Big London screens - Sky Superscreen/IMAX/Vue Xtreme, etc.

[Shasha]

Hi all,

Tonight I will be going to Cineworld Sky Superscreen at the O2 and I'm thinking about booking very expensive tickets to BFI IMAX for the next big movie. I also heard there is Vue Extreme...any opinions on these screens versus standard 2D/3D screens, which are the best value, which seats to avoid?
Is the Cineworld Enfield IMAX any good?

[weirdfilms33]

BFI. Biggest screen in Britain and fantastic sound, although very very expensive - probably worth checking reviews of the film you want to see so you don't waste money on the latest incarnation of Transformers...

[opas]

I would also have to agree that BFI IMAX would be my preference every time if it wasn't so expensive. You can't beat it IMO although I haven't been in a vue xtreme screen.

If you are going to splash out for BFI IMAX I would suggest you try to sit as close to the back as possible and as close to the middle of your chosen aisle. This can entail booking weeks in advance for your chosen film but I think it is worth being choosy, I can't believe anyone can enjoy it in those rows close to the front, the screen is too big for that. They have started doing premium seats for the back row and charge extra (wonder if that is odeon's doing since they formed a partnership) so they do really make you p*y through the nose. So like weirdfilms33 advises, choose your film carefully - although IMAX can make a rubbish film seem better than it is!

[Celini]

Yes the BFI IMAX is a very lovely screen, but as said before you should try to avoid at least the first bottom half (the higher, the better), and the sides.
I have never had any bad experience in term of projection there. Only problem with sitting in the last couple of rows is that you can be bothered by the light coming form the exit, and sometimes by the chatter of the ushers standing there (!).

In my opinion the Sky Superscreen is not a very good screen as far as the 3D is concerned (at least in the bottom section). If you are not bang on in the middle, you will most likely suffer from shadowing/ghosting. But this is only my opinion, and I am unfortunately very sensitive to this kind of details.
I have never sat on the balcony there, so I can't judge.
If I had to chose a big screen for a 3D movie at the O2, I would take the next biggest (I don't remember the screen number). I have seen Avatar there as well as a couple of other 3D flicks, and never had a bad viewing.

Vue Extreme is just another big screen, nothing really spectacular when you compare to the O2 superscreen.

Then there is the gigantic Odeon Leicester Square (avoid the sides and preferably the bottom section), and the gorgeous Empire Screen 1 (avoid the bottom section again).

My personal favourite is actually way smaller and very reasonably price (in comparison)... Haymarket screen 1! I have never had a bad experience there, if you don't p*y too much attention to the faded top right corner!

[claire]

Defo the IMAX in Waterloo every time.

And agree that back half is best
don't sit near front U won't see half of screen very well.

And love that people don't be running in and out to toilet all the time as well.

[Beate]

I don't see the attraction of the BFI Imax at all. If you have seats too close to screen, it's simply terrible. The O2 superscreen is great, especially from the balcony, and like Celine, I love the big Empire Leicester Square screen 1. However, I would never p*y over the top for any of them as a lot of cinemas have medium-sized screens that are just fine - my cinema of choice is actually the Greenwich Picturehouse, and that's not due to the size of the screens but due to the comfort of their seats plus a few other things.

I guess we are all different.

[raj101]

Personally I am not sure how anyone can justify p*ying for the bfi, it is marketed towards the passing rich tourist or drunk but overpaid city worker at 1am. Their prices are frankly insulting to the normal working adult. Its madness, or you have too much money, I am not sure which category each of those two falls into. Even regular IMAX prices are stupidland (sorry if you find that insulting, but there is no other word for it).
I sometimes wonder if IMAX is a product of the me generation tbh, when everyone wants a bigger bit of the pie for themselves now. I used to dig the free posters you can get from the BFI, mind you, and some films do benefit from regular IMAX size screens if shot for them, that's undeniable.


To answer the question, o2 Sky Superscreen on those Monday Sky £3s must be the best experience, though I've not yet been.

[Celini]

As for the extortionate prices, you could usually get around p*ying roughly half price if you could get your hands on Odeon passes (blue or pink ones, they both are valid for the IMAX, Premier seats and Central London) off EBay for example.
You could also get "cheap" Vue and Picturehouse vouchers off Ebay as well.
For the Sky Superscreen, as Raj mentioned, they have £3 Monday tariff for Sky customers. Bargain!

I would love to find a cheap way into the Empire though
(been there only for Premieres, multimedia screenings and other special screenings)

[Shasha]

Thanks for all the tips, opinions. I thought the Sky superscreen last night was o-kay. Not as big as I thought it would be and we only managed to get seats at the right side, not bottom, picture was nice and sharp. Unfortunately our sound was absolutely terrible, way too loud and there must have been a wire fault or something because half of the film was nearly muted (which reminds me to write a complaint) for Man of Steel. 3D effects were pretty impressive though. Was it the cheaper Sky Monday, no wonder it was so full.

Next time will try to get better seats...Thanks Celini for the tip, will try to get some Odeon passes and book BFI for The Hobbit or something :)

[raj101]

As for the extortionate prices, you could usually get around p*ying roughly half price if you could get your hands on Odeon passes (blue or pink ones,

those dastardly IMAX BFI staff told me mine wasn't valid, I will be going back to have words with them now.