Cinemas of Copenhagen Thomas Hauerslev provides the definitive tour... In this article, Thomas Hauerslev, who is the editor and publisher of “..in 70mm – The 70mm Newsletter” takes Cinema Technology readers on a tour through the cinemas of Copenhagen and also discusses the his- tory, quality, equipment, and statistics of cinema in the Danish capital. Thomas has also provided all the photographs. Thomas Hauerslev (Age Introduction 37) is married to Charlotte As of January 1st 2001, there and they have two chil- were 11037 seats, 58 screens dren, Maria and August. at 13 cinemas (5 single Inside the Imperial - a stunning modern cinema Thomas is an ex-projec- screens) located within a tionist and now works full Danish film pioneers. The and Imperial Bio have lost a radius of 1 km (0,625 miles) time at The European Film Museum relocated and considerable share of the from the Central Station. Most Environment Agency in opened these 3 new cinemas market since CinemaxX of the cinemas are multiplex central Copenhagen. In in 1997 and shows archive opened in week 40 of last screens, including CinemaxX his spare time he enjoys prints every day except year. It will surely be interest- (10 screens), Dagmar (5), studying, among many Mondays. One disappointing ing to monitor developments Grand (6), Scala (7), Palads other things, the fascinat- fact and a great shame is that during the following months. (17) and Palladium (3). This ing history of the cinemas they cannot show 70mm concentration is quite different of Copenhagen. films. from 30 years ago when there The First Century of were no multi screen cine- Cinema Copenhagen. Another 8 years IMAX® too mas. The first Danish performance would pass, however, before Copenhagen also has an of Lumiere Brother’s moving the first permanent cinema IMAX Dome cinema, the Before 1970 the cinemas pictures dates back to 1896. “Kosmorama” opened Tycho Brahe Planetarium. The moving pictures was pre- were scattered all over September 17th, 1904 at Copenhagen. Today only very Since 1989, more than 30 sented at the Town Hall Sq. in few are outside the 1 km IMAX movies have been radius. Those outside are the shown on the largest screen Bio in Vanløse, Park in in Denmark. The cinema has Østerbro, the Drive-in open a remarkable JBL sound sys- only during summer and from tem and of course IMAX DDP January 5th 2001, the Empire digital sound (Introduced in 4-plex at Nørrebro. 1991 with “Rolling Stones At the Max”). The latest nov- The major players elty is the presentation of “3D The major players are: Mania” in ColourCode 3D, a Nordisk Film Biografer A/S Danish invention. with Palads, Palladium and their flag ship Imperial, Market Share Sandrew/Metronome with On October 6, 2000 the Dagmar and Scala, German CinemaxX Group CinemaxX with Fisketorvet opened their first 10-screen and finally the independent complex in the center of The Panorama Cinema from 1896 Grand. Ringside players are Copenhagen, and this had on Town Hall Square Gloria, Husets Biograf, the effect that, for the first Cinema Week 33 Week 41 Week 49 Vester-Vov-Vov and Posthus time, foreign cinema opera- CinemaxX 0 29.3 27.7 Teatret (The latter has the tors are taking a serious bite Dagmar 9.2 8.9 12.1 only rear-projection system in of the audience in Gloria 0.8 0.8 0.7 Denmark. A Bauer U5 is Copenhagen. During the 80s Grand 9.1 8.3 5.5 used). and 90s, foreign investors like Imperial 17.6 10.4 9.9 Sandrew (Sweden), MGM / Palads 39.8 29.9 28.9 Museum cinemas Pathé and Warner/Village Palladium 10.5 4.1 6.1 also invested in existing Also noteworthy are 3 cine- Scala 12.9 8.4 9.1 mas at the Film Museum: Copenhagen cinemas. Asta (Nielsen), Benjamin (Christensen) and Carl It is clear from the table Market Share - percentage (Dreyer), named after 3 alongside that both Grand 12 Cinema Technology March 2001 Østergade 44, now “Strøget”, one CP45 and several the pedestrian street. CP50/55s are still in action. In The Kosmorama has long fact nearly 83% of all screens since closed. Closure of cine- have some form of Dolby mas is actually very common, processor installed. however. Since 1904 more than 100 of Copenhagen’s Until the late 1980s, the A cinemas have closed! In fact and B chains were often out- today, only the Palads, the dated low-end equipment Dagmar and the Grand date from the 70s and the sound back before 1960. quality was mostly rubbish, The fate of the old only just surpassing the quali- cinemas ty of analogue telephone Left - Picture of the the Kinopalaeet cinema in 1959 lines. I’m exaggerating of What happened to the closed Right - same site 2000 - it long ago became offices cinemas? Well, most of them course, but sound was really