IMAX Sydney

Last updated

IMAX Sydney
IMAX Theatre Sydney.jpg
IMAX Sydney
Former namesPanasonic IMAX
Address1/35 Wheat Rd
Sydney
Australia
Coordinates 33°52′40″S151°11′58″E / 33.877898°S 151.199573°E / -33.877898; 151.199573
Construction
Opened1996
Closed2016
Reopened2023
Website
https://www.eventcinemas.com.au/Cinema/IMAX-Sydney

IMAX Sydney is an IMAX movie theatre in Darling Harbour, Sydney, Australia. It is the second largest IMAX theatre in the southern hemisphere, [lower-alpha 1] and the third largest in the world. [lower-alpha 2] It is operated by Event Cinemas and is located within The Ribbon. It features IMAX's dual laser projector. [1]

Contents

History

In 1995, after 18 months of negotiations with the Darling Harbour Authority, Cinema Plus Pty Ltd received approval to construct an IMAX theatre in Sydney. The cinema featured an eight storey screen with the capacity to seat 540 people, and its construction cost $18 million AUD. [2]

IMAX Sydney opened on 26 September 1996. [3] [4] At the time of opening, it featured a 40m x 30m [5] screen, as well as an IMAX 15/70 projector. The cinema opened with a party that was attended by 700 guests who viewed a screening of the film The Living Sea. [4] [5]

In 2012, a new 29.7m x 35.7m screen was installed at a cost of $250,000. [6]

On 25 September 2016, the cinema was demolished in order to make way for a new complex called The Ribbon that was planned to open in 2019. [7]

On 11 October 2023, after 4 years of delays, the cinema reopened with a screening of Avatar: The Way of Water. [8] [1] After its reopening, the cinema featured 325 seats and IMAX dual laser projection system, as well as a 12 Channel sound system and a 29m x 24m screen. [9] [10] [11]

Comparison to other IMAX theatres in Australia

Currently, there is only one other IMAX theatre in Australia, which is IMAX Melbourne. Compared to IMAX Melbourne, IMAX Sydney is smaller in both capacity and screen size, and also lacks a 15/70 projector which IMAX Melbourne has. However, IMAX currently has plans to open up to 40 more theatres in Australia, [12] [13] [14] with one of those locations planned to be in Canberra. [15] [16] [17]

See also

Notes

  1. The largest IMAX theatre in the southern hemisphere is IMAX Melbourne in Australia.
  2. The largest IMAX theatre in the world is located in Leonberg, Germany.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darling Harbour</span> Harbour adjacent to the city centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Darling Harbour is a harbour adjacent to the city centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia that is made up of a large recreational and pedestrian precinct that is situated on western outskirts of the Sydney central business district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Movie theater</span> Venue for viewing films

A movie theater, cinema, or cinema hall, also known as a movie house, picture house, picture theater or simply theater, is a room that contains auditoria for viewing films for public entertainment. Most are commercial operations catering to the general public, who attend by purchasing tickets.

IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio and steep stadium seating, with the 1.43:1 ratio format being available only in few selected locations.

The Melbourne Museum is a natural and cultural history museum located in the Carlton Gardens in Melbourne, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Empire, Leicester Square</span> Cinema in Leicester Square, London

The Empire, Leicester Square is a cinema currently operated by Cineworld on the north side of Leicester Square, London, United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Film Festival</span> Annual film festival held in Sydney, Australia

The Sydney Film Festival is an annual competitive film festival held in Sydney, Australia, usually over 12 days in June. A number of awards are given, the top one being the Sydney Film Prize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinesphere</span> IMAX cinema in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Cinesphere is the world's first permanent IMAX movie theatre, located on the grounds of Ontario Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Constructed in 1971, it is the largest IMAX theatre in Ontario. The theatre has both IMAX 70mm and IMAX with Laser projection systems. The theatre is considered a building of heritage value and shows movies each weekend. It is owned by the Government of Ontario, which owns the entire Ontario Place site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BFI IMAX</span> IMAX cinema with the UKs largest screen

The BFI IMAX is an IMAX cinema in the South Bank 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.

Greater Union Organisation Pty Ltd, trading as Event Cinemas, Greater Union, GU Film House, Moonlight Cinema and Birch Carroll & Coyle, is the largest movie exhibitor in Australia and New Zealand, with over 140 cinema complexes currently operating worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Bicentenary</span> 200th anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet in Australia

The bicentenary of Australia was celebrated in 1988. It marked 200 years since the arrival of the First Fleet of British convict ships at Sydney in 1788.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Capitol, Melbourne</span> Historic theatre in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

The Capitol is a theatre on Swanston Street in the central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Opened in 1924 as part of the Capitol House building, the art deco theatre was designed by American husband and wife architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin. It is the oldest of Melbourne's large picture palaces and is known for its extravagant decor and abstract motifs, including an intricate geometric ceiling containing thousands of coloured lamps designed to evoke the walls of a crystalline cave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landmark Cinemas</span> Canadian cinema chain

Landmark Cinema of Canada Inc. is a Canadian cinema chain. Based in Calgary, Alberta, Landmark operates 36 theatres with 299 screens, primarily in Ontario and western Canada. Its holdings include much of the former Empire Theatres chain which it acquired in late 2013, and some Famous Players locations divested as part of that chain's purchase by Cineplex Entertainment. Landmark is the second-largest cinema chain in Canada after Cineplex. It was acquired by Belgian company Kinepolis in 2017 for $123 million.

