The BFI IMAX is an

IMAX 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 (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating. Graeme F ...

cinema in the

South Bank The South Bank is an entertainment and commercial district in central London, next to the River Thames opposite the City of Westminster. It forms a narrow strip of riverside land within the London Borough of Lambeth (where it adjoins Alber ...

district of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, just north of

Waterloo station Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connected to a London Underground station of t ...

. It is owned and operated by the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

. From 2012 until 2022, it had been operated by

Odeon Cinemas Odeon, stylised as ODEON, is a cinema brand name operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Norway, which along with UCI Cinemas and Nordic Cinema Group is part of the Odeon Cinemas Group subsidiary of AMC Theatres. It uses the famous name of ...

. The cinema is located in the centre of a roundabout junction with Waterloo Road to the south-east,

Stamford Street Stamford Street is a street in Lambeth and Southwark, London, England, just south of the River Thames. It runs between Waterloo Road to the west and Blackfriars Road to the east. It forms part of the A3200. The street has a wide variety of ...

to the north-east, York Road to the south-west and

Waterloo Bridge Waterloo Bridge () is a road and foot traffic bridge crossing the River Thames in London, between Blackfriars Bridge and Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges. Its name commemorates the victory of the British, Dutch and Prussians at the ...

to the north-west.

History

BFI IMAX was designed by

Bryan Avery Bryan Robert Avery MBE RIBA (2 January 1944 – 4 July 2017) was an English architect, born in Wallingford, Berkshire. After his childhood years spent in Lymington in the New Forest, Hampshire, he studied architecture at Leicester College o ...

of Avery Associates Architects and completed in May 1999. The screen is the largest in Britain (20m high and 26m wide). It has a seating capacity of 500 and a 14,000 Watt digital surround sound system. Although the site is surrounded by traffic and has an

underground Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston * The Underground (S ...

line just four metres below, the architects and engineers accounted for this in their design and the entire upper structure sits on anti vibration bearings to prevent noise propagation. The cinema won several awards at the time of opening, including a

Design Council The Design Council, formerly the Council of Industrial Design, is a United Kingdom charity incorporated by Royal Charter. Its stated mission is "to champion great design that improves lives and makes things better". It was instrumental in the prom ...

Millennium Product Award in 1999 and a

Civic Trust Award The Civic Trust Awards scheme was established in 1959 to recognise outstanding architecture, planning and design in the built environment. As the longest standing built environment awards scheme in Europe, since 1959, more than 7000 projects have ...

in 2000. In 2012, the screen was replaced and a digital IMAX projector was installed alongside the existing 70mm projector. In July 2012, the BFI announced that

had been selected to operate it for the next five years, with the option of termination after three years. Odeon will maintain the film programmes, and booking of tickets online and by telephone. This also gives customers the opportunity to watch operas on the giant screen. The BFI will retain a great deal of power over the cinema's operation, however, including parts of the film schedule, the name and the technical operation. To start this move to mainstream cinema, the BFI London IMAX theatre celebrated by having sold 66,000 pre-booked tickets for ''

The Dark Knight Rises ''The Dark Knight Rises'' is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan, and the story with David S. Goyer. The film is based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is th ...

'' in just 5 weeks, giving a total sale in tickets of £1,000,000 even before the premiere of the movie. On 13 June 2022, the BFI announced that its ten year concessions deal with Odeon would end on 19 July 2022, with the BFI regaining control of operations. The cinema will close on this date, with a planned re-opening on 22 July

Changes to the cinema are planned to be unveiled in the Autumn.

Other IMAX cinemas in London

London has another traditional IMAX cinema at the Science Museum (London), Science Museum in

South Kensington South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...

and in December 2008 gained IMAX digital cinemas at

Odeon cinemas Odeon, stylised as ODEON, is a cinema brand name operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Norway, which along with UCI Cinemas and Nordic Cinema Group is part of the Odeon Cinemas Group subsidiary of AMC Theatres. It uses the famous name of ...

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

and

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...

. In 2011, a digital IMAX screen was also opened at the Odeon in

Swiss Cottage Swiss Cottage is an area of Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden, England. It is centred on the junction of Avenue Road and Finchley Road and includes Swiss Cottage tube station. Swiss Cottage lies north-northwest of Charing Cross. The ...

Screen size comparative to other UK large screens

The BFI London IMAX is the largest cinema screen in the United Kingdom. It measures 26.5m wide by 20m high with a total screen size of 530m². However, if showing a film with an aspect ratio of 2.39:1, only 293m² of the screen will be in use, or 379m² for a 1.85:1 film, or 491m² for an IMAX 1.43:1 film. The auditorium seats 500, including 2 wheelchair spaces. The BFI IMAX is followed in screen size area: * The Vue Manchester Printworks IMAX. 26.3m by 18.8m with a total screen size of 495m² (289m² for a 2.39:1 film, 374m² for a 1.85:1 film, 484m² for an IMAX 1.43:1 film). Seats 377. * The

Glasgow Science Centre Glasgow Science Centre is a visitor attraction located in the Clyde Waterfront Regeneration area on the south bank of the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland. Queen Elizabeth II opened Glasgow Science Centre on 5 July 2001. It is one of Scotland's m ...

IMAX. 25m by 18.9m with a total screen size of 472m² (262m² for a 2.39:1 film, 338m² for a 1.85:1 film, 437m² for an IMAX 1.43:1 film). Seats 382. * The

Empire, Leicester Square The Empire, Leicester Square is a cinema currently operated by Cineworld on the north side of Leicester Square, London. The Empire was originally built in 1884 as a variety theatre and was rebuilt for films in the 1920s. It is one of several ci ...

