“While you’re standing in line you can grab candy, popcorn. It’s ‘Go do your own thing,’” Dobrzyn said. “Now you can pick your own seat, get here any time you want, but now you can come and sit with your friends, you can talk, you can grab some food.”ĭobrzyn emphasized the importance of the free-flowing layout, using the “grab-and-go” style concessions marketplace as an example. “Getting to a movie early to get a good seat is a thing of the past,” said Dobrzyn, acknowledging the rise in reserved-seating theaters. Outside the auditoriums lay a lobby and lounge area aimed to be as comfortable and contemporary as the theaters themselves. The Christie projectors are a departure from the 35mm film projectors that used to power theaters, replacing bulky reels and film canisters with a sleek black box and laser projection, severing the link to physical film entirely. Disney’s “Moana,” projected in 4K perfection, was eye-popping, rendering color and texture in scrupulous detail. The effect of the high-end projection and sound is palpable.

We can point source audio out of anywhere in the theater and as the image trails offscreen, the audio trails with it.” “They’re perforated and we have about 40 speakers in each theater.

“The screens are all latest technology,” said Universal spokeswoman Audrey Eig. Now there’s plenty of room.”īut as vital as it is to keep light and distractions out of the black box, what Universal is putting into the black box is an even higher priority.Įach theater is equipped with Dolby ATMOS immersive surround sound and Christie RGB laser projection, as well as a Christie Vive Audio system, allowing for audio fine-tuning on a theater-by theater basis. “You would find these in a normal Hollywood screening style,” Dobrzyn said of the seats, which measure 32” in width, “It used to be you would come to the movies and worry who you’d sit next to. The black seats do more than just absorb light, they also recline and expand into loveseats, creating an intentional feeling of luxury. Even the guide lights that assist patrons with stairs are a deep, unobtrusive blue. See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour »īlack walls, black speakers, black seats - each of the theaters designed to minimize any and all light interference that might distract from the film-going experience.

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