Home Entertainment Ster Kinekor to open up two more IMAX cinemas

Ster Kinekor to open up two more IMAX cinemas

3 min read
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Movies these days, need more than just a big screen, digital sound and a floor that is sticky due to what I pray and hope is merely spilled soda. It needs to be bigger! Louder! BIGGER AGAIN! That’s where IMAX comes in. Massive cinemas with screens so big, that they have their own event horizon.

We’ve got three such IMAX cinemas at the moment – Gateway in Durban, The Grove Mall in Pretoria and the recently opened Cape Gate in Cape Town. And that number is about to increase by two.

SterKinekor-imax-037

Ster Kinekor have announced that they’ll be opening a new IMAX within a refurbished cinema at Cradlestone Mall in Krugersdorp, west of Johannesburg. The second will be at the new Baywest Mall in Port Elizabeth, so I can finally see Star Wars on a big screen like I was meant to. Here’s the press release from Ster Kinekor:

IMAX’s cutting-edge projection system – which delivers crystal-clear images – coupled with its customised theatre design and powerful digital sound system, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the film.

Says Doug Place, Marketing Executive of Ster-Kinekor Theatres: “As we continue to bring ‘Great Moments at their Greatest’ to our audiences, Ster-Kinekor is delighted to be opening another two IMAX theatres. While all the stringent IMAX specifications have been met at the new Baywest Mall site, such as IMAX’s proprietary theatre architecture, one of the auditoriums at Cradlestone has also proved to be suitable for the IMAX installation. Both cinemas will be transformed to include an enormous, floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall IMAX screen, superior acoustical treatment and IMAX’s projection and sound technology to provide audiences with maximum immersion.

Fans of IMAX who are based in the east of Johannesburg are next in line to enjoy this immersive cinema experience. Ster-Kinekor and IMAX confirmed last year that an IMAX theatre would be installed at the revamped Ster-Kinekor site at Eastgate shopping mall, which is expected to open in late September this year. This latest deal brings Ster-Kinekor’s IMAX commitment to six theatres in under two years.

“Following the successful openings of our first three IMAX theatres at Gateway, The Grove and most recently, Cape Gate in December last year, and their ongoing performance since then, we have assessed a number of possible sites for our next IMAX theatre. It was always our plan to open an IMAX cinema in the Johannesburg area, and Cradlestone has been selected as the most feasible venue to accommodate the complex conversion of our existing sites. Obviously, we are able to plan upfront to incorporate the IMAX specifications in a new build situation, as is the case with Baywest Mall and Eastgate,” states Place.

“We are delighted at the IMAX success that Ster-Kinekor has achieved in just 15 months after opening its first IMAX location, which underscores the growing demand for IMAX in South Africa,” says Andrew Cripps, President, IMAX EMEA.

“Ster-Kinekor is both a world-class operator and a tremendous IMAX brand ambassador. Together, we look forward to bringing moviegoers in Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth the biggest blockbuster films, in the most immersive and unforgettable cinema format in the world.”

“The IMAX Experience® takes the movie-going experience to the next level. We believe our two new IMAX cinemas will prove to be as popular with local cinema audiences as the other three theatres have been. There are a number of big blockbusters scheduled for IMAX release this year, and we are confident that audiences that have not yet experienced a film in IMAX will be amazed at the quality of the picture and the clarity of the surround sound in this most exciting and immersive theatre environment,” concludes Place.

Sweet! While I won’t be able to get my Avengers fix on in time, I’m looking forward to getting my very first taste of IMAX, ever. What do you think? A smart move, or are you still keen for IMAX to hit the East of Jozi?

Last Updated: March 31, 2015

8 Comments

  1. Big fan of IMAX. Can’t wait to see Avengers 2 IMAX…unfortunately 3D, but that’s okay.

    Reply

    • Kervyn Cloete

      March 31, 2015 at 11:27

      IMAX 3D is generally actually very good. Very clear and bright.

      Reply

      • Koko

        March 31, 2015 at 11:29

        yeah, the IMAX 3D is definitely much better. It’s just a hassle for me wearing the glasses over my glasses. But I still prefer Animated movies 3D to life-action 3D.

        Reply

  2. Kervyn Cloete

    March 31, 2015 at 09:42

    This is a good news/bad news situation. Good news because more IMAX screens is always a great thing, and Bad news because now I have one less thing to mock Darryn about.

    Reply

    • RinceThis

      March 31, 2015 at 10:06

      Agreed…

      Reply

    • Blood Emperor Trevor

      March 31, 2015 at 13:37

      You’ve got 99 mockeries but IMAX ain’t one. :/

      Reply

  3. Its Just a Ride

    March 31, 2015 at 14:22

    This is off topic but the film will be coming out on IMAX, will the 24th April screening of Avengers Age of Ultron (incl. on IMAX) be showing the end-credit scenes? will be seeing it the next week as well so just curious.

    Reply

  4. Its Just a Ride

    March 31, 2015 at 14:25

    Will be at The Grove for my first IMAX experience with the Avengers, Can’t wait

    Reply

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