ODEON has announced it is opening a new Dolby Cinema in London's Leicester Square, one of the first that the cinema chain has opened since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Following the opening of the UK's first Dolby Cinema in the ODEON Luxe Leicester Square in 2019, the all-new ODEON Luxe West End theatre will have a Dolby Cinema screen offering visuals powered by a dual Dolby Vision laser projector lighting up a 13.3-metre screen. Audio, meanwhile, will be courtesy of a Dolby Atmos system through 67 speakers, each individually wired and amplified to ensure a fully immersive experience.
Dolby’s proprietary audio technology, Dolby Atmos, expands upon a traditional surround set-up by adding overhead speakers and treating sounds as objects that can be accurately placed and moved around to create an enveloping soundstage.
Meanwhile, Dolby Vision HDR optimises picture quality with the addition of dynamic metadata that carries scene-by-scene instructions to ensure the content is portrayed as accurately as possible.
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The new cinema is part of a wider rollout of ODEON Luxe, the company’s premium proposition that aims to combine cutting-edge audiovisual technology, comfort and refreshment options that go beyond the standard tub of popcorn to create a sumptuous cinema-going experience.
The West End location has two screens and is situated in the basement of The Londoner hotel’s £300m redevelopment. Scheduled to open in September, the cinema will include a nine-metre 'audiovisual entranceway', as well as an Art-Deco bar offering a selection of wines, cocktails and beers. Film fans will be able to book their tickets, snacks and drinks in advance via app, web, or at the in-cinema kiosks using ODEON's Order & Collect service.
Speaking about the launch, John Trafford-Owen from the Dolby Cinema Group said: “You cannot beat the big screen experience, and we couldn’t be more excited to be working with ODEON to bring the second Dolby Cinema to London and to the iconic Leicester Square.
“It’s been a tough year for the cinema industry, and it’s wonderful to see this cinema open its doors and the chance for communal film watching to return.”
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