A façade or facade ( / f ə ˈ s ɑː d / ; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building . It is a loanword from the French façade ( pronounced [fasad] ), which means " frontage " or " face ".
99-607: The Everyman Gerrards Cross is a cinema located in Gerrards Cross , Buckinghamshire , England. Originally known as The Playhouse, it has continually served Gerrards Cross as a cinema since it first opened in 1925 and is the oldest cinema in Buckinghamshire. It has been owned by several cinema chains and is currently operated by Everyman Cinemas . The Playhouse was built in 1925 to the design of J. Stanley Beard , an illustrious cinema architect and resident of Gerrards Cross. It
198-415: A digital cinema format that uses dual 2K resolution projectors and a screen with a 1.90:1 aspect ratio; this system is designed primarily for use in retrofitted multiplexes, using screens significantly smaller than those normally associated with IMAX. In 2015, IMAX introduced an updated "IMAX with Laser" format, using 4K resolution laser projectors. The term " premium large format " ( PLF ) emerged in
297-631: A movie house , film house , film theater , cinema or picture house . In the US, theater has long been the preferred spelling, while in the UK, Australia, Canada and elsewhere it is theatre . However, some US theaters opt to use the British spelling in their own names, a practice supported by the National Association of Theatre Owners , while apart from Anglophone North America most English-speaking countries use
396-513: A Georgian building, but the appearance is only skin deep and some of the interior rooms still have Jacobean plasterwork ceilings. This new construction has happened also in other places: in Santiago de Compostela the three-metre-deep Casa do Cabido was built to match the architectural order of the square, and the main Churrigueresque façade of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral , facing
495-564: A better view. Many modern theaters have accessible seating areas for patrons in wheelchairs. See also luxury screens below. Canada was the first country in the world to have a two-screen theater. The Elgin Theatre in Ottawa, Ontario became the first venue to offer two film programs on different screens in 1957 when Canadian theater-owner Nat Taylor converted the dual screen theater into one capable of showing two different movies simultaneously. Taylor
594-537: A break in between. Separate admission for a short subject is rare; it is either an extra before a feature film or part of a series of short films sold as one admission (this mainly occurs at film festivals). (See also anthology film .) In the early decades of "talkie" films, many movie theaters presented a number of shorter items in addition to the feature film. This might include a newsreel , live-action comedy short films, documentary short films, musical short films, or cartoon shorts (many classic cartoons series such as
693-697: A charity performance of the Battle of Britain , starring Laurence Olivier . The guest of honour to the event was Air Chief Marshal Sir Gareth Clayton of the RAF . In 1972, the Essoldo chain was bought by the Classic Cinemas Ltd. chain, and the cinema changed hands again. Externally the changes were minimal, with just a simple renaming. The Classic reopened on 26 March 1972 showing Paint Your Wagon , starring Lee Marvin , Clint Eastwood and Jean Seberg . However, perhaps
792-414: A full restaurant menu instead of general movie theater concessions such as popcorn or candy. In certain countries, there are also Bed Cinemas where the audience sits or lays in beds instead of chairs. 3D film is a system of presenting film images so that they appear to the viewer to be three-dimensional. Visitors usually borrow or keep special glasses to wear while watching the movie. Depending on
891-460: A graveyard and ruins, formed an ideal location for his ghostraising spectacle. When it opened in 1838, The Royal Polytechnic Institution in London became a very popular and influential venue with all kinds of magic lantern shows as an important part of its program. At the main theatre, with 500 seats, lanternists would make good use of a battery of six large lanterns running on tracked tables to project
990-411: A large floor to ceiling window was installed. The external brickwork was tiled over. A new readograph was installed above the entrance displaying what films were showing. The original proscenium was removed along with the orchestra pit. The auditorium was painted black and 392 new seats were installed with red carpets and drapes to complement the décor. The kiosk was relocated to the left of the foyer and
1089-407: A new Sony 4K projector, which has a higher resolution than the older 2K NEC projectors which serve Screens 1 and 2. It is also not located in the original projection room. The Everyman Gerrards Cross is just 3½ miles (5.6 km) away from Pinewood Studios and it was selected to feature in a few films over the years. In the opening scene of Carry on Camping in 1969, the exterior of the building
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#17328591193401188-417: A result, the customer geography area of multiplexes and megaplexes typically overlaps with smaller theaters, which face threat of having their audience siphoned by bigger theaters that cut a wider swath in the movie-going landscape. In most markets, nearly all single-screen theaters (sometimes referred to as a "Uniplex") have gone out of business; the ones remaining are generally used for arthouse films, e.g.
