93-492: The Embassy Cinema is a former cinema in the town of Chadwell Heath , Greater London . It was once known, among locals, as The Gaumont . It was designed in an art deco style, with a streamline moderne interior, by Harry Weston in 1934. The building is situated on the border of Redbridge and Barking & Dagenham , in the Chadwell Heath District Centre. The cinema closed in 1966 and became
186-603: A Bingo Hall . In 2015, following the closure of the Bingo Hall, it was then used as a wedding hall/banqueting suite. The building was listed as an Asset of Community Value by the 'Chadwell Heath South Residents' Association' in August 2017 and is currently the focus of a major cinema restoration project . The Embassy Cinema was opened on 17 May 1934 by the Mayor of Ilford , Alderman B.S.J Pitt. It featured 1,812 seats: 1,232 in
279-415: 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
372-412: 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 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
465-651: 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
558-573: 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
651-537: 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
744-414: 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
837-464: 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
930-597: A history of the cinema produced by Lyons, was one of the first films to be shown on the opening night. The programme was continued with a Mickey Mouse Disney cartoon, 'Fury of the Jungle' featuring Donald Cook and Peggy Shannon , and Constance Cummings in Broadway Through a Keyhole . Five months after the Embassy Cinema opened, it was taken over by Provincial Cinematograph Theatres (PCT) as part of
1023-501: A leading entertainment and catering company. A director of the company from 1953 up until 1978, Morley left the business after a disagreement with its then parent company, Grand Metropolitan . In 1990, the Rank Organisation made an offer of £512m to acquire Mecca Leisure Group. This was initially rejected, then accepted two months later. In 2007, Mecca Bingo and its parent company suffered significant losses, attributed to
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#17327796201361116-567: A live orchestra. A 24-foot deep stage and orchestra pit, in the auditorium, could accommodate live performances as there were also four adjacent dressing rooms. The large screen was controlled by a mechanism, that could make it move backwards and forwards. When a picture was showing it was lowered towards the audience, thereby minimising eye-strain. The latest system of Western Electric wide-range apparatus provided rich sound quality and substantially high production value; Sinden and Lyons wanted to ensure that hearing would be perfect from every seat in
1209-548: A restoration project with the goal of creating a new "cultural epicentre" of Redbridge and Barking and Dagenham by acquiring the building and restoring it to a two-screen cinema and shared community space - a project which is estimated to cost more than £3,000,000. In August 2018, the Chadwell Heath South Residents' Association were awarded a grant, for the sum of £14,940 by the Power to Change Trust and
1302-417: 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.
1395-409: 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
1488-663: 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 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
1581-584: 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
1674-414: 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
1767-418: Is a large window over the entrance which allows light into the ballroom. The double-height entrance foyer behind featured Art Deco metalwork and a floodlit glass column of crystalline rods. The auditorium originally had a ‘saucered’ floor to improve sight-lines from the seats. The splay walls featured horizontal fins which extended across decorative panels and grillwork, leading towards the proscenium arch which
1860-575: 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
1953-641: 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
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#17327796201362046-458: 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
2139-503: 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
2232-576: 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
2325-516: 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
2418-474: 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
2511-806: 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
2604-424: 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
2697-640: 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
2790-536: 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
2883-754: 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
Embassy Cinema, Chadwell Heath - Misplaced Pages Continue
2976-467: The Mecca branding would be discontinued at the location as a result of the unrest and offence caused; as of 2018, however, the company's own branch locator on their website confirms that the location is still operating under the Mecca brand. In December 2015, Mecca Bingo was ordered to forfeit nearly £1 million after allowing a woman to spend up to £50,000 a month on her gambling addiction. Mecca Bingo
3069-673: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government , to fund a feasibility study for the restoration project. The study consisted of architectural feasibility, business viability and market research. It was published in May 2019, yielding successful results. Harry Weston designed the Embassy Cinema in a more lavish style than would have been usual for a Gaumont Cinema. Its façade had a Modernist horizontal emphasis, faced in cream/'biscuit' coloured faience tiling above and black faience tiles below, with chromium plated fittings, enhanced by neon strip lighting and illuminated signs at night. There
3162-413: 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;
