THX forms strategic relationship with Cinionic to deliver a superior Premium Large Format moviegoing experience
San Francisco, CA – (March 28, 2019) – THX Ltd., renowned for the certification of world-class cinemas and consumer electronics, today announced that the world’s first THX Ultimate Cinema at Regency Westwood Village Theatre will launch in spring/summer 2019.
The company is working closely with industry leader Cinionic, the Barco, CGS, and ALPD cinema joint venture delivering a new visual standard with enhanced services and technology solutions, to bring the THX Ultimate Cinema experience to consumers. This premium large-format (PLF) cinema offering provides a superior movie-going experience that meets all THX Certified Cinema standards.
THX Ultimate Cinema at Regency Westwood builds upon Cinionic’s premium offering, integrating its state-of-the-art dual-Barco laser system, which delivers a 4K resolution image with increased brightness, contrast, clarity and rich brilliant colors for premium large format screens with CGS remastered content exclusively shown at this location. The Regency Westwood Village theater, which boasts nearly 1400 seats and is home to some of Hollywood’s biggest red-carpet premieres, has also undergone numerous upgrades to the sound system and acoustics. These include an increase in low-frequency power to yield a decrease in distortion and an increase in sound power, as well as the addition of curtains to improve the clarity and accuracy of the immersive multi-dimensional sound system.
The design of the Village cinema complies with THX Certified Cinema standards. THX and Cinionic worked with the exhibitor, acoustical consultants, and equipment installers to create a unique design package with architectural and technical requirements to address the audio and visual fidelity to ensure a superior cinematic experience in the auditorium.
“We are excited to collaborate with Cinionic to bring the THX Ultimate Cinema experience to audiences around the world, starting with Regency’s Westwood Village Theatre in Los Angeles” said, Min-Liang Tan, CEO of THX. “THX and Cinionic are respected technology leaders in cinema, and we are confident that this strategic relationship will help meet the demands of exhibition and consumers to make premium entertainment experiences more attainable.”
“The new projection system featured in the THX Ultimate Cinema offering delivers a fantastic image on screen,” said Lyndon Golin, CEO, Regency Theaters. “We are very excited to be able to provide an enhanced cinematic experience to our studio partners for premieres and moviegoers alike.”
“Cinionic was founded to create a new visual standard that drives the industry forward. Our mission to deliver compelling cinema experiences for today – and tomorrow’s – moviegoers aligns with that of THX,” said, Wim Buyens, CEO, Cinionic. “THX Ultimate Cinema allows us to bring Cinionic premium technology to the Regency theater for the first time. Our goal is to help elevate the industry standard and bring premium experiences around the world to a whole new level.”
THX Ultimate Cinema
THX Ultimate Cinema will provide exhibitors with the solution they’ve been looking for: a branded and differentiated PLF offering which includes best-in-class projection technology from Cinionic, as well as an immersive audio system, acoustics and auditorium specifications that meet THX certification standards. This is also coupled with the added benefits of flexibility and favorable economics for the exhibitor.
Driven by dedicated content and strong moviegoer demand for a differentiated experience, Premium Large Format (PLF) is one of the fastest-growing and most active areas of commercial cinema exhibition, with significant potential to grow exponentially in size over the next several years. With the business environment for PLF cinema also becoming increasingly competitive and saturated amid a startling array of brands and technologies, many exhibitors have been seeking a PLF partner that offers best-in class technologies, flexible implementation options, and a strong cinema brand that resonates with consumer audiences.
For over 35 years, THX has maintained a reputation as the acclaimed worldwide brand for optimizing the audio and visual fidelity of the entertainment experience in the cinema. THX and Cinionic are working with additional exhibitors around the world to bring the THX Ultimate Cinema experience to market and will announce new partners as installation plans are completed.