have been demolished to The big issue today is of the CP650 at 1 screen. There terrible. Most screens lacked make room for new develop- course what kind of sound are two CP200s (There has fidelity, clarity in the high end, ments (in some cases new system the cinema has. The never been a CP100 proces- deep powerful thundering cinemas). During the 1970s buzz word is “digital” and sor in Denmark), 11 CP65s, bass and stereo perspective. wave of closures in the greater Copenhagen area, at Only the Imperial Bio provid- least 16 cinemas were con- ed superior sound with a verted into supermarkets, of Dolby CP50, JBL speakers which many can still be seen. and SAE amplifiers. A simple, They are: Aladdin, Atlantic, yet most impressive set up, Bella Bio, Bispebjerg Bio, installed for “Alien” in Casino, Colosseum, DSB Kino, October 1979. Fasan, Merry, Nora, Nørreport, Park, Platan, Roxy, Skovs- Luckily, it’s a different story hoved Teater & Søborg Teater. today. I think the real turning point came when the Scala Other ex-cinemas still to be opened in 1989 with 5 excel- seen serving other purposes lent screens built to THX in greater Copenhagen are: specifications (but not actually Alexandra (disco), Tivoli Bio THX “certified” at the begin- (Hard Rock Café), Carlton, ning). Many theatres have since upgraded with new Vanløse Biograftheater & The Palads Teatret, dating back to 1918, is showing ‘Titanic’ Øbro Bio (churches), Bio amplifiers and speakers. Lyngby (Furniture store), most of the premiere houses The typical speaker is either Husum Bio (Exercise gym have Dolby Digital installed JBL or KCS. Amplifiers are “Kondigrafen”), Metropol (37 screens, 64%). Second in typically QSC or JBL. (Hennes & Mauritz), line is DTS (12 screens, 21%) Kinopalæet (office space and and finally Sony’s SDDS (2 It still puzzles me, however, due to be demolished in April screens, 3%). Four screens why sound quality in these 2001), Bellevue, Mercur, have installed Dolby Surround newer cinemas hasn’t Nørrebro’s Biografteater, EX, but surprisingly, none of improved tremendously with Rialto, 3 Falke Bio and World the brand new CinemaxX all this excellent and costly Cinema (live theatres) and screens have EX. installed equipment!! An finally Standard Theatret example is the Imperial Bio (video shop!). So, nearly 30% THX and ScreenCheck with THX, JBL and every- of all cinemas are still there, Six screens (10%) are THX thing. “sleeping” like dinosaurs from certified. They are: Imperial an ancient time. The tale of Bio, Scala #1#2#3, CinemaxX I remember getting frequent the closed cinemas in #1 and Palads #1 & #9. In goose bumps from the old Copenhagen must wait to be comparison, there are 36 THX JBL system, but I never get told another time. certified screens in Denmark. that from the new system. A single screen, Imperial Bio The system lacks trans- The Sound of also carries a Kodak parency and fidelity. All films Copenhagen ScreenCheck certification. now seem to sound the same, and there’s nothing Sound on film is not new to beyond 12 kHz anymore!!! It Copenhagen movie lovers. Dolby installations used to be hi-fi sound, but Axel Petersen and Arnold The successful Dolby cinema now it’s like any other “no- Poulsen are ranked as film processors have been name” THX cinema with PA sound pioneers as they installed in Copenhagen sound and exaggerated invented one of the worlds extensively since the first bass. The audience seems first practical sound with film CP50 processor arrived in to like it, but it should play systems 80 years ago. They Palads Teatret on December much, MUCH better with so demonstrated their system at 26, 1978 for “Superman”. Sound equipment installed in the many speakers and ampli- Palads Teatret on October 12, These days the CP500 is Imperial Bio fiers. That’s sad. 1923. installed at 26 screens and Cinema Technology March 2001 13 The Format is the Thing and Dolby equipment and 57% of all screens can show installs THX in Denmark. AB at least 3 standard 35mm for- Global is responsible for most mats; anamorphic 2.39:1, flat of Nordisk Films Biografers 1.85:1 and / or flat 1.75:1 / recent updates and new cine- 1.66:1. Nearly every third mas. screen can show the Academy format of 1.37:1. The Ruler of Design Danes have a long history of Unlike other capitals of the cinema design. The craft blos- world, the 70mm Dolby format somed and developed in the was not used in Copenhagen late 1950s with great cine- (thanks to distributor / mas, purpose built for exhibitor resistance to CinemaScope and Todd-AO. importing the more expensive Holger Pind, Ole Hagen and 70mm prints) until the re- Erik Engelstoft are all names Inside the Gloria projection room.