1287-409: A screen in front of the stage and adding a projector; this conversion may be permanent, or temporary for purposes such as showing arthouse fare to an audience accustomed to plays. The familiar characteristics of relatively low admission and open seating can be traced to Samuel Roxy Rothafel , an early movie theater impresario . Many of these early theaters contain a balcony , an elevated level across
1386-559: A set in season two of the 2022 television series Heartstopper , where Tao Xu ( William Gao ) and Elle Argent ( Yasmin Finney ) have their first date. Movie theater A movie theater ( American English ) or cinema ( Commonwealth English ), also known as a movie house , cinema hall , picture house , picture theater , the pictures , or simply theater , is a business that contains auditoriums for viewing films for public entertainment. Most are commercial operations catering to
1485-567: A system is used that requires inexpensive 3D glasses, they can sometimes be kept by the patron. Most theaters have a fixed cost for 3D, while others charge for the glasses, but the latter is uncommon (at least in the United States). For example, in Pathé theaters in the Netherlands the extra fee for watching a 3D film consists of a fixed fee of €1.50, and an optional fee of €1 for the glasses. Holders of
1584-414: A total of over 500,000 visitors, with programs including Pauvre Pierrot and Autour d'une cabine . Thomas Edison initially believed film screening would not be as viable commercially as presenting films in peep boxes, hence the film apparatus that his company would first exploit became the kinetoscope . A few public demonstrations occurred since 9 May 1893, before a first public Kinetoscope parlor
1683-786: Is a loanword from the French façade , which in turn comes from the Italian facciata , from faccia meaning 'face', ultimately from post-classical Latin facia . The earliest usage recorded by the Oxford English Dictionary is 1656. It was quite common in the Georgian period for existing houses in English towns to be given a fashionable new façade. For example, in the city of Bath , The Bunch of Grapes in Westgate Street appears to be
1782-560: Is arguably the first cinema in the world. Claimants for the title of the earliest movie theatre include the Eden Theater in La Ciotat , where L'Arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat was screened on 21 March 1899. The theatre closed in 1995 but re-opened in 2013. L'Idéal Cinéma in Aniche (France), built in 1901 as l'Hôtel du Syndicat CGT, showed its first film on 23 November 1905. The cinema
1881-618: Is credited by Canadian sources as the inventor of the multiplex or cineplex; he later founded the Cineplex Odeon Corporation , opening the 18-screen Toronto Eaton Centre Cineplex, the world's largest at the time, in Toronto, Ontario. In the United States, Stanley Durwood of American Multi-Cinema (now AMC Theatres ) is credited as pioneering the multiplex in 1963 after realizing that he could operate several attached auditoriums with
1980-458: Is increasing. The RealD company expects 15,000 screens worldwide in 2010. The availability of 3D movies encourages exhibitors to adopt digital cinema and provides a way for theaters to compete with home theaters . One incentive for theaters to show 3D films is that although ticket sales have declined, revenues from 3D tickets have grown. In the 2010s, 3D films became popular again. The IMAX 3D system and digital 3D systems are used (the latter
2079-497: Is mentioned in the 2010 Guinness World Records . The World's smallest solar-powered mobile cinema is Sol Cinema in the UK. Touring since 2010 the cinema is actually a converted 1972 caravan. It seats 8–10 at a time. In 2015 it featured in a Lenovo advert for the launch of a new tablet. The Bell Museum of Natural History in Minneapolis , Minnesota has recently begun summer "bike-ins", inviting only pedestrians or people on bicycles onto
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#17328591193402178-504: Is shown in its original splendour. The scene where they are watching Nudist Paradise was also filmed at the Playhouse. The cinema also featured in the 1968 film Prudence and the Pill in a scene where Grace and Henry Hardcastle decide to go to the pictures but change their mind just outside The Playhouse cinema. The neon "Playhouse" is clearly pictured in the scene. This cinema was also used as
2277-569: Is still inconvenient and disturbing to find and claim it during the commercials and trailers, unless it is near an aisle. Some movie theaters have some kind of break during the presentation, particularly for very long films. There may also be a break between the introductory material and the feature. Some countries such as the Netherlands have a tradition of incorporating an intermission in regular feature presentations, though many theaters have now abandoned that tradition, while in North America, this
2376-516: Is the oldest known movie theater still in continuous operation. Traditionally a movie theater, like a stage theater , consists of a single auditorium with rows of comfortable padded seats, as well as a foyer area containing a box office for buying tickets. Movie theaters also often have a concession stand for buying snacks and drinks within the theater's lobby. Other features included are film posters , arcade games and washrooms. Stage theaters are sometimes converted into movie theaters by placing
