Christie®, the world leader in digital cinema projection, is the brand of choice for the first multiplex in Missouri that eliminates the traditional projectionist booth and requires no human operator, B&B Theatres’ Wildwood 10. The groundbreaking multiplex’s booth-less auditoriums, installed by Kansas-based Sonic Equipment Company, are powered by Christie Solaria™ Series digital cinema projectors.
The projectors sit on platforms supported by 16-foot beams that moviegoers can walk under, with a control room on a lower level that is the heart of the digital cinema system. A total of 10 Christie Solaria CP2220 4K-ready DLP Cinema® projectors were installed with six of them set up for Real D 3D presentations.
“The booth-less auditoriums are a first for us. They create a ‘cool effect’ that we believe is the way to go in our new theatres,” said Dennis McIntire, Director of Strategic Planning for B&B. “We have a very strong track record with Christie. Since the projectors platforms are designed to be low maintenance, we needed a projection system of the highest quality and durability, and Christie was the best fit.”
“Booth-fewer auditoriums are an exciting new development and, at Sonic, we thrive on being on the leading edge,” said Eric Olson, Director of Operations, Sonic Equipment Company. “We needed digital projectors that would eliminate the fear of the unknown, and Christie took the fear factor out of the equation. Their projectors perform continuously, without worrying about frequent access for servicing. We have enormous confidence in the reliability of Christie projectors and wouldn’t have attempted the booth-less auditoriums without them.”
The Wildwood 10 Theatres represent the new face of the B&B brand. In addition to being Missouri’s first, all-digital multiplex, it features two plush “Marquee Suites” for patrons who are over 21, as well as a spectacular 56-foot wide, wall-to-wall Grand Screen, also lit up by a Christie projector, that offers the latest in 3D video and audio technology. The building’s façade incorporates an Art Deco spire and vertical signage that were built from the ground up on the site of a former bank, while the interior décor features murals of stylized Hollywood scenes. The Wildwood 10 had its grand opening in October, bringing the family-run chain’s total digital screens to 62 and putting them on track to digitize all of their 204 screens within two years.
Sonic’s Eric Olson noted that Christie Managed Services also played an integral role in his decision to recommend Christie projectors.
“The service allows us to offer our customer a wider range of support and maintenance to help them best manage their new high tech digital systems,” he said. “Christie Managed Services blends seamlessly with our technical capabilities to provide a solid foundation of support that includes expertise in planning, procurement, logistics, pre-staging and integration, as well as implementation of system rollouts.”
Olson added, “I am amazed with how little the theatre manager has to worry about, considering the sophistication of these projection systems. Christie Managed Services is like a full time projectionist continuously monitoring the systems.”
“The best projection systems in the world are of little value if they are not also highly reliable,” noted Craig Sholder, vice president, Entertainment Solutions, Christie. “Christie’s strong reputation in the exhibition community is based on providing products of proven dependability, backed by unmatched technical expertise. B&B’s new booth-less theaters are a tribute to the confidence they have in Christie projectors and our commitment to meeting the most challenging needs of our customers.”