3255-582: The Muslim community in Luton , Bedfordshire were dissatisfied with the renaming of a local bingo hall under the Mecca Bingo brand, whose name is phonetically identical with Mecca , the holiest city of Islam , a religion in which gambling is not permitted. On Christmas Day that year, bricks were thrown through the bingo hall's windows, causing £3000 of damage. Company management subsequently announced that
3348-522: 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
3441-549: The Planning Inspectorate , but inspectors concluded that the use of the premises as a venue available for hire is a breach of planning regulations and the enforcement notice was upheld. The owners were ordered to stop using the building as a banqueting suite by 15 January 2020 or face prosecution. On 8 August 2017, the Chadwell Heath South Residents' Association successfully listed the Embassy Cinema as an Asset of Community Value. The community group then launched
3534-604: 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
3627-561: The 1930s, mostly for the Gaumont British Picture Corporation . It was known as a 'Super Cinema' as it also incorporated theatre, staging live variety shows and orchestral/organ performances. The Managing Directors, Charles A. Sinden and Mr P. Lyons, as well as the Secretary of 'Embassy (Chadwell Heath) Ltd.', Mr R. Teppett, were instrumental in the creation of the cinema. 'A Short Story about The Embassy',
3720-511: 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
3813-698: The British Gambling Commission and the Alderney Gambling Control Commission . Eric Morley , British television host and founder of the Miss World pageant, is accredited with popularising the game of bingo in Britain during the early sixties, as a tactic to fill Britain's dance halls. In 1952, he was Mecca's general manager of dancing. He changed the company from a small catering and dancing firm into
Embassy Cinema, Chadwell Heath - Misplaced Pages Continue
3906-467: 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
3999-562: 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
4092-679: The Gaumont Theatre was taken over by the Rank Organisation and re-named the Odeon Chadwell Heath. However, it ultimately closed as a cinema on 28 July 1966 with James Garner in Duel at Diablo and Bob Hope in 'Boy, Did I Get A Wrong Number' as the final screenings. Within hours of the closing of the doors, to the Odeon Chadwell Heath, workmen moved in to convert the cinema into a Bingo Hall. The auditorium
4185-638: The Gaumont chain, and operated as the 'Gaumont Palace Theatre' from October 1934. It ran throughout the Second World War and was never sub-divided. The Gaumont Palace Theatre was re-named 'Gaumont Theatre', from 1937, and continued under Gaumont British management. After the Second World War, Picture Palaces all over Britain began free entertainment for children. This was known as 'The Saturday Morning Picture Club'. A published extract from
4278-722: 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
4371-662: The Mecca Bingo brand includes meccabingo.com and a number of mobile apps . Mecca Bingo is the largest National Bingo Game operator in Britain. As of June 2015, Mecca Bingo's revenue was recorded at £224.4 million, with an operating profit of £28.9 million. The Rank Group reports there are one million customers who visit Mecca each year, with £65.2 million revenue generated from digital. The Mecca network currently employs more than 11,000 people across Britain. Their halls host traditional and electronic versions of bingo, including slot -style games. Mecca are licensed and regulated by
4464-512: 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
4557-613: 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
4650-623: The audience for a sequel. Mecca Bingo Mecca Bingo (formerly called Top Rank) is a British operator of bingo clubs, with 55 locations throughout the country. Mecca Bingo is owned by the Rank Group , which operates bingos, casinos and online gambling in Belgium , Spain and Britain. The Rank Group also own Grosvenor Casinos and Enracha. Mecca Bingo was established in 1961, and its headquarters are in Maidenhead . An extension of
4743-407: 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
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#17327796201364836-409: 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
4929-470: 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
5022-436: 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
5115-506: The current Mayfair Venue in December 2015. The Mayor of Redbridge, Councillor Barbara White, attended the grand opening with around 800 guests. Redbridge Council repeatedly refused planning permission for the building to be used as a venue for hire, banqueting suite, wedding hall or conference centre. Three change of use planning applications were refused in 2017, 2019 and 2020. In June 2018, Redbridge Council issued an enforcement notice to
5208-434: 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
5301-482: 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 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
5394-529: 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
5487-415: 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
5580-400: 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
5673-552: 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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#17327796201365766-546: 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
5859-521: The first of its kind in Britain. The decoration scheme followed lines of effective simplicity, with the dominating colour of the wall being old gold . The seats were of the tip-up variety, upholstered in green velvet. The carpets were green and beige, whilst the curtains, hangings (and even the uniforms of the ushers and attendants) also embodied the same colour scheme. Citations Sources Movie theatre A movie theater ( American English ) or cinema ( Commonwealth English ), also known as
5952-409: 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
6045-510: 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