2475-487: Is typically reached within minutes of the start of a fire. Fire stops for such building joints can be qualified, too. Putting fire sprinkler systems on each floor has a profoundly positive effect on the fire safety of buildings with curtain walls. The extended use of new materials, like polymers , resulted in an increase of high-rise building façade fires over the past few years, since they are more flammable than traditional materials. Some building codes also limit
2574-474: Is used in the animated movies of Disney / Pixar ). The RealD 3D system works by using a single digital projector that swaps back and forth between the images for eyes. A filter is placed in front of the projector that changes the polarization of the light coming from the projector. A silver screen is used to reflect this light back at the audience and reduce loss of brightness. There are four other systems available: Volfoni, Master Image, XpanD and Dolby 3D . When
2673-773: Is usually called a " megaplex ". However, in the United Kingdom, this was a brand name for Virgin Cinema (later UGC). The first megaplex is generally considered to be the Kinepolis in Brussels, Belgium, which opened in 1988 with 25 screens and a seating capacity of 7,500. The first theater in the U.S. built from the ground up as a megaplex was the AMC Grand 24 in Dallas, Texas , which opened in May 1995, while
2772-424: Is very rare and usually limited to special circumstances involving extremely long movies. During the closing credits many people leave, but some stay until the end. Usually the lights are switched on after the credits, sometimes already during them. Some films show mid-credits scenes while the credits are rolling, which in comedy films are often bloopers and outtakes, or post-credits scenes , which typically set up
2871-624: The Looney Tunes and Mickey Mouse shorts were created for this purpose). Examples of this kind of programming are available on certain DVD releases of two of the most famous films starring Errol Flynn as a special feature arrangement designed to recreate that kind of filmgoing experience while the PBS series, Matinee at the Bijou , presented the equivalent content. Some theaters ran on continuous showings , where
2970-526: The Digital Cinema Package for the film. Control data is encoded in a monoaural WAV file on Sound Track channel 13, labelled as "Motion Data". Motion Data tracks are unencrypted and not watermarked. Movie theaters may be classified by the type of movies they show or when in a film's release process they are shown: Usually in the 2020s, an admission is for one feature film. Sometimes two feature films are sold as one admission ( double feature ), with
3069-723: The Latham family, was demonstrated for members of the press on 21 April 1895 and opened to the paying public on 20 May, in a lower Broadway store with films of the Griffo-Barnett prize boxing fight, taken from Madison Square Garden 's roof on 4 May. Max Skladanowsky and his brother Emil demonstrated their motion pictures with the Bioscop in July 1895 at the Gasthaus Sello in Pankow (Berlin). This venue
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3168-463: The Ministry of Technology campaign to raise standards. Using a very futuristic look, these 27-seat cinema vehicles were designed to attract attention. They were built on a Bedford SB 3 chassis with a custom Coventry Steel Caravan extruded aluminum body. Movies are also commonly shown on airliners in flight, using large screens in each cabin or smaller screens for each group of rows or each individual seat;
3267-513: The Pathé Unlimited Gold pass (see also below) are supposed to bring along their own glasses; one pair, supplied yearly, more robust than the regular type, is included in the price. IMAX is a system using 70 mm film with more than ten times the frame size of a 35 mm film . IMAX theaters use an oversized screen as well as special projectors. The first permanent IMAX theater was at Ontario Place in Toronto, Canada. Until 2016, visitors to
3366-518: The Plaza del Obradoiro , is actually encasing and concealing the older Portico of Glory . In modern high-rise building, the exterior walls are often suspended from the concrete floor slabs. Examples include curtain walls and precast concrete walls. The façade can at times be required to have a fire-resistance rating , for instance, if two buildings are very close together, to lower the likelihood of fire spreading from one building to another. In general,
3465-435: The "removal of the blue tiling to reveal the brick frontage" which would have been "made good and repointed." However, once the work was undertaken, Everyman discovered that "unfortunately, since planning permission was granted, it has become apparent that the existing brickwork behind the blue tiles is not in a sufficient state to be usable for a new shopfront". Internally the building was also altered dramatically. The wall at
3564-538: The 1570s in the English language. Movie theatres stand in a long tradition of theaters that could house all kinds of entertainment. Some forms of theatrical entertainment would involve the screening of moving images and can be regarded as precursors of film . In 1799, Étienne-Gaspard "Robertson" Robert moved his Phantasmagorie show to an abandoned cloister near the Place Vendôme in Paris. The eerie surroundings, with
3663-415: The 1950s—have up to thirty screens. The audience members often sit on padded seats, which in most theaters are set on a sloped floor, with the highest part at the rear of the theater. Movie theaters often sell soft drinks , popcorn and candy , and some theaters sell hot fast food . In some jurisdictions, movie theaters can be licensed to sell alcoholic drinks. A movie theater might also be referred to as
