The BFI IMAX is a small but immersive cinema that has the largest screen in the UK, at an impressive 20 metres by 26 metres, as well as a 12,000-Watt digital surround system. Highlights Watch a film at the BFI IMAX – that’s all you need to do to be amazed Enjoy a leisurely drink at the licensed bar before or after a screening; there are often film-themed cocktails on offer Take in the stunning views over Waterloo Bridge while you savour an ice cream in the cafe What to see and do Don your 3D glasses and watch a classic The IMAX cinema offers 3D films and so by wearing a pair of special glasses, you can experience the full effect. The IMAX still shows all its older classics such as the Space Station 3D film from 2002, or you can watch a more recent movie such as 1917. Hire out one of the internal spaces for a private function The ground floor can accommodate 450 people, or 200 seated for a dinner, while the first floor can accommodate 320 people standing. Marvel at the architecture of the IMAX building itself Architect Bryan Avery (1944-2017) designed the cinema building and transformed a neglected area into a multiple award-winning hub of creativity which attracts more than 350,000 visitors each year. Did you know? (5 interesting facts) Just to get an idea of how big the IMAX screen is, its height of 20 metres is almost the same height of five double decker buses stacked on top of each other. The cinema has an underground train line just four metres below it, but the architect team designed the structure so it rests on anti-vibration bearings so that there’s no transmission of vibration or noise. More than 350,000 people visit the IMAX cinema each year and they eat more than 30,000kg of popcorn, 10,000 portions of hot dogs and nachos, as well as slurping down more than 7,000 litres of soft drinks. The Waterloo IMAX is well-known for its all-nighter screenings of popular film series, such as the Dark Night Trilogy and Lord of the Rings. The new IMAX screen, which replaced the original one in August 2012, was made in Canada and it took ten riggers to pull up the 800kg of vinyl to its full 20 metres of height. Once in place, it took around 48 hours for all of the creases to straighten out of the new screen. History 1983: The site of the IMAX cinema was a small shanty town known as Cardboard City, which had as many as 200 homeless people living under the pedestrian underpasses of the Bullring. 1998: Cardboard City was closed down by the authorities to make way for the £20million IMAX development, which took just a year to complete. 1999: The cinema opened in May of this year and an estimated 500,000 people visited to see the 3D films on offer. 2000: The cinema won several awards in 1999 and 2000, including the … Read more