6138-457: The house. Concealed lighting was fitted throughout the building, and controlled from the roof, to achieve special, flat skylight effects. To lower the levels of humidity, the air, to the amount of two million cubic feet per hour, was drawn into a purifying chamber by huge, electric fans. It was then filtered, washed, heated and cooled by means of this inventive ventilation system; thus ensuring equable temperature in all seasons. The projector room
6231-586: The implementation of the smoking ban in Britain. Rank shut nine Mecca Bingo clubs, with 230 people losing their jobs. In 2015, Mecca Bingo launched a marketing campaign featuring a twerking cactus. The campaign adverts helped to increase Mecca's digital sales by 18 per cent, year on year, in the 20 weeks to 17 May. In 2022, Mecca Bingo partnered with Britain's Got Talent and became the show's official bingo partner. The deal allows Mecca Bingo to produce Britain's Got Talent -themed bingo games for their online offering and in-person venues. In 1997, members of
6324-520: The lease. The smoking ban in England , as well as the Great Recession , had been the main factors in the loss of members. After a short vacant period, the premises was acquired by Vinod Nagrecha and Hasmukh Nagrecha and a lease was granted to Wazid Hassan (Shelim) to create a venue for weddings and other functions. The refurbishment process lasted for nine months, and the building re-opened as
6417-506: The memories of a local resident of Chadwell Heath, Patricia Duyshart, described the frivolities in depth: "The Gaumont Cinema in Chadwell Heath issued all children with free passes that were shown on entry. Long before opening time, huge crowds of squabbling children were queuing up outside the cinema, all of them trying to push in the line...When the doors at last opened, there was the biggest rush you ever saw..." In February 1964,
6510-946: 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;
6603-502: The owners to "cease the unauthorised use of the premises as a banqueting hall/venue for hire" as it was "considered to be having a negative impact on the amenity of the surrounding residences as a result of noise, disturbance, anti-social behaviour and parking issues". The local authority stated that the owners failed to demonstrate how the Mayfair Venue satisfies "a local need". The owners of the Mayfair Venue appealed this notice to
6696-512: 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
6789-405: 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
6882-554: 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
6975-590: 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
7068-477: 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"
7161-399: 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
7254-414: 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
7347-576: The stalls and 580 in the circle. A number of local newspapers cited it as "the last word in splendour and comfort". Construction began in mid-December 1933, and the majority of it lasted for only twenty-two weeks. It was designed and part-owned by the architect Harry Weston, and was the second of eight cinemas that he is known to have designed. He had previously designed the Plaza Cinema in Worthing (1933) and went on to design another six cinemas during
7440-402: 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
7533-528: 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
7626-572: 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
7719-470: 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
7812-689: Was awarded "Bingo Operator of the Year" at the 2016 International Gaming Awards. It won the same award in 2014 and 2015, with the Rank Group also winning "Socially Responsible Operator of the Year (Land Based)". Mecca Bingo won two awards at the 2016 EGR Innovation and Marketing Awards: "Best Native App " and "Innovation in Bingo" for their Emoji Bingo game – an app that swaps bingo balls for emojis . In 2017, Mecca Bingo won WhichBingo awards for Best Customer Services and Most Socially Responsible, along with
7905-399: Was backlit from the rim. Many of these features have survived, and show how Weston carried his Art Deco/streamline moderne style throughout all of his cinema’s spaces and details. The Embassy Cinema encompassed a number of innovative ideas, some of which were unknown in the cinema world at the time. It featured a tea-lounge and artistic café, as well as a ballroom for dancing to the sound of
7998-646: 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
8091-760: Was completely redecorated, and the foyer was transformed into a buffet. The projectors and Compton organ were sold, and the large screen was removed. It was to be open for seven days a week with two matinees on Mondays and Thursdays. The Bingo hall was the fifty-second ever Rank club, but the first Rank hall in the area – the premises was re-named as 'The Top Rank Club'. The opening night was hosted by Tommy Trinder (CBE). Top Rank's area manager stated: "We decided to go over to bingo in June, because there are already plenty of cinemas – in Whalebone Lane and Romford – but very few bingo halls in this part of London." The hall
8184-432: Was equipped with a closed-circuit television and direct contact via teleprinters, to enable the bingo players to compete with Top Rank Club members in the 52 other halls all over Britain. Decades later, the club began operating as a Mecca Bingo . The hall closed on 15 June 2014. More than 400 people attended the final night of bingo. Falling membership meant that the owners, Rank Plc, believe it financially viable to renew
8277-424: Was large enough to contain three to five projectors, and lighting control boxes for the stage, balcony and auditorium (manufactured by 'Major Equipment Co. Ltd' of Westminster ). The auditorium housed a Compton 3-manual/8-rank organ . The glass console of the organ had a unique green colour scheme, and the special illumination was an idea introduced by Lyons; an innovation that he perfected years earlier, and one of
8370-650: 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
8463-620: 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
8556-536: 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
8649-508: 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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