Boxoffice - May 2016

TECH TALK
CINEMA
TECHNOLOGY
LIVE FROM L.A.
Barco takes its brand from
the projection booth to the
marquee at Regal L.A. Live
SHELBY RUSSELL
Vice President, Marketing
AEG / L.A. LIVE
by Daniel Loria
n The movie capital of
the world just got a bit
bigger. In April, Regal
L.A. Live became the first
theater in the world to
carry the Barco Innovation
Center branding,
as the Belgian cinema
technology company
continues its aggressive
expansion into consumer-facing
offerings in the
post-digital conversion
era. That means the 14-screen multiplex will feature
all of the latest technology from Barco’s growing array
of products—including an interactive lobby, laser
projection, immersive sound, and Barco Escape, the
company’s panoramic triple-screen format.
Although transformative, these changes are more
of an upgrade than a renovation for a theater that
hasn’t shown signs of aging in its seven-year history.
Regal L.A. Live has been one of the most high-profile
theaters in Los Angeles since opening in 2009 as part
of real estate group AEG’s sprawling downtown Los
Angeles entertainment hub, which includes the Staples
Center and multiple dining and shopping destinations.
Its primary auditorium, for example, known as The
Premiere House at L.A. Live, is a breathtaking two-story
hall that seats over 800 guests and hosts more than
20 red carpet movie premieres per year. The cinema
also includes other innovations that aren’t tied to Barco’s
branding, such as immersive 4DX seating and a
recently installed expanded concessions
menu. With this partnership,
Barco and Regal L.A.
Live have created a state-of-theart
premium movie experience in
the heart of Los Angeles. “Regal
L.A. Live: A Barco Innovation
Center represents a new step in
the movie theater industry for
business and technology,” says
Shelby Russell, vice president,
AEG & L.A. Live marketing.
“Together with Barco, we will
be continually committed to
bringing audiences at L.A. Live
the best theater experience they
can find anywhere.”
The Barco Lobby Experience
is the first impression customers
get of Regal L.A. Live’s recent
changes, as digital displays
and a lighting system welcome
patrons inside the theater. All of
the lobby’s lights and displays
combine to deliver movie-specific
marketing opportunities at
different intervals, creating a sort of experiential movie
trailer before customers even step inside an auditorium.
“We have had a phenomenal response from our
guests, who are truly amazed and awed by the Barco
Lobby Experience,” says Russell. “We see tremendous
potential for increasing ticket sales and engaging
patrons while creating a new entertainment experience
that they can’t get anywhere else.” The goal here is to
drive advance ticket sales at decision-making points
for consumers while maximizing in-theater marketing
investment from studios inside the cinema.
Once seated, audiences are able to enjoy a film with
state-of-the-art laser projection and immersive sound
technology. Currently only two of the theater’s 14
screens feature Barco’s Flagship Laser projector, with
the remaining halls scheduled to be equipped with the
company’s Laser Phosphor projectors later this year.
Having seen customers identify and actively
seek out IMAX screens around the world, cinema
technology providers have made significant inroads in
extending their brand identities outside the projection
booth. Immersive seating companies such as D-Box,
MediaMation, and 4DX are all exploring similar
avenues to better highlight their respective cinema
experiences, while Dolby has ingrained itself with
AMC’s premium large format label, Dolby Cinema
at AMC Prime, to drive consumer recognition and
demand. The partnership between Regal L.A. Live and
Barco, however, marks a new step in consumer-facing
branding in the United States; we are no longer seeing
premium technology touted in select auditoriums but
throughout the entire location itself. n
26 BoxOffice ® MAY 2016