IF you've ever wondered what a hobbit the size of a building looks like, your day has arrived.
Nottingham's Cineworld, in the Cornerhouse, is getting an IMAX theatre, which combines advanced digital sound and projection with a huge, slightly curved screen to give cinema-goers an experience that seems not just bigger, but more fully immersive.
Equipment for the theatre was yesterday loaded through the Cornerhouse roof. The new theatre will open on December 14.
The first film scheduled to be shown is The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which is also released in the UK on that day.
Cinema bosses are hoping punters will be dazzled by Hollywood blockbusters shown on screens more similar in size to the Hollywood sign.
"We couldn't be more excited to be bringing this amazing cinema experience to our customers," said Katherine Ogden, Cineworld Nottingham's general manager.
"We can't wait to open this screen in style."
Cineworld has been adding IMAX theatres to several of its cinemas across Britain, although they remain relatively rare. There are about two dozen in the country, a third of which are in the London area. The Cornerhouse IMAX will be the region's first.
"We're very excited to have the only cinema in the East Midlands with an IMAX screen," said Cornerhouse manager Suzanne Green.
"The work to install it is creating a real buzz at the venue and we can't wait for cinemagoers to come to Cineworld Nottingham and experience it. We believe it will be the perfect place to watch this year's Christmas blockbusters."
The IMAX film format has existed for more than four decades – it was created in Canada in the late 1960s – although it has only been in recent years that mainstream films could be converted into it.
For a number of years, IMAX films had to be shot using IMAX equipment and, due to technical restrictions, were typically shorter than conventional films.
Nature documentaries and other films that could take advantage of IMAX's sweeping, panoramic qualities were typically the most popular.
That changed a decade ago with the rise of digital re-mastering technology that allowed conventionally-shot films to be shown in IMAX theatres.
Advances in the technology have also allowed some big-budget films to be shot partly with IMAX cameras.
The Dark Knight, the 2008 Batman film, was the first major studio film to be shot partly with IMAX technology.
The equipment is now being installed in Cineworld Nottingham's Cinema 4.
