D (548) showings is that seats on the extreme sides of the auditorium are not used due to a less than perfect view? I’ve never heard of that prior to it being mentioned there.
Screens 6 & 8 (18 rows x 33 seats) look like two of the largest multiplex auditoriums in the UK from the seating plan. Surprised that neither has been converted into SUPERSCREEN’s. The only auditoriums with more seats, as far as I know, are Odeon, Leicester Square (1,683 seats) , Cineworld ‘Empire’ Leicester Square (IMAX with Laser has 727 seats) and the SUPERSCREEN (18 rows x 38 seats) at Cineworld, O2 in Greenwich.
Shame Sheffield is approximately a 5 hour (270 miles) round trip journey away as I would really like to check this cinema out.
Once had a Virgin-cinemas operated restaurant called The Waterfront: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/restaurants-on-the-waterfront-1083417.html
IMAX Laser projector has been installed, the second in the UK.