An Enigmatic Architectural Wonder

Originally built in 2004, the property has been recently refurbished entirely to host modern technical and aesthetical features. The six-screen cinema project has become the talk of the town as it occupies over 2000 square metres and caters to over 900 moviegoers at a time.

Cinema City Elblag in Zielone Tarasy Shopping Mall in the city of Elblag, Poland is one of the latest launches by the esteemed cinema chain in Europe. While the original cinema property was built in 2004, in the year 2022 it underwent a renovation and was completely refurbished and facelifted for Cinema City patrons.

The cinema facility is equipped with six screens and has a seating capacity of 930 seats. The concession corner boasts 6 points of sale along with Cinema Café in the lobby. Unlike other cinemas, the lobby here vaunts a huge glass wall that permits the daylight to penetrate inside the space. This unique feature allows those outside to see the spectacular cinema lobby interior from the outside as well. "We have created more than a cinema. It is a perfect premium venue for events, premier screenings and meetings," adds Piotr Gieraltowski, Architect

Engineer and Founder, Extractdesign. It is the first Cinema City in Poland to be designed with rocker chairs in all of the auditoriums.

He continues, "The design we have created had to be in line with Cinema City's design guidelines, but as usual due to the building specifications we have managed to create a slightly different atmosphere in this project." The design team has achieved a monumental lobby that also has a very cosy atmosphere in the concourse. Since the cinema was previously operated by a different exhibitor, the plans and interiors had to be changed entirely and updated alongside current trends and the standards set by Cinema City.

As Gieraltowski states, the cinema has been divided in to two separate zones that flaunt distinctive atmospheres. The lobby is featured with high ceilings, black deep glossy floor tiles and impressive columns which have been extensively exposed by wrapping them in LED light lines. They beautifully reflect in the black glossy floor and windows making patrons feel like they are in the middle of a futuristic forest.

Once moviegoers have crossed the stairs and entered the concourse leading to the theatres, the ceiling drops much lower and the floor changes to a comfortable carpet.

The carpet brags a new design that has been used for the first time in this cinema. The lighting switches from darker to cosier. It leads people into a calmer, more private and personal atmosphere before the screening. As an optical trick, the team has set walls off the concourse in order to narrow it down in length, which are connected with LED light lines on the ceilings to create a dynamic perspective. It makes the corridor appear longer and illusive.

"It has been a great challenge for us to create a completely new cinema in a former one, something that would not bring memories of its predecessor. We avoided structural changes and have managed to design something that is new, different and reflecting Cinema City’s image and philosophy of 'The best place to watch a movie.' We have worked mostly with lighting and materials to impress people and give them a venue escape from the real life into a magical world of movies from the moment they cross the cinema doors," added Gieraltowski.

When it comes to the equipment at Cinema City Elblag, the auditoriums are equipped with Christie projectors with integrated Doremi/Dolby cinema servers and 3D systems from HCBL. The auditoriums have been readied to display HFR content on MDI Strong's screens. When it comes to audio, the auditoriums boast proven equipment in the form of Dolby CP950 processors, QSC amplifiers and speakers from JBL and MAG Cinema. The installation and configuration of the equipment was carried out by Cinema City engineers.

The cinema refurbishment was budgeted in 2021 when the world and cinemas worldwide were still sinking due to the pandemic. With recovery period underway, the prices were inflated and the availability of many materials were scarce. Despite this, the team at Cinema City Elblag along with the capable team of Extractdesign, have managed to complete the refurbishment process in 4 months.