BFI IMAX

BFI IMAX

Oppenheimer poster at the BFI IMAX in 2023
BFI IMAX Location within Greater London
Address	1 Charlie Chaplin Walk South Bank London SE1 8XR United Kingdom
Coordinates	51°30′18″N0°06′49″W / 51.505°N 0.113611°W / 51.505; -0.113611
Public transit	Waterloo Waterloo; Waterloo East
Owner	British Film Institute
Operator	British Film Institute (1999–2012, 2022–) Odeon Cinemas (2012–2022)
Type	Cinema
Capacity	498 (plus 2 wheelchair spaces)
Construction
Opened	May 1999;26 years ago (1999-05)
Architect	Bryan Avery
Website
www.bfi.org.uk/bfi-imax

The BFI IMAX is an IMAX cinema in the Waterloo district of London, just north of Waterloo station. It is owned and operated by the British Film Institute. From 2012 until 2022, it was operated by Odeon Cinemas. ^{[1] [2]}

The cinema is located in the centre of a roundabout junction with Waterloo Road to the south-east, Stamford Street to the north-east, York Road to the south-west and Waterloo Bridge to the north-west.

History

Aerial view at night

BFI IMAX was designed by Bryan Avery of Avery Associates Architects ^[3] and completed in May 1999. The screen is the largest in Britain (20 m (66 ft) high and 26 m (85 ft) wide). It has a seating capacity of 500 and a 14,000 W (19 hp) digital surround sound system. Although the site is surrounded by traffic and has an underground line just four metres below, the architects and engineers accounted for this in their design and the entire upper structure sits on anti vibration bearings to prevent noise propagation. ^[4]

The cinema won several awards at the time of opening, including a Design Council Millennium Product Award ^[5] in 1999 and a Civic Trust Award in 2000. ^[6]

In 2012, the screen was replaced and a digital IMAX projector was installed alongside the existing 70mm projector. In July 2012, the BFI announced that Odeon Cinemas had been selected to operate it for the next five years, with the option of termination after three years. Odeon maintained the film programmes, and booking of tickets online and by telephone. This gave customers the opportunity to watch operas on the giant screen. The BFI retained power over the cinema's operation however, including parts of the film schedule, the name and the technical operation. ^[7]

To start this move to mainstream cinema, the BFI London IMAX theatre celebrated by having sold 66,000 pre-booked tickets for The Dark Knight Rises in just five weeks, giving a total sale in tickets of £1,000,000 even before the premiere of the movie.

In June 2022, the BFI announced that its ten year concessions deal with Odeon would end on 19 July 2022, with the BFI regaining control of operations. The cinema closed on this date, with a planned re-opening on 22 July. ^[8]

Other IMAX cinemas in London

Seating in the cinema

London has another traditional IMAX cinema at the Science Museum in South Kensington and in December 2008 gained IMAX digital cinemas at Odeon cinemas in Greenwich and Wimbledon. In 2011, a digital IMAX screen was also opened at the Odeon in Swiss Cottage.

Screen size comparative to other London large screens

The BFI IMAX is the largest cinema screen in the United Kingdom. It measures 25.9 m (85 ft) wide by 19.8 m (65 ft) tall with a total screen size of 512.8 m² (5,520 ft²) (289 m² (3,110 ft²) for a 2.39:1 film, 363 m² (3,910 ft²) for 1.85:1 and 469 m² (5,050 ft²) for IMAX 1.43:1). ^[9]

Before its October 2022 refurbishment it measured 26.5 m (87 ft) wide by 20 m (66 ft) tall, which meant that a film with an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 would only use 293 m² (3,150 ft²) of the screen, or 379 m² (4,080 ft²) for a 1.85:1 film and 491 m² (5,290 ft²) for an IMAX 1.43:1 film. The auditorium seats 493, including 4 wheelchair spaces. ^[10]

Large format screens in London by size

Cinema	Screen	2.39:1 area	1.85:1 area	Projector	Sound
Cineworld (Empire) Leicester Square	IMAX	295 m2 (3,180 ft2)	380 m2 (4,100 ft2)	2 x IMAX Laser (4K each)	IMAX 12ch
BFI IMAX	IMAX	280 m2 (3,000 ft2)	365 m2 (3,930 ft2)	1 x IMAX single-laser (CoLa) (4K); 1 x traditional 15/70mm IMAX projector; 1 x Christie (4K) Laser projector 1 x Century JJ 35mm/70mm projector	IMAX 12ch; Dolby Digital; DTS
Science Museum	IMAX: The Ronson Theatre	247 m2 (2,660 ft2)	319 m2 (3,430 ft2)	2 x IMAX Laser (4K each); 1 x traditional 15/70mm IMAX projector [11]	IMAX 12ch
Cineworld, the O2	Superscreen #11	200 m2 (2,200 ft2)	160 m2 (1,700 ft2)	1 x Christie 2K or 4K (?)[ citation needed ]	Dolby Atmos
Cineworld (Empire) Leicester Square	Superscreen	170 m2 (1,800 ft2)	220 m2 (2,400 ft2)	2 x Barco DP4K-32B (4K each)	Dolby Atmos
VUE Stratford	Xtreme Screen #5/6/7/17	140 m2 (1,500 ft2)	180 m2 (1,900 ft2)	2 x Sony SRX-R515DS (4K each)	Dolby Digital 6.1

See also

• Cardboard City (previous name of site)
• IMAX Melbourne

References

1. "Odeon takes over running of BFI IMAX". Ukscreen.com. 17 July 2012. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
2. "The UK's biggest screen, BFI IMAX, to be operated by the BFI".
3. "Avery Associates project description". Archived from the original on 9 October 2007.
4. "BFI IMAX | Waterloo | South Bank London". Southbanklondon.com. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
5. "Design Council website". Archived from the original on 9 July 2010.
6. "Civic Trust Awards website". Archived from the original on 10 August 2006.
7. "BFI IMAX FAQ". Bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
8. "The UK's biggest screen, BFI IMAX, to be operated by the BFI". BFI.
9. "BFI IMAX relaunches following major upgrade". BFI.
10. "About the BFI IMAX | BFI". Archived from the original on 13 June 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
11. "Science Museum IMAX re-opens in December with latest laser technology and original 70mm projector | Science Museum". www.sciencemuseum.org.uk. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2023.

External links

• Official website
• Avery Associates Architects
• IMAX Corporation

51°30′18″N0°6′49″W / 51.50500°N 0.11361°W / 51.50500; -0.11361