3762-505: The 1980s the introduction of VHS cassettes made possible video-salons, small rooms where visitors viewed movies on a large TV. These establishments were especially popular in the Soviet Union , where official distribution companies were slow to adapt to changing demand, and so movie theaters could not show popular Hollywood and Asian films . In 1967, the British government launched seven custom-built mobile cinema units for use as part of
3861-460: The Crest Theatre in downtown Sacramento, California , small-scale productions, film festivals or other presentations. Because of the late development of multiplexes, the term "cinema" or "theater" may refer either to the whole complex or a single auditorium, and sometimes "screen" is used to refer to an auditorium. A popular film may be shown on multiple screens at the same multiplex, which reduces
3960-607: The Dark and Warner Bros. House of Wax , the first 3D feature with stereophonic sound. For many years, most 3D movies were shown in amusement parks and even "4D" techniques have been used when certain effects such as spraying of water, movement of seats, and other effects are used to simulate actions seen on the screen. The first decline in the theatrical 3D craze started in August and September 1953. In 2009, movie exhibitors became more interested in 3D film. The number of 3D screens in theaters
4059-483: The Everyman Gerrards Cross reopened on 23 October 2015, just over 90 years after it first opened. On its opening night the cinema exhibited Macbeth , starring Michael Fassbender , and The Martian , starring Matt Damon . The building had been changed substantially to fit into the new Everyman style. Externally the canopy that was added in 1969 was removed and a new readograph was installed which emphasises
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4158-700: The IMAX cinema attached to the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford , West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom, could observe the IMAX projection booth via a glass rear wall and watch the large format films being loaded and projected. The largest permanent IMAX cinema screen measures 38.80 m × 21.00 m (127.30 ft × 68.90 ft) and was achieved by Traumplast Leonberg (Germany) in Leonberg, Germany , verified on 6 December 2022. IMAX also refers to
4257-502: The Old French word "theatre", from the 12th century and "...directly from Latin theatrum [which meant] 'play-house, theater; stage; spectators in a theater'", which in turn came from the Greek word "theatron", which meant "theater; the people in the theater; a show, a spectacle", [or] literally "place for viewing". The use of the word "theatre" to mean a "building where plays are shown" dates from
4356-511: The Playhouse exhibited I'll Show You the Town , a silent film starring Reginald Denny and Marian Nixon . The programme was opened with Madama Ada Davis singing the British national anthem, God Save the King and also included Pathé newsreels and Pictorials . The price of admission in 1931 was: The Playhouse was sold to Southan Morris (S.M. Super Cinemas, Ltd.) in 1947. Three years later, in 1950,
4455-593: The airline company sometimes charges a fee for the headphones needed to hear the movie's sound. In a similar fashion, movies are sometimes also shown on trains, such as the Auto Train . The smallest purpose-built cinema is the Cabiria Cine-Cafe which measures 24 m (260 sq ft) and has a seating capacity of 18. It was built by Renata Carneiro Agostinho da Silva (Brazil) in Brasília DF, Brazil in 2008. It
4554-451: The audience for a sequel. Fa%C3%A7ade In architecture , the façade of a building is often the most important aspect from a design standpoint, as it sets the tone for the rest of the building. From the engineering perspective, the façade is also of great importance due to its impact on energy efficiency . For historical façades, many local zoning regulations or other laws greatly restrict or even forbid their alteration. The word
4653-407: The audience sits upon chairs, blankets or even in hot tubs , and watch the movie on a temporary screen, or even the wall of a building. Colleges and universities have often sponsored movie screenings in lecture halls. The formats of these screenings include 35 mm, 16 mm, DVD , VHS, and even 70 mm in rare cases. Some alternative methods of showing movies have been popular in the past. In
4752-556: The auditoria were removed and replaced with sofas and armchairs, a common theme within the Everyman chain. The new capacity of 115 and 87 seats greatly differed from its previous capacity of 296 and 182. In January 2019, plans were approved to create a third screen in the car park of the cinema. After a few months of construction and a brief closure, the Everyman Gerrards Cross reopened in June 2019 with three screens, almost exactly 40 years after it
4851-409: The auditorium above the theater's rearmost seats. The rearward main floor "loge" seats were sometimes larger, softer, and more widely spaced and sold for a higher price. In conventional low pitch viewing floors, the preferred seating arrangement is to use staggered rows. While a less efficient use of floor space this allows a somewhat improved sight line between the patrons seated in the next row toward
4950-425: The auditorium. Seating was provided for 452, all stalls , with four boxes to the rear. There was a unique standing lobby that ran parallel to the auditorium. This allowed up to 150 people a place to wait to be seated. The screen was 16 by 12 feet (4.9 m × 3.7 m) and the proscenium was 25 feet (7.6 m) wide with a stage underneath it. There were footlights across the stage which cast light onto
