Cineworld Day celebrates more than 100 years of colour cinema

Your first-ever Cineworld Day gets underway on Saturday 26th February 2022. All movies are £3, including propositions screening in IMAX, ScreenX, 4DX and Superscreen.

We're hosting this very special and exciting event to coincide with 113 years of colour cinema. More than a century ago, motion pictures took a bold new direction, so scroll down to find out more about this historic landmark, plus more details on Cineworld Day itself.

What was the first colour motion picture shown to the public?

It's generally accepted that the first-ever colour motion picture was exhibited to the public on 26th February 1909.

The colour process was called Kinemacolor
The pictures were exhibited at London's Palace Theatre
Kinemacolor was invented by George Albert Smith and was used commercially between 1908 and 1914
Among the colour pictures shown at the Palace Theatre was 'Woman Draped in Patterned Handkerchiefs' (scroll down to see the video)
An earlier Smith movie called A Visit to the Seaside, an eight-minute short filmed in Brighton, was trade-shown in September 1908
Smith's groundbreaking work came in the wake of pioneers including the Lumiere brothers
The Lumieres' pivotal black and white film 'The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat' played to the patrons of a Parisian cafe in 1896
Other pioneers of the early cinema movement included Oskar Messter who attempted to synchronize sound with the moving image
The physicist Thomas Edison also made in-roads with his inventions the kinetoscope and the kinetograph
Kinemacolor used a rotating filter of red and green gels in its cameras and projectors to create its colour images
Kinemacolor was first presented in the USA in December 1909
In total, 54 dramatic films were made via Kinemacolor, including four in America and one in Japan
However, it proved expensive and cumbersome to manage
Eventually, Kinemacolor was replaced with Technicolor, which swiftly became an industry standard
Early Technicolor landmarks include The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind

What is Cineworld Day?

Sponsored by Pepsi Max, Cineworld Day allows you to immerse yourself in epic IMAX, feel part of the action with 4DX extreme cinema, surround yourself with 270-degrees of ScreenX or discover our huge Superscreen with Dolby Atmos sound – all for just £3 per ticket.

Whether you were at your local Cineworld just yesterday or haven’t been back in a little while, come celebrate the cinema experience and share your love of film with your friends and family. From action-packed blockbusters to awards-nominated dramas, to feel-good fun for the whole family – there is plenty to see on Cineworld Day.

What is IMAX?

Witness IMAX’s remastering process, which fully transforms every frame of a film to produce the best possible version of a filmmaker’s vision. With dual projection, the image has the perfect balance of warmth and sharpness to draw you into something as close to reality as you have ever experienced. But bigger screens are only the beginning; our IMAX auditoriums have also been equipped with a perfectly tuned integrated sound and speaker system for heart-pounding audio that will truly blow you away.

What is ScreenX?

Discover the wonder of innovative 270° projection* with ScreenX, a world first and exclusive to Cineworld in the UK. The state-of-the-art technology uses up to twelve additional projectors to extend the film out onto the side walls of the screening room, for a truly atmospheric experience that surrounds you in your seat. With the film extended beyond your peripheral vision, every chase; fight and adventure will engulf, surprise and feel closer than ever.

What is 4DX?

With stimulating effects like water, wind, scent and strobe lighting that are timed to enhance what’s happening on screen, 4DX thrills you in your seat. And speaking of your seat – it moves. The high-tech motion programming means it moves in time with the film’s action, and along with vibrations and shaking, you’ll feel like you’re part of the car chase; standing in the eye of the storm or steering the boat right into a tidal wave. Fun on your own, better with friends – 4DX is Cineworld’s most exhilarating way to watch a film.

What is Superscreen?

With Superscreen, the breathtaking multidimensional sound powered by epic Dolby Atmos speakers will make you feel like you’re right there in the film. This combined with state-of-the-art projection on our huge screens means every second is a beauty to behold – from picturesque scenery to high-action sequences.