Cinesphere
was opened in 1971 as one of the world's most advanced
theatres. It was built to "create a space capable
of housing the existing and the future scope of film",
Cinesphere stands as the first permanent IMAX® film
theatre in the world.
Housed in a triodetic-domed structure, Cinesphere was
designed to accommodate all conventional film formats
and also many of the experimental films produced for Expo
'67 in Montreal and Expo '70 in Osaka. Several of these
films could previously be shown only in theatres designed
specially for each film.
Expo '67 and Expo '70 introduced large screen and multiple-image
films to a vast audience. Multiple images heightened the
impact of the film, emphasizing and amplifying the story,
with the large screen giving the feeling of actually being
"in" the picture. By involving the audience
more deeply in the story, the large screen introduced
new dimensions for both film maker and audience.
Cinesphere also introduced
other innovations, including:
single large screen: 80 feet wide
by 60 feet high
armchair seating for an audience
of 752 people
the outer seats of many rows have
the capability of swiveling so that each member of
the audience has an equally good perspective
the steep rake is designed to ensure
an unobstructed view of the screen
Digital sound reproduction capabilities
were added in 1991 for the Toronto premiere of the IMAX®
film "At The Max" - a 90 minute Rolling Stones
concert experience. Currently Cinesphere can present films
with digital sound tracks in the IMAX®, DTS and Dolby
SR-D formats.