Major Cineplex Group Public Co. Ltd. is the largest operator of movie theaters in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. Combined with its subsidiary, EGV Entertainment, the company has 838 screens in 180 locations around Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. Among its properties is Thailand's largest multiplex, the Paragon Cineplex at Siam Paragon, with 16 screens and 5,000 seats, along with the IMAX theater. The second-largest chain in Thailand is SF Group.

Palace Cinemas is an Australian cinema chain that specialises in arthouse and international films.

SS <i>South Steyne</i>

The SS South Steyne is a former Manly ferry on Sydney Harbour. She was the world's largest steam-powered passenger ferry and operated on the service from 1938 to 1974. Restored in the 1980s, she served as a restaurant ship in Newcastle in the 1990s, and in 2000 was moved back to Sydney and open to the public at Darling Harbour. Since April 2016 she has been stored at Berrys Bay. She was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dendy Cinemas</span> Australian cinema group

Dendy Cinema Pty Limited is an Australian cinema chain. Dendy operates in Canberra, Brisbane, Sydney and the Gold Coast. Its main competitors are Hoyts, Village, Event, Wallis Cinemas, Palace Cinemas and Reading. It is a subsidiary of Icon Productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melbourne Queer Film Festival</span> Annual LGBT film festival in Melbourne, Australia

The Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF) is an annual LGBT film festival held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in November. Founded in 1991, it is the largest queer film event in the Southern Hemisphere, in 2015 attracting around 23,000 attendees at key locations around Melbourne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Ribbon, Sydney</span> Australian hotel and IMAX theatre

The Ribbon is a hotel, apartment building, retail store and movie theatre located in Darling Harbour, Sydney. It houses the W Sydney hotel and the third-largest operating movie theatre screen in the world. The building is named The Ribbon due to its unusual ribbon-looking appearance. On its northern and southern sides, the building is flanked by two carriageways of the Western Distributor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IMAX Melbourne</span> Largest IMAX theatre in the southern hemisphere

IMAX Melbourne is an IMAX movie theatre in Carlton, Melbourne, Australia. It is the largest IMAX theatre in the southern hemisphere, and the second largest in the world. It is owned and operated by Museums Victoria and is located eight-storeys beneath the Melbourne Museum. It features IMAX's dual laser projector, as well as an IMAX 15/70 film projector.

References

  1. 1 2 Maddox, Garry (9 October 2023). "After seven years, Sydney's IMAX is reopening, just in time for Taylor Swift". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  2. HARLEY and AAP, R (1995) 'Eight-storey cinema for Darling Harbour', Australian Financial Review, The (Australia), 29 Aug, p. 39, (online NewsBank).
  3. Apps, Jamie (6 June 2023). "IMAX Sydney Set To Reopen". Neighbourhood Media. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  4. 1 2 Crayford, P (1996) 'Larger than life', Australian Financial Review, The (Australia), 4 Oct, p. 14, (online NewsBank).
  5. 1 2 SUSSKIND, A (1996) 'World's largest screen gives cinemagoers B-I-G picture', Sydney Morning Herald, The (Australia), 11 Sep, p. 7, (online NewsBank).
  6. "World's biggest movie screen - 29.7m high and 35.7m wide - installed at Sydney Imax". 10 February 2012.
  7. Maddox, Garry (24 August 2016). "Sydney IMAX cinema at Darling Harbour to be demolished". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  8. Ward, Sarah (9 October 2023). "Literally Huge: Sydney's IMAX Is Finally Reopening with One of the Biggest Cinema Screens in the World". Concrete Playground. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  9. Woodley, Melissa. "The IMAX has reopened in Sydney – with the third largest movie screen in the world".
  10. Bucklow, Andrew. "IMAX Sydney has one of the world's biggest cinema screens".
  11. "Sydney IMAX theatre finally reopening after seven-year renovation". www.9news.com.au. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  12. "IMAX wants 40 screens in Australia by 2029 | ScreenHub Australia - Film & Television Jobs, News, Reviews & Screen Industry Data". www.screenhub.com.au. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  13. Keast, Jackie (14 March 2024). "IMAX outlines its ambitious plans for Australia". IF Magazine. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  14. Weintraub, Steven; Jones, Tamera (20 May 2024). "IMAX Reveals Their Ambitious 6-Year Plan to Expand Across the Globe". Collider. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  15. "Canberra set to get its first IMAX cinema screen". The Canberra Times. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  16. Slatter, Sean (31 July 2024). "IMAX to partner with Dendy on new Canberra location". IF Magazine. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  17. "Imax". canberra.dendy.com.au. Retrieved 15 August 2024.