5049-451: The back of screen 1 was moved into the auditorium approximately 10 feet (3.0 m), meaning a reduced capacity but a larger foyer. Several walls in the foyer were also removed to increase the overall size. The new foyer has many new seating areas, something its previous incarnations lacked. The new theme is comparable to that of a relaxed bar, and fits into the boutique category that Everyman markets its cinemas as. The theatre style seats in
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#17328591193405148-531: The buyout. However, the cinema remained as the Essoldo Playhouse until 1969. At some point during this period the neighbouring dancehall and café were sold off, as today they are flats, a takeaway pizza restaurant and a salon. In 1969, the cinema was closed and heavily refurbished. The façade was drastically altered into a more modern style. The original entrance doors and arches were removed. Two sets of doors were replaced with more conventional glass ones and
5247-470: The car's stereo system. Because of their outdoor nature, drive-ins usually only operate seasonally, and after sunset. Drive-in movie theaters are mainly found in the United States, where they were especially popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Once numbering in the thousands, about 400 remain in the U.S. today. In some cases, multiplex or megaplex theaters were built on the sites of former drive-in theaters. Some outdoor movie theaters are just grassy areas where
5346-436: The choice of other films but offers more choice of viewing times or a greater number of seats to accommodate patrons. Two or three screens may be created by dividing up an existing cinema (as Durwood did with his Roxy in 1964), but newly built multiplexes usually have at least six to eight screens, and often as many as twelve, fourteen, sixteen or even eighteen. Although definitions vary, a large multiplex with 20 or more screens
5445-539: The curtains which were mauve and old gold. There were also dressing rooms to the right of the stage, as the cinema would occasionally host live performances. One of these was the Gerrards Cross Operatic Society who used to perform regularly before the Second World War . The cinema was opened in the days before the widespread exhibition of talking pictures , so it was built with an orchestra pit at
5544-434: The dark. Since the advent of stadium theaters with stepped aisles, each step in the aisles may be outlined with small lights to prevent patrons from tripping in the darkened theater. In movie theaters, the auditorium may also have lights that go to a low level, when the movie is going to begin. Theaters often have booster seats for children and other people of short stature to place on the seats to allow them to sit higher, for
5643-524: The early 1950s with the release of the first color stereoscopic feature, Bwana Devil . The film starred Robert Stack , Barbara Britton and Nigel Bruce . James Mage was an early pioneer in the 3D craze. Using his 16 mm 3D Bolex system, he premiered his Triorama program in February 1953 with his four shorts: Sunday In Stereo , Indian Summer , American Life , and This is Bolex Stereo . 1953 saw two groundbreaking features in 3D: Columbia's Man in
5742-472: The façade systems that are suspended or attached to the precast concrete slabs will be made from aluminum (powder coated or anodized) or stainless steel . In recent years more lavish materials such as titanium have sometimes been used, but due to their cost and susceptibility to panel edge staining these have not been popular. Whether rated or not, fire protection is always a design consideration. The melting point of aluminum, 660 °C (1,220 °F),
5841-415: The feature film. Advertised start times are usually for the entire program or session, not the feature itself; thus people who want to avoid commercials and trailers would opt to enter later. This is easiest and causes the least inconvenience when it is not crowded or one is not very choosy about where one wants to sit. If one has a ticket for a specific seat (see below) one is formally assured of that, but it
5940-400: The finely detailed images of extra large slides on the 648 square feet screen. The magic lantern was used to illustrate lectures, concerts, pantomimes and other forms of theatre. Popular magic lantern presentations included phantasmagoria, mechanical slides, Henry Langdon Childe 's dissolving views and his chromatrope. The earliest known public screening of projected stroboscopic animation
6039-547: The first decade of motion pictures, the demand for movies, the amount of new productions, and the average runtime of movies, kept increasing, and at some stage it was viable to have theaters that would no longer program live acts, but only movies. The first building built for the dedicated purpose of showing motion pictures was built to demonstrate The Phantoscope , a device created by Jenkins & Armat, as part of The Cotton State Exposition on September 25, 1895 in Atlanta, GA. This
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#17328591193406138-535: The first megaplex in the U.S.-based on an expansion of an existing facility was Studio 28 in Grand Rapids, Michigan , which reopened in November 1988 with 20 screens and a seating capacity of 6,000. A drive-in movie theater is an outdoor parking area with a screen—sometimes an inflatable screen —at one end and a projection booth at the other. Moviegoers drive into the parking spaces which are sometimes sloped upwards at
