Pictureville Cinema sits inside the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford, West Yorkshire, occupying a space that was originally built as the theatre for Bradford Central Library, which opened in 1967. That original auditorium was transformed into one of the most technically advanced cinema screens in the world, opening on 8 April 1992 with a charity screening of Hook in 70 mm and six-channel stereophonic sound.
Projection and Sound Capabilities
Pictureville is equipped for 35 mm, 70 mm, 4K resolution, and Cinerama projection – a combination that puts it among the best-equipped public cinemas anywhere. The sound systems installed include Dolby Digital EX, DTS, and 8-channel SDDS, giving the auditorium a technical specification that few screens in the world can match. Notably, it holds the only public Cinerama projection system outside the United States.
Cinerama at Pictureville
The first Cinerama screening at Pictureville took place on 16 June 1993, with a showing of This Is Cinerama. Cinerama was a widescreen format developed in the early 1950s that used three synchronised projectors to fill a deeply curved screen. Having the only publicly accessible Cinerama setup outside the USA makes Pictureville a genuinely unusual destination for cinema enthusiasts. Regular Cinerama screenings continue to draw audiences from across the country to Bradford specifically for this format.