Location Glasgow, Scotland Seating capacity 4,300 Opened 2001 Owner Cineworld | Structural system Steel frame Height 62 m Phone +44 871 200 2000 | |
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Address 7 Renfrew St, Glasgow G2 3AB, UK Similar Glasgow Film Theatre, Pavilion Theatre, The Forge Shopping Centre, Theatre Royal - Glasgow, Buchanan Galleries | ||
Cineworld Glasgow Renfrew Street is a cinema on Renfrew Street, Glasgow, located in the north east of the city centre, it is adjacent to the Buchanan Bus Station and the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, as well as being close to Sauchiehall Street and Buchanan Galleries. At 203 feet (62 metres) high, the building is currently the tallest cinema in the world.
By 2003 it was the busiest cinema in the United Kingdom by admissions, having attracted over 1.8 million patrons that year. Cineworld Glasgow has 18 screens over 6 levels, and can accommodate more than 4,300 people. Its most distinctive feature is the huge glass curtain wall on the east face which houses a system of criss crossing escalators which are lit neon blue during the hours of darkness.
History
The cinema was built on the site of The Glasgow Apollo (1973–85) which was formerly Green's Playhouse (1927–73), after the Apollo closed in 1985, it was left and later demolished in September 1987, the cinema was opened as the UGC Cinema in September 2001. In 2005, it became part of the Cineworld chain when then-owners UGC of France sold all of its UK cinemas which were then re-branded. Green's Playhouse the original cinema on the site also held a record, for being Europe's largest cinema in terms of number of seats (4,368). At over 200 ft high, and with an entry in the Guinness Book of Records, Cineworld Glasgow is the world's tallest cinema. In 2000 however, during the cinema's construction, the building design came under heavy criticism from the architecture community. The building was designated the "Carbuncle of the Year" for its poor design choices and contrast with the surrounding area.