6237-417: The front of the auditorium and each performance was accompanied by musicians. The entrance foyer was fairly small and octagonal. It had a high ceiling and a terrazzo floor. The box office was located to the right, and the standing lounge on the left. There was also a direct entrance to an adjacent building where there was a café on the ground floor and a dancehall upstairs. To the rear of the building there
6336-409: The front to give a more direct view of the movie screen. Movies are usually viewed through the car windscreen (windshield) although some people prefer to sit on the bonnet (hood) of the car. Some may also sit in the trunk (back) of their car if space permits. Sound is either provided through portable loudspeakers located by each parking space, or is broadcast on an FM radio frequency, to be played through
6435-437: The general public, who attend by purchasing tickets . The film is projected with a movie projector onto a large projection screen at the front of the auditorium while the dialogue, sounds and music are played through a number of wall-mounted speakers. Since the 1970s, subwoofers have been used for low-pitched sounds. Since the 2010s, the majority of movie theaters have been equipped for digital cinema projection , removing
6534-501: The grounds for both live music and movies. In various Canadian cities, including Toronto , Calgary, Ottawa and Halifax , al-fresco movies projected on the walls of buildings or temporarily erected screens in parks operate during the Summer and cater to a pedestrian audience. The New Parkway Museum in Oakland, California replaces general seating with couches and coffee tables, as well as having
6633-946: The mid-2010s to refer to auditoriums with high-end amenities. PLF does not refer to a single format in general, but combinations of non-proprietary amenities such as larger "wall-to-wall" screens, 4K projectors, 7.1 and/or positional surround sound systems (including Dolby Atmos ), and higher-quality seating (such as leather recliners). Cinemas typically brand PLF auditoriums with chain-specific trademarks , such as "Prime" ( AMC ), "Grand Screen” ( B&B Theatres ), "BTX" ( Bow Tie ), "Superscreen" ( Cineworld ), "BigD" ( Carmike , now owned by AMC), "UltraAVX" ( Cineplex ), "Macro XE" ( Cinépolis ), "XD" ( Cinemark ), "BigPix" ( INOX ), "Laser Ultra" ( Kinepolis and Landmark Cinemas ), "RPX" ( Regal Cinemas ), "Superscreen DLX"/"Ultrascreen DLX" ( Marcus ), "Titan" ( Reading Cinemas ), "VueXtreme" ( Vue International ), and "X-land" ( Wanda Cinemas ). PLFs compete primarily with formats such as digital IMAX;
6732-401: The most prodigious alteration to the cinema came in 1979. After plans to build a large 304 seat auditorium in the car park in 1973 and a more modest 140 seat mini auditorium in 1978 were denied on environmental and car parking grounds, the cinema needed to keep up and compete with the rise in popularity of multiplex cinemas . In 1979, plans were granted to allow a second auditorium to be added in
6831-463: The need to create and transport a physical film print on a heavy reel. A great variety of films are shown at cinemas, ranging from animated films to blockbusters to documentaries. The smallest movie theaters have a single viewing room with a single screen. In the 2010s, most movie theaters had multiple screens. The largest theater complexes, which are called multiplexes —a concept developed in Canada in
6930-428: The new owners undertook several interior alterations to the cinema. These included removing the boxes, re-raking the stalls floor and installing new seats. The Playhouse is set a few yards back from the high street, so a new continuous posterboard was erected to draw attention to the cinema from the main road. In 1954, S.M. Super Cinemas, Ltd. was acquired by Essoldo Cinemas. The Playhouse was acquired by Essoldo as part of
7029-406: The octagonal shape of the tower. A new neon Everyman sign was installed, reminiscent of the original Playhouse sign from years ago. The cinema featured an unconventional exterior décor of black and white photographs of paparazzi , however, this has now been changed to more conventional dark green tiles. The external refurbishment has made the façade look very similar to how it looked when the cinema
7128-435: The original auditorium, is a short throw from the screen. Directly above it, the projector for screen 2 faces the opposite way. The new seating capacities were 386 (screen 1) and 213 (screen 2). In late 1985, Classic Cinemas was sold to Cannon and the cinema became a Cannon cinema. In 1992, Cannon was bought by MGM and once again the cinema was renamed. In 1995, the cinema was taken over by ABC Cinemas . The cinema exterior
7227-600: The percentage of window area in exterior walls. When the exterior wall is not rated, the perimeter slab edge becomes a junction where rated slabs are abutting an unrated wall. For rated walls, one may also choose rated windows and fire doors , to maintain that wall's rating. On a film set and within most themed attractions, many of the buildings are only façade, which are far cheaper than actual buildings, and not subject to building codes (within film sets). In film sets, they are simply held up with supports from behind, and sometimes have boxes for actors to step in and out of from
7326-502: The popularity of such shows in France. The earliest public film screenings took place in existing (vaudeville) theatres and other venues that could be darkened and comfortably house an audience. Émile Reynaud screened his Pantomimes Lumineuses animated movies from 28 October 1892 to March 1900 at the Musée Grévin in Paris, with his Théâtre Optique system. He gave over 12,800 shows to
