Cinemas Guzzo wow cinema-goers with MicroTiles

Two Christie® MicroTiles® displays are stopping moviegoers in their tracks when they walk into the Cinemas Guzzo IMAX® theater lobby at the Mega Plex Marché Central 18 in Montreal. Les Cinémas Guzzo (“Guzzo”), one of Canada’s leading independent chains and the largest privately owned cinema chain in Quebec, has more than 151 screens in 12 theater complexes.

The eye-catching displays – one in a 6 high by 11 wide archway, and the other centered just past the archway in a 3 wide by 6 high array – draw audiences into the theater itself with captivating content produced by Arsenal Media, who specialize in digital content creation and concept development with Christie MicroTiles. Once customers walk under the arch, the interior Christie MicroTiles wall greets them with a large movie poster with movie trailers playing inside the poster.

Vincenzo Guzzo, executive vice president, Cinemas Guzzo, was immediately impressed with Christie MicroTiles.

“I saw them for the first time at CinemaCon 2011 and I had never seen something so bright, crisp and sharp – and those are the most important things for me,” he said. “Arsenal Media produced some very interesting and complex content that runs on the MicroTiles. Everyone loves it and, in particular, the younger crowd who has said it’s really cool. The MicroTiles makes a lot of people just stop and take a minute to look at the whole display. Once they walk through the arch, they stop and stare again at the movie trailers playing inside the movie poster.

“The Christie MicroTiles, out of all comparable products, are probably the best because not only are they so bright and crisp, they can they be built into irregular shapes and are practically seamless.”

For visually appealing displays, Christie lobby advertising solutions – including Christie MicroTiles – offer high brightness, high-resolution technology that captivates audiences with lifelike, vibrant colors.  Combining the strengths of both DLP® and LED technology, Christie MicroTiles can reproduce 115 percent of the NTSC color gamut and exceed standard LCD flat panel color output by more than 50 percent. Christie MicroTiles automatically self-calibrate for color and brightness with built-in sensors monitoring each LED’s performance. Throughout the life of the display, each tile detects its neighbor and adjusts its image to optimize the overall presentation.

“Our company did the consultation for the construction and electrical work necessary, plus the actual installation and calibration of the MicroTiles,” said J.P. Berardini, branch manager, Genesis Integration, Inc. “Guzzo wanted an archway because they want moviegoers to feel like they are walking into ‘an experience,’ not just a movie theater. Genesis helped create a 3D-like experience with both the archway and the interior array and it works because of the MicroTiles.”


“This installation is a perfect fit from both a shape and strategic perspective,” said Angela Tanzi, vice president of operations, Arsenal Media. “We supported the configuration concept by leveraging shape and creating content that generated a very impactful point of focus for the arch. When customers enter the GUZZO-IMAX theater, they recognize right away that they’re up for an enhanced visual and cinematic experience.”

In November 2011, Les Cinémas Guzzo (“Guzzo”) announced that all its screens, support and services were converting to digital with Christie. The contract includes the Christie CP2000ZX, Christie CP2000-SB, Christie CP2210, Christie CP2220, and Christie CP2230 projectors. The agreement also includes the upgrading of 27 screens to the Christie CP4220 and Christie CP4230 4K projectors. The conversion will be completed in the spring of 2012.