CinemaNext, the European specialist in cinema exhibitor services, today announced it will unveil new products and solutions for cinema exhibitors at next week’s 2019 edition of CineEurope, the annual convention of the International Union of Cinemas, representing exhibitors and their national associations in 37 markets. CinemaNext’s showroom is located on the first floor (P1) of the CCIB, where sales representatives, product experts and engineers will greet exhibitors and partners.

New VR Attractions, New Branding
CinemaNext will introduce in Barcelona its large- and small-size B2B solutions (Park & Corner) under the Illucity brand. For Georges Garic, Senior Vice President of CinemaNext, “We can’t wait to bring these new and immersive technologies to cinemas and family entertainment centers across Europe. We aim to become a leading provider of VR experiences and believe our plug-and-play solutions are a perfect addition to our current portfolio of products and services. Illucity Park is based on the VR adventure center concept (Location-based Entertainment) launched in Paris last December, and which is now available for deployment at cinema locations under a franchise model.”

“Illucity Corner is our second VR business line, based on versatile, modular and easy-assembly VR products, which enables cinema exhibitors to offer audiences VR content to boost on-site traffic and increase ancillary revenues,” adds Nathan Reznik, Head of Illucity ventures. “We have chosen to partner with CinemaNext in light of our internal synergies in terms of sales, installation, content management, training, promotional support, online & remote support and maintenance.”

At CinemaNext’s CineEurope showroom, cinema exhibitors will be able to discover a large Illucity Corner VR playground featuring three distinct immersive experiences: a 36-sq. m re-designed VR Arena, in which up to four gamers can play in teams or against one another simultaneously, including escape games; a VR Ride based on a new pod configuration, where the action in each headset is carefully synchronized with the D-Box seat; and VR Hestia, a simple touch-screen control panel offering gamers a wide range of VR universes in multi-player mode.

Reboot of the Sphera Premium Concept
“These past months, we have put a lot of energy and effort into rethinking our premium cinema concept, which now encompasses technology, business analysis, finance solutions and project management,” explains Matthew Jones, General Manager, Europe at CinemaNext. “We are very excited to present our new offer to clients, prospects and partners at CineEurope. Exhibitors can confidently expect more from premium cinema with Sphera. It’s a unique turnkey solution suited to most current cinema configurations – new build or retrofit – and which makes the cinemagoing experience even more attractive and profitable. It’s the ultimate weapon every cinema needs.”

CinemaNext will present Sphera at its showroom through a unique 360° immersive experience produced exclusively for CineEurope. Each exhibitor will have the opportunity through a VR headset to discover how it feels to be inside a Sphera premium cinema auditorium, in a luxurious VIP and highly-comfortable seat, while interacting with the immediate environment for maximum impact.

In addition, as part of its cinema outfitting solution, CinemaNext will present its new VIP cocoon seating offer recently deployed in cinemas in southern Europe and Switzerland. Exhibitors will also discover how to reduce their operating costs and achieve a smart-projection booth by remotely monitoring & operating all devices with CinemaNext’s Smart Booth solution as well as other hardware devices (e.g. automation adapter, silencer box, cinema projection windows and racks).

With offices in 26 countries and over 13,000 screens installed globally to date, CinemaNext is the largest cinema exhibition services company in EMEA. It provides smart, comprehensive solutions across the board: projection equipment, audio systems, Sphera premium cinema concept, VR activities, Onyx Cinema LED, central systems, cinema outfitting and seating, content management, 3D projection systems & glasses, TMS, digital signage and screens. Clients enjoy the highest level of reliability and lowest cost of ownership through our various services: consulting, design & project management, equipment sales and financing, installation, maintenance, support (NOC), online monitoring, spare and consumables, service agreements and supply chain & logistics.

About CinemaNext
CinemaNext is the Ymagis Group’s business unit dedicated to exhibitor services. Founded in 2007 and managed by professionals from the motion picture and high-tech industries, Ymagis Group is a European leader in advanced digital technology services for the cinema industry. The company’s core business is structured around four main units: CinemaNext (exhibitor services: distribution, customer services and field services), Eclair (content services: post-production, theatrical delivery, digital distribution, versioning and accessibility, restoration and preservation) and Others (Illucity and Virtual Reality). A publicly-traded company listed on Euronext, Ymagis Group is headquartered in Paris (France) and has close to 830 employees. For more information, please connect to www.ymagis.com