7425-405: The production of motion pictures or in a large private residence. The etymology of the term "movie theater" involves the term "movie", which is a "shortened form of moving picture in the cinematographic sense" that was first used in 1896 and "theater", which originated in the "...late 14c., [meaning an] open air place in ancient times for viewing spectacles and plays". The term "theater" comes from
7524-754: The proprietor of the first cinema in Beaconsfield , the Picture House, which remained until 1927. He was also the proprietor of the Royalty cinema in Bourne End and even unsuccessfully proposed to build another cinema in Chalfont St Peter in 1937. The general manager of the Playhouse was his son Charles "Eric" Cheshir (1902–1991). The Cheshirs ensured films changed three times a week, with a regular Saturday morning children's club. On its opening night, 12 October 1925,
7623-409: The roof of the building. Construction works were undertaken and the second theatre was added above the rear of the original auditorium, facing the opposite direction. The interior layout was vastly altered to incorporate the new design, including the complete removal of the original projection box. This was relocated in a fairly unusual setup in the centre of the building. One projector, serving screen 1,
7722-554: The same items would repeat throughout the day, with patrons arriving and departing at any time rather than having distinct entrance and exit cycles. Newsreels gradually became obsolete by the 1960s with the rise of television news, and most material now shown prior to a feature film is of a commercial or promotional nature (which usually include " trailers ", which are advertisements for films and commercials for other consumer products or services). A typical modern theater presents commercial advertising shorts , then movie trailers, and then
7821-584: The same staff needed for one through careful management of the start times for each movie. Ward Parkway Center in Kansas City, Missouri had the first multiplex cinema in the United States. Since the 1960s, multiple-screen theaters have become the norm, and many existing venues have been retrofitted so that they have multiple auditoriums. A single foyer area is shared among them. In the 1970s, many large 1920s movie palaces were converted into multiple screen venues by dividing their large auditoriums, and sometimes even
7920-472: The screen, provided they do not lean toward one another. " Stadium seating ", popular in modern multiplexes, actually dates back to the 1920s. The 1922 Princess Theatre in Honolulu, Hawaii featured "stadium seating", sharply raked rows of seats extending from in front of the screen back towards the ceiling. It gives patrons a clear sight line over the heads of those seated in front of them. Modern "stadium seating"
8019-399: The silver screen (formerly sometimes sheet ) and the big screen (contrasted with the smaller screen of a television set). Specific to North American term is the movies , while specific terms in the UK are the pictures , the flicks and for the facility itself the flea pit (or fleapit ). A screening room is a small theater, often a private one, such as for the use of those involved in
8118-414: The stage space, into smaller theaters. Because of their size, and amenities like plush seating and extensive food/beverage service, multiplexes and megaplexes draw from a larger geographic area than smaller theaters. As a rule of thumb, they pull audiences from an eight to 12-mile radius, versus a three to five-mile radius for smaller theaters (though the size of this radius depends on population density). As
8217-466: The standing lounge was turned into store rooms. The building was also given central heating for the first time. Seven light boxes were also installed along the side of the building displaying the new Essoldo name, with dark blue letters on an orange background. The Playhouse name was dropped and it became known as the Essoldo Gerrards Cross. The new Essoldo reopened on 29 November 1969, with
8316-402: The system used, these are typically polarized glasses . Three-dimensional movies use two images channeled, respectively, to the right and left eyes to simulate depth by using 3D glasses with red and blue lenses (anaglyph), polarized (linear and circular), and other techniques. 3D glasses deliver the proper image to the proper eye and make the image appear to "pop-out" at the viewer and even follow
8415-528: The term cinema / ˈ s ɪ n ɪ m ə / , alternatively spelled and pronounced kinema / ˈ k ɪ n ɪ m ə / . The latter terms, as well as their derivative adjectives "cinematic" and "kinematic", ultimately derive from Greek κίνημα, κινήματος ( kinema , kinematos )—"movement, motion". In the countries where those terms are used, the word "theatre" is usually reserved for live performance venues. Colloquial expressions, mostly applied to motion pictures and motion picture theaters collectively, include
8514-572: The use of common " off-the-shelf " components and an in-house brand removes the need to pay licensing fees to a third-party for a proprietary large format. Although the term is synonymous with exhibitor-specific brands, some PLFs are franchised. Dolby franchises Dolby Cinema , which is based on technologies such as Atmos and Dolby Vision . CJ CGV franchises the 4DX and ScreenX formats. In some theaters, seating can be dynamically moved via haptic motion technology called D-BOX . In digital cinema , D-BOX codes for motion control are stored in
