A dispute with IMAX and the launch of its own premium cinema format, Epic, means that the Vue (CinemaxX) chain has started closing and converting IMAX auditoriums.
The largest private European cinema chain, Vue, has been a supporter of IMAX for since 2015 – and since 2016 in the UK.
These extra-large screens offer a movie experience you will not find in regular cinemas, even if it is rarely true IMAX. Some moviegoers consider IMAX to be the ultimate theatrical format today.
Vue and IMAX have fallen out
Lately, Vue has turned against IMAX. It started with IMAX's exclusive deal to screen next year's Narnia movie from Netflix, with IMAX accepting a reduced theatrical exclusivity period.
No long after, Vue launched a direct alternative to IMAX in the form of its own 'Epic' premium format.
Most recently, Vue's CEO fired a broadside at IMAX, accusing them of undermining the theatrical ecosystem.
The first Epic by Vue auditorium in Nottingham, England. Photo: VueVue closing IMAX auditoriums
Vue has now begun closing IMAX auditoriums in the UK to convert them into Epic. This has already happened or is underway in Nottingham, Cheshire and Leeds. Epic auditoriums have also been built or are being built in the Netherlands and Italy.
For other markets such as the Nordics, Vue has no timeline to announce at this time, Mirko Engel, PR & Brand Communications Manager at Vue / CinemaxX, told FlatpanelsHD, saying that IMAX remains their premium partner for the time being.
Vue's management recently announced plans to install at least 50 Epic auditoriums by 2027 in addition to the first 11 in 2025. Denmark, Poland and Germany have been mentioned as potential next steps.
Not true HDR
The Barco projectors used for Vue's Epic boast HDR support, but they do not deliver HDR picture quality. The projectors can tone-map HDR signals and deliver higher brightness, but at the expense of black levels, otherwise known as dynamic contrast.
The Barco projector's contrast ratio is still a maximum of 1000:1 (specifications) under ideal conditions (everything in the auditorium is black, even the audience's clothing), whereas theatrical HDR requires a contrast ratio of minimum 60,000:1.
The DCI HDR specification for cinema requires 0.005 nits and peak brightness of 300 nits, which only LED cinema displays can deliver. No projectors are certified for DCI HDR and it would only be possible if the DCI HDR specification gets significantly watered down.
