Cineworld Glasgow Renfrew Street is a cinema on Renfrew Street,

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

, located in the north-east of the

city centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...

. It is adjacent to

Buchanan Bus Station Buchanan bus station is the main bus terminus in Glasgow, Scotland. The bus station is the terminus for journeys between the city and other towns and cities in Scotland, as well as long-distance services to other parts of the United Kingdom a ...

and the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, as well as being close to

Sauchiehall Street Sauchiehall Street () is one of the main shopping streets in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland, along with Buchanan Street and Argyle Street. Although commonly associated with the city centre, Sauchiehall Street is over in length. At its ...

and Buchanan Galleries. At tall, the building is currently the tallest cinema in the world. By 2003 it was the busiest cinema in the United Kingdom by admissions, having attracted over 1.8 million patrons that year. Cineworld Glasgow has 18 screens over 6 levels, and can accommodate more than 4,300 people. Its most distinctive feature is the huge glass curtain wall on the east face, which houses a system of criss-crossing

escalator An escalator is a moving staircase which carries people between floors of a building or structure. It consists of a motor-driven chain of individually linked steps on a track which cycle on a pair of tracks which keep the step tread horizo ...

s which are lit neon blue at night.

History

Cineworld, Renfrew Street Glasgow (geograph 5666419)

The cinema was built on the site of The Glasgow Apollo (1973–1985), which was formerly Green's Playhouse (1927–1973). After the Apollo closed in June 1985, it was demolished in September 1987. The cinema was opened as the UGC Cinema in September 2001. In 2005, it became part of 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, Irel ...

chain, when then-owners UGC sold all of its UK cinemas. Green's Playhouse, the original cinema on the site, previously held a record for being Europe's largest cinema in terms of number of seats (4,368). At over 60 m (200 ft) high, and with an entry in the

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing worl ...

, Cineworld Glasgow is the world's tallest cinema. However, during the cinema's construction, the building design came under heavy criticism from the architecture community. The building was designated the "Carbuncle of the Year" in an internet vote organised by ''Prospect'' magazine, its panel of judges criticising the design's contrast with the surrounding area.

References

External links

Cineworld Glasgow - Renfrew Street cinema page

Cineworld Cinemas UK, current chain site
{{Glasgow Cinemas in Glasgow Theatres completed in 2001 2001 establishments in Scotland

History

See also

References

External links