Oppenheimer Yorkshire: Pictureville Cinema in Bradford to be one of six cinemas in the UK to screen Christopher Nolan film in 70mm

The epic biographical thriller film, which will be shown in Pictureville Cinema, Bradford, is written and directed by British-US filmmaker Christopher Nolan, who is known for Dunkirk (2017) and Tenet (2020). Starring actors are Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr. and supporting stars include Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek and Kenneth Branagh.

It follows the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, a theoretical physicist who played an instrumental role in developing the first nuclear weapons as part of the Manhattan Project, which led to the Atomic Age.

The action-packed film is expected to be suspenseful and people will be looking for the best cinematic viewing experience to fully appreciate its visual effects. While there are only three cinemas in the UK screening the film in IMAX 70mm, the way Christopher Nolan intended, two in London and one in Manchester, he has also encouraged viewers to watch it in 70mm.

Only six cinemas in the country have the equipment needed to screen films in 70mm and one of them is Pictureville Cinema at the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford.

According to Jennifer Weston-Beyer, who has worked at the cinema since the 1990s as cinema operations manager, the distinction between IMAX 70mm and regular 70mm film is based on their width and height as well as the way they are positioned in the projectors.

IMAX 70mm is 15 perforations wide with 70mm height; the film runs through projectors horizontally. Regular 70mm is five perforations high and 70mm wide. It runs through the projector vertically.

Ms Weston-Beyer spoke to The Yorkshire Post about what this means for the Yorkshire cinema and their customers.

“We are very excited to be screening Oppenheimer in 70mm as Christopher Nolan intended,” she said.

“We have an experienced projection team who are passionate about film and the quality of image it provides. Every year we have our Widescreen Weekend film festival where visitors from all over the world come to Pictureville to experience 70mm screenings.

“Customers appreciate the experience of film and enjoy our cinema's big screen experience.

“Very few cinemas still exist with the equipment to be able to run ‘real’ film. Most cinemas removed machines when digital primarily took over the industry.

“Here at Pictureville, it gives our customers the opportunity to see big films on a big screen projected in a format that directors such as Stanley Kubrick, Sir Kenneth Branagh, Quentin Tarantino & Christopher Nolan want the audience to experience.

“70mm has a sharpness and depth of image that digital lacks. Our customers appreciate the history and quality of these types of screenings.

“To see Oppenheimer in 70mm gives the viewer an opportunity to experience fully what Nolan wants viewers to enjoy and appreciate.”

Describing the background behind the old fashioned film format 70mm, she said: “Today Multiplexes and most other cinemas screen their films from digital content. 70mm is one of the ‘old fashioned’ formats used before the invention of digital.

“The film strip runs at 24 frames per second through the projector. It requires a trained projectionist to prepare and run the screening.

“The industry standard before digital was 35mm in all cinemas (35mm width and four perforation height) so 70mm gives the audience a bigger and sharper image and was used primarily for big blockbusters to give an immersive experience with its bigger picture and quality of image.

“In Pictureville we have kept the projectors maintained and in place to run screenings of this nature. The reels for Oppenheimer will be transported to us in parts. The film is three hours long so potentially nine reels to assemble as one on arrival.”

Oppenheimer will be screened at Pictureville Cinema, Bradford from Friday, August 11 to Thursday, August 17, 2023.