IMAX, London. 26.5m by 15.6m with a total screen size of 413m².(294m² for a 2.39:1 film, 380m² for a 1.85:1 film, 348m² for an IMAX 1.43:1 film). Seats 728. * The

London Science Museum The Science Museum is a major museum on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, London. It was founded in 1857 and is one of the city's major tourist attractions, attracting 3.3 million visitors annually in 2019. Like other publicly funded ...

IMAX. 24.3m by 16.8m with a total screen size of 408m² (247m² for a 2.39:1 film, 319m² for a 1.85:1 film, 404m² for an IMAX 1.43:1 film). * The

Cineworld Cineworld Group plc is a British cinema operator headquartered in London, England. It is the world's second-largest cinema chain (after AMC Theatres), with 9,518 screens across 790 sites in 10 countries: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Irela ...

IMAX,

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

. 22.3m by 16.8m with a total screen size of 374.6m² (208m² for a 2.39:1 film, 269m² for a 1.85:1 film, 348m² for an IMAX 1.43:1 film). Seats 385. Opened Friday 13th December 2019 * The

IMAX, Ashford. 22.5m by 16.5m with a total screen size of 371m² (212m² for a 2.39:1 film, 274m² for a 1.85:1 film, 354m² for an IMAX 1.43:1 film) * The

IMAX,

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

. 24m by 14m with a total screen size of 336m² (241m² for a 2.39:1 film, 311m² for a 1.85:1 film, 280m² for an IMAX 1.43:1 film) * The

National Science and Media Museum The National Science and Media Museum (formerly The National Museum of Photography, Film & Television, 1983–2006 and then the National Media Museum, 2006–2017), located in Bradford, West Yorkshire, is part of the national Science Museum G ...

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

. 20m by 16.5m with a total screen size of 330m² (167m² for a 2.39:1 film, 216m² for a 1.85:1 film, 280m² for an IMAX 1.43:1 film). Seats 270. Europe's first permanent

screen, finished in April 1983 * The

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi was ...

IMAX Cinema at the

London Trocadero The London Trocadero was an entertainment complex on Coventry Street, with a rear entrance in Shaftesbury Avenue, London. It was originally built in 1896 as a restaurant, which closed in 1965. In 1984, the complex reopened as an exhibition and en ...

(closed in 1999) 19.8m by 15.8m with a total screen size of 313m² (164m² for a 2.39:1 film, 212m² for a 1.85:1 film). Seated 300. * The Giant Screen at Millennium Point, Birmingham (closed in 2015). 21.3m by 12.6 with a total screen size of 268m² (190m² for a 2.39:1 film, 245m² for a 1.85:1 film). Seated 385. * The

IMAX,

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

. 21.3m x 12m, total screen size of 255.6m². Seats 691. (Screen 7) * The Superscreen at the Cineworld O2, London. 22m by 9.2m with a total screen size of 202m² (157m² for a 1.85:1 film). Seats 776 (Screen 11). * The Odeon IMAX, Milton Keynes Stadium. 18.5m by 10.32m with a total screen size of 191m².(143m² for a 2.39:1 film, 185m² for a 1.85:1 film) Seats 387 * The

IMAX,

Hemel Hempstead Hemel Hempstead () is a town in the Dacorum district in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of London, which is part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2011 census was 97,500. Developed after the Second World War as a ne ...

. 18.3m x 10m, total screen size of 183m². Seats 281 * The VueXtreme screen at Vue

Westfield London Westfield London is a large shopping centre in White City, west London, England, developed by the Westfield Group at a cost of £1.6bn, on a brownfield site formerly the home of the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition. The site is bounded by the We ...

, 18m by 10m with a total screen size of 180m². * The VueXtreme screen at Vue

Westfield Stratford City Westfield Stratford City is a shopping centre in Stratford, east London, which opened on 13 September 2011. With a total retail floor area of , it is the largest urban shopping centre in the UK by land area and the 4th-largest shopping cen ...

, 18m by 10m with a total screen size of 180m². * The Rheged Centre, Penrith, Cumbria. 18m by 14.63m with a total screen size of 263.34 m2.(144m² for a 2.39:1 film) Seats 262 * The

Liverpool One Liverpool ONE is a shopping, residential, and leisure complex in Liverpool, England. The project involved the redevelopment of 42 acres (170,000 m2) of land in the city centre. It is a retail-led development anchored by the department store ...

Odeon IMAX, Liverpool. 17.99m x 9.76m for a total screen size of 176m². Seats 288 * The

IMAX,

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

. 18.9m x 9.1m, total screen size of 172m². Seats 425. (Screen 10) * The Odeon IMAX, Cardiff. 16.8m by 7.9m for a total screen size of 133m² (118m² for a 2.39:1 film, 115m² for a 1.85:1 film). Seats 209. * The Odeon IMAX, Kingston. 15.2m wide x 7.23m with a total screen size of 110m² (97m² for a 2.39:1 film, 97m² for a 1.85:1 film) Seats 428. * The Odeon Dolby cinema, London Leicester Square. 400 speaker Dolby Atmos audio array. 2x Christie 4K 6P projectors. Seats 794.

References

External links

*
Odeon London IMAX website

Avery Associates Architects

IMAX Corporation
{{coord, 51, 30, 18, N, 0, 6, 49, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Cinemas in London IMAX venues Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Lambeth Domes Tourist attractions in the London Borough of Lambeth Recipients of Civic Trust Awards

History

Other IMAX cinemas in London

Screen size comparative to other UK large screens

See also

References

External links