Following the META Cinema Forum in Dubai last month, whilst there are some concerns within the industry, the growth of cinema is predicted to continue following the recovery from COVID19.
The appetite for moviegoing remains strong, thanks to the backlog of much anticipated films such as the next instalments from DC Comics, Disney, Star Wars and Bond franchises. With this demand for Blockbusters comes the need for a superior quality viewing experience, which will continue to be vital to the success of cinema both now and in the future.
Below we outline some of the key challenges facing cinema builders throughout this period of growth and evolution in the big screen.
Sound evolution
The evolution of sound from single speakers to surround sound has increased the number of speakers typically setup within an auditorium to provide the most immersive audio experience. This growing audio infrastructure presents a challenge for cinema builders as the speakers create a powerful 3D sound field.
Farrat’s most recent installation in Saudi Arabia at the U-Walk Boulevard featured this immersive sound experience by Dolby Atmos, and it was only with CineSTEEL and CineWALL systems that Farrat were able to engineer the levels of sound insulation required to ensure that noise from adjacent auditoria did not provide a disturbance.
Growing number of cinema screens under one roof
Originally cinemas were built in isolation to house one auditorium: 30 years ago, just 1 in 10 cinemas were constructed with multiple screens.
Multiplex’s quickly became the norm however, following increased investment into film production and cinema across the globe. Now as we enter the era of ‘Megaplexes,’ screen numbers are in the double figures with auditoriums being constructed alongside each other as ‘box in box’ systems within shopping malls and mixed-use environments.
Constructing multiple screens in such proximity presents the challenge of elevated levels of sound emitting between auditoriums, causing noise to compromise the immersive moviegoer experience.
Farrat has reacted to the acceleration in construction rate by optimizing it’s Cine range of cinema sound insulation products to increase availability, ease of distribution, and speed of installation to remain as the preferred choice for multiplex construction.
Multiple forms of entertainment in one complex
In addition to multiple screens, different forms of entertainment facilities such as bowling alleys, shops and restaurants are now bought together in the same complex.
Whilst it is critical that noise from adjacent cinema screens does not interfere with each other, it is equally important that noise generated from other retail and leisure sources – in particular, noise from F&B concessions – does not penetrate the auditorium walls, ceiling, or floors.
A current example of this is ‘The Glassworks’, a mixed-use development currently underway in Barnsley, which is set to contain 25 shops, 7 restaurants, a 13-screen cinema and a bowling alley. Farrat provided the acoustic isolation materials for both the cinema and the bowling alley in this project to ensure they were acoustically protected from one another.
In summary
The immediate future of cinema looks hopeful as there remains a big place for the big screen in people’s hearts. Whatever the return to normality looks like post COVID19, there is likely to be an even greater appreciation of the ability to go out to watch a film. With that anticipation comes a certain amount of pressure for cinema builders to provide viewers of the future with the best possible visual and acoustic experience, by overcoming the latest challenges through cinema construction innovation.
If you would like more information on how Farrat are innovating in the field of cinema acoustic isolation and how our bespoke approach could ensure the best quality audio visual experience for viewers, then get in touch.
