The cinema’s six screens, including a premiere Dolby Atmos-equipped theatre, fully meet DCI sound specifications
Vladikavkaz is a major city in the south of Russia with a history stretching back all the way to 1784, when it was founded by Catherine the Great. In November last year, the foundations were laid for a new era in the city’s life – a cinematic one. It is here that the Stolichny multiplex has opened, becoming the first multiscreen cinema in the region, as well as the first cinema in the region to be fully equipped with cutting-edge Christie Vive AudioTM sound systems.
The cinema’s six screens can accommodate a total of 787 filmgoers. Each screen is equipped with Christie Solaria digital DLP Cinema projectors and Vive Audio sound systems, capable of making their presence felt in any theatre. Vive Audio systems are built using ribbon driver technology, ensuring a superior quality of sound, and work together with high-efficiency line array loudspeakers and powerful Class D amplification.
An event for the city
Another new attraction for Vladikavkaz residents, which has opened on the same floor as the Stolichny multiplex, is entertainment centre Stolichny Gorodok. Mezhdunarodnaya Street, where the centre is located, has become a place which truly embodies the highest global standards in film screening. Thanks to the Dolby Atmos-equipped screen, viewers can be among the first in the country, and even the world, to view some premieres.
“I’m delighted and proud to be attending the opening of this exciting new cinema, which is significant not just for the city, but also for the country as a whole”, said Alexey Stolbikhin, Technical Department Head at Nevafilm, which installed the equipment. “This project was the result of mutual desire and mutual efforts on all sides: first and foremost on the part of the cinema itself and the team lead by Denis Donets, with the direct and extensive involvement of specialists from Christie, and from Nevafilm.”
A capital-sized multiplex
The pride of the complex is its premiere theatre, which is equipped with a cutting-edge Dolby Atmos sound system and has a capacity of 282. “The technology surrounding the Dolby Atmos sound system is revolutionary in itself, creating a maximally realistic sound picture of what is happening which puts viewers right at the centre of events – and the installation of 41 Christie Vive Audio loudspeakers in the theatre has taken this to an entirely new level”, said Denis Donets, the cinema’s technical director. “The scale of what is installed here is truly impressive; we’ve made use of a whole series of innovative Vive Audio equipment. Five high-power Christie Vive LA4HF/S215LF screen channel loudspeakers are installed in full compliance with Dolby Atmos theatre specifications. The space is also outfitted with eight LA3C ceiling surround speakers, and high-power LA4S (x10) and LA3S (x12) speakers. Complementing the system in the theatre are four S118 and two S215LF subwoofers. Providing amplification are Vive Audio low (500W), medium (850W) and high-power (1500W) amplifiers: the CDA2 (x3), the CDA3 (x8), and the CDA5 (x7).”
The premiere theatre is the cinema’s fourth screen, and features a Christie CP2230 projector and 17-metre-wide perforated silver Harkness Hall screen. The remaining screens have more modest capacities: the first and second can seat up to 99 viewers each, the third screen has a capacity of 106, the fifth is a VIP screen with enhanced comfort seats for 47 viewers, and the sixth has 156 seats. These auditoriums feature three Christie CP2220 and two Christie CP2215 projectors with Clarus 270 screens. For 3D movies, equipment by Master Image (MI Gorizont and MI Wave3D) and Volfoni 3D glasses are used.
Quite justifiably, Denis Donets has a high opinion of the work done: “We’ve been working with Christie equipment for around 10 years now, since the first projection systems started appearing in the region’s cinemas. Our experience working together with a team from this manufacturer, as well as its partners, shows that this is a company you can rely on and make your first choice.”
Only a month after it was opened, the Stolichny cinema in Vladikavkaz has become more than just another civic leisure facility. It is a central landmark on the cultural and entertainment map: this is where people come for a sensory cinematic experience on an entirely new level. Denis notes that the opening of the cinema coincided successfully with the launch of the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, based on J.K. Rowling’s creation, in which special effects play a crucial role: “Our viewers really appreciated it! They’ve been similarly appreciative of all the cinema content shown here, from blockbusters to broadcasts of masterpieces from theatre and opera stages around the world, shown on all six screens of the Stolichny complex with its new quality of sound.”
Not just Hollywood, not just in the capital
Showing performances from the nation’s most prestigious stages on cinema screens is just one 
aspect of the major cultural and social project ‘Theatrical Russia’, run by the Peace and Harmony Foundation with the support of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation in partnership with regional authorities. The main objective of the project is to introduce audiences in Russian cities to the best dramatic performances from Moscow and St. Petersburg, either broadcast live or in recorded form. New cinematic technologies, in combination with high-speed Internet, make it possible to build a ‘theatrical bridge’ which can help to bring the inhabitants of larger and smaller cities closer together culturally.
“Superior cinema sound has reached a new level, which can give cinemas a competitive advantage”, confirms Adil Zerouali, Senior Sales Director EMEA at Christie. “We are happy and proud to announce that the Stolichny cinema in Vladikavkaz has become the first multiplex in Russia to be fully equipped with Christie solutions, including the Christie Vive Audio sound system. Ever since they were first introduced to the market, Christie Vive Audio systems have continued to gain momentum in creating captivating sound solutions for cinemas.”