LA Live is no stranger to flashy screens, and neither is its flagship movie theater. The 14-screen multiplex is already an intersection of high-tech and Hollywood—everything from a 4DX theater to an 800-seat auditorium built specifically for premieres—but its latest partnership is bringing that convergence into new territory.
The Regal LA Live Stadium 14 has entered into a partnership with Belgian display company Barco to form Regal LA: A Barco Innovation Center. The partnership has turned the theater into a sort of technological playground for sound and display hardware, including a switch to laser projectors and the addition of one auditorium with Barco Escape; a three-screen, panoramic format.
About that Barco Escape format: In theory, it's like the Cinerama Dome's three-projector setup, but instead of a large curved screen you'll find three separate ones assembled at an angle. Barco Escape, though, crams its folded screen setup into a regular-sized theater, which unfortunately hamstrings most of the sense of immersion; sit up close and you'll be craning up and around at an often distracting arrangement, but sit too far back and you're staring at an odd polygonal screen.
Photograph: Michael Juliano
Barco plans to have four movies screening in Escape over the next year including director Scott Waugh's 6 Below, which is being shot specifically for the super-wide format. Most other movies, however, will have to be post-converted to fit the format, which Barco describes as being considerably cheaper and easier than a 3-D conversion. As a result, LA Live's Escape theater is more of a meeting room for studio handshakes for the time being; otherwise, the two side screens retract and it becomes a regular theater.
Outside of Escape, the most noticeable change for Downtown moviegoers will be the theater's switch to laser projection, which has already been installed in two auditoriums. While it doesn't actually involve blasting fuzzy red beams of light at the screen, it does produce unmistakably richer colors and higher contrast, all while using less energy than traditional digital projectors. The tech has already popped up in big-ticket theaters like the Chinese Theatre and the Cinerama Dome, but the entire LA Live theater will be converted to laser projection by the end of the year (Regal has no plans to raise ticket prices).
You'll also notice some additions to the theater's Art Deco-themed lobby. Movie trailers will play out across a coordinated system of lights, speakers and nearly 40 screens. The completely digital system will eventually register moviegoers' dwell time, movement and demographic info to custom tailor future programming.
Regal is celebrating its transformation with a block party today, April 1, at LA Live. Moviegoers who purchase tickets for showtimes starting at 6pm will receive a voucher for a free small popcorn and fountain drink.