CGR Cinémas becomes the world's largest investor in Christie RGB laser projection

The French exhibitor CGR Cinémas will equip its 700 rooms with pure RGB laser technology, Christie RealLaser. In the next two years, up to 200 rooms will be adapted to this technology.

CGR Cinemas has decided that Christie become your sole partner for laser projection. The French exhibitor pretendsand equip its 700 movie theaters with RGB pure laser technology. In line with the momentous agreement, which makes CGR the world's largest investor in systems Christie RealLaser, in the next two years up to 200 CGR Classic rooms will be adapted to this technology.

To its impressive and successful ICE (immersive) rooms, also equipped with pure RGB laser systems, CGR now incorporates the Premium experience. Christie's proprietary technology uses next-generation pure RGB lasers with highest levels of brightness, contrast and color reproduction, thereby fulfilling the prophecy that announced that laser lighting would end up occupying first place among the technologies aspiring to succeed lamp-based film projection.

Jocelyn Bouyssy, CEO of CGR Cinémas, comments that "following the great success of the ICE Premium screen among our viewers, the new investment underlines our commitment to offering our audiences a top-quality cinema viewing experience. We want movie fans to return to our theaters again and again. After seeing what pure RGB laser can do with ICE Premium screens, we are convinced that this is the future of cinema. Ten years ago we upgraded with excellent results to Christie's digital projection, and we are delighted to to once again have the latest technological developments of the brand.”

The first hundred projectors will be installed throughout 2019, and the remaining hundred will arrive in 2020. The projectors will come from Christie's catalog of RGB pure laser projectors, always taking into account the different screen sizes of the theaters that CGR Cinémas has in 73 towns. The catalog includes the CP4325-RGB, and the upcoming CP2315-RGB and CP2320-RGB models, as well as the Christie RealLaser cinema projectors that the brand could launch during the next twelve months.

Sébastien Bruel, technical director of CGR Cinémas, recognizes that "the relationship of trust we have with Christie gives us access to the best technology available, which helps us consolidate a leadership position. Our collaboration dates back to 2007, and since that year Christie has been helping us progress in our offering and remain at the forefront of the experience of watching movies in cinemas. Once again, with pure RGB laser projection, Christie breaks new ground, and we are excited that the new technology will be present in our cinemas.”

The experience of CGR Cinémas' current ICE Premium screen, which uses the first generation of Christie's RGB pure laser cinema projectors, has generated great interest. CGR Cinémas now has several years of experience in the use of this technology and data on its reception by the public. At CGR they are convinced that the time has come to invest in the next generation of Christie RealLaser solutions, which offer 4K, HFR (high frame rate), compliance with DCI standards and even higher contrast.

From lamp to pure laser

With the support of Christie and the integrator Ciné Digital Service (CDS), the company will carry out the transition from lamp technology to pure RGB laser in 200 classic theaters in its network.

“Our relationship with CDS and CGR Cinémas goes back a long way,” he says. Adil Zerouali, Senior Director of European Film Sales at Christie. "And it has not stopped flourishing. Always thinking about how to attract and entertain the audience in its cinemas, CGR comes to us in search of the best technologies and with the conviction that we are the future of this industry. First it was digital cinema, and now the pure RGB laser. The enthusiasm that CGR shows is what makes working with them so rewarding."

The RealLaser family of projectors offers all the advantages of the laser projector of high performance with a compact, all-in-one form factor, which eliminates the need for external cooling subenvironment. Added to this is a low cost of ownership, excellent image quality and an amazing operational life. The RealLaser ensures, throughout the life of the projector, higher and more consistent brightness levels that meet DCI standards.

"Christie is firmly committed to the development of technologies that add real value to our customers. Christie RealLaser makes us the first manufacturer to launch a pioneering lighting technology on the market, which is already emerging as the true replacement for lamp lighting," he emphasizes. Dale Miller, Christie's executive vice president for film.

Christie RealLaser offers film directors and producers a much broader chromaticity, close to the Rec. 2020 standard, and more than 30,000 hours of operation in the theater without lamp changes. It is the only laser technology that provides brightness levels above DCI parameters for its entire natural life.