8613-470: The viewer when he/she moves so viewers relatively see the same image. The earliest 3D movies were presented in the 1920s. There have been several prior "waves" of 3D movie distribution, most notably in the 1950s when they were promoted as a way to offer audiences something that they could not see at home on television. Still the process faded quickly and as yet has never been more than a periodic novelty in movie presentation. The "golden era" of 3D film began in
8712-437: Was a car park for up to 30 cars. Externally the building had an octagonal entrance tower that was constructed with three Georgian style entrance doors which were adorned with neon lights. The tower was engraved with the words "Picture Play House" in the masonry. The word "Playhouse" was also displayed in large neon letters. The first owner of the cinema was the ubiquitous Charles F Cheshir (1877–1954). He had previously been
8811-511: Was altered slightly, with a new red canopy. The large floor to ceiling window was removed and a new box office was added in the recess where the window once stood. The colour scheme in the screens was golden. The life of the ABC was fairly short lived as in 2000 ABC was merged with ODEON Cinemas by its owner Cinven . When the ABC Gerrards Cross was rebranded as ODEON a £250,000 refurbishment
8910-631: Was closed in 1977 and the building was demolished in 1993. The "Centre Culturel Claude Berri" was built in 1995; it integrates a new movie theater (the Idéal Cinéma Jacques Tati). In the United States, many small and simple theaters were set up, usually in converted storefronts. They typically charged five cents for admission, and thus became known as nickelodeons . This type of theatre flourished from about 1905 to circa 1915. The Korsør Biograf Teater, in Korsør , Denmark, opened in August 1908 and
9009-634: Was later, at least since 1918, exploited as the full-time movie theatre Pankower Lichtspiele and between 1925 and 1994 as Tivoli. The first certain commercial screenings by the Skladanowsky brothers took place at the Wintergarten in Berlin from 1 to 31 November 1895. The first commercial, public screening of films made with Louis and Auguste Lumière 's Cinématographe took place in the basement of Salon Indien du Grand Café in Paris on 28 December 1895. During
9108-420: Was located on Berwick Road (now Ethorpe Crescent). Originally, very lavish and elaborate designs were planned in 1923. However, these plans were superseded by more modest ones in 1925. According to a local guide at the time, the Playhouse was modelled "along the lines of that adjoining Buckingham Palace ". Perhaps this regal inspiration was most encapsulated by the large Doric pillars that ran along one side of
9207-633: Was made fully digital, with the ability to air live shows from venues such as the Royal Opera House , the National Theatre and the Metropolitan Opera House . In April 2015, it was announced that Everyman Cinemas were in negotiations to purchase ODEON Gerrards Cross along with three other ODEON Cinemas. The ODEON was closed on 6 August 2015. The new owners immediately began extensive refurbishment works. After 11 weeks of refurbishment,
9306-603: Was opened on 14 April 1894, by the Holland Bros. in New York City at 1155 Broadway, on the corner of 27th Street. This can be regarded as the first commercial motion picture house. The venue had ten machines, set up in parallel rows of five, each showing a different movie. For 25 cents a viewer could see all the films in either row; half a dollar gave access to the entire bill. The Eidoloscope , devised by Eugene Augustin Lauste for
9405-523: Was presented by Austrian magician Ludwig Döbler on 15 January 1847 at the Josephstadt Theatre in Vienna , with his patented Phantaskop. The animated spectacle was part of a well-received show that sold out in several European cities during a tour that lasted until the spring of 1848. The famous Parisian entertainment venue Le Chat Noir opened in 1881 and is remembered for its shadow plays , renewing
9504-416: Was the Playhouse between 1925–1969. The planning applications show that Everyman intended to restore some of the building's original external features, including the original entrance doors, however "the round-headed doorways are no longer in situ and, as such, it is not possible to restore these original features as Everyman had hoped." The planning statement also demonstrated that Everyman planned to undertake
9603-418: Was twinned in 1979. The new auditorium, which sits neatly in a space between two existing extensions on the side of the building, is approximately 55 feet (17 m) by 26 feet (7.9 m) and houses enough space for a small 43 seat screen. The bar area was moved approximately 90 degrees to accommodate the new entrance to screen 3 and a new, bigger kitchen was also constructed in the extension. The screen boasts
9702-457: Was undertaken. Firstly, the cinema was given disabled access for the first time in screen 1. Secondly, a new larger food concessions area was created by taking out a few rows from the back of screen 1. The exterior was also renovated. The tiles originally added in the 1960s were covered with navy blue tiles and large neon ODEON letters were added. In 2009, ODEON Gerrards Cross had its first digital projector installed, with 3D capability. In 2011, it
9801-504: Was utilized in IMAX theaters, which have very tall screens, beginning in the early 1970s. Rows of seats are divided by one or more aisles so that there are seldom more than 20 seats in a row. This allows easier access to seating, as the space between rows is very narrow. Depending on the angle of rake of the seats, the aisles have steps. In older theaters, aisle lights were often built into the end seats of each row to help patrons find their way in
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