Barco Escape was a multi screen video format similar to

Cinerama Cinerama is a widescreen process that originally projected images simultaneously from three synchronized 35 mm movie film, 35mm projectors onto a huge, deeply curved screen, Subtended angle, subtending 146-degrees of arc. The trademarked pr ...

introduced in 2015 by Barco N.V. The format combines Barco technologies such as Auro 11.1 as well as multi-projection in order to create a panoramic experience. The technology was expected to compete with

IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of High-definition video, high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and movie theater, theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (image), aspect ratio (approximately ei ...

and

Dolby Cinema Dolby Cinema is a type of premium large format movie theater created by Dolby Laboratories that combines Dolby proprietary technologies such as Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, as well as other signature entrance and intrinsic design features. Th ...

. It is now closed.

History

Barco Escape debuted in theatres in September 2014 with the film ''

The Maze Runner ''The Maze Runner'' is a 2009 dystopian novel by American author James Dashner. It takes place in a world suffering from a coronal mass ejection and whose surviving civilians fight to avoid an apocalyptic illness called the Flare. It is writt ...

'' featuring select scenes in the three-screen format. In September 2014,

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023), known professionally as Tony Bennett, was an American jazz and traditional pop singer. He received many accolades, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

and

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

recorded a performance in Brussels Grande Place plaza to mark the release of their ''

Cheek to Cheek "Cheek to Cheek" is a song written by Irving Berlin in 1934–35, specifically for Fred Astaire, the star of his new musical, ''Top Hat'', co-starring Ginger Rogers.

'' jazz record. The concert was filmed using 15

RED Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

Epic Dragon cameras feeding three separate panels, including the panoramic shots. In April 2015, Barry Films announced the release of their upcoming horror film ''The Hell Within'' in the format. Barco signed a five-year multi-title deal with 20th Century Fox to release films in the format. A Barco Escape set up was installed in one of the Fox Studios cinema rooms as part of the deal. Posse Films partnered with Barco in order to release the film ''Racer's Heart'', a story based on NASCAR Hall of Fame member

Bobby Allison Robert Arthur Allison (December 3, 1937 – November 9, 2024) was an American professional stock car racing driver and owner. Allison was the founder of the Alabama Gang, a group of drivers based in Hueytown, Alabama, where there were abundant ...

in the format. In 2015, Barco announced a deal with

Jerry Bruckheimer Jerome Leonard Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1943) is an American film and television producer. He has been active in the genres of action, drama, comedy, fantasy, horror and science fiction. After working in advertising out of college, Bruck ...

to produce one new movie and one reimagined version of a previous film. In February 2016, director Mark Waugh announced he would shoot an outdoor survival feature film natively in the format. The film will be shot on location with a single camera using wide-angle lenses. The film will be released through Rock Pile Productions. In April 2016, Barco signed a partnership agreement with Cross Creek Productions in order to release one film in the format by end of 2017. Similarly, Barco also signed an agreement with Fundamental Films to release two or more of their films in the format, with '' 24 Hours to Live'' to be the first film to do so. Minds Eye Entertainment planned to release six films filmed in the Barco Escape format, starting with ''The Recall''. By July 2016, the technology was installed in 24 cinemas in six countries. On 8 February 2018, Barco announced the closure of the Barco Escape business.

Technology

Barco Escape comprises Auro 11.1 sound format and multi projection system. Auro 11.1 is a multichannel sound format supported by Barco and created by Auro Technologies. The sound format is an extension of the existing 5.1 surround layer with addition of a five channel height layer and a mono "voice of god" ceiling channel. The additional channels allow placement and movement of sound along the horizontal and vertical axis. The visual presentation is characterized by the addition of two 2.39:1 aspect ratio screens to the side of the main screen to provide a 270 degree panoramic experience, equivalent to an aspect ratio of 7.17:1. The two side screens are angled at 45 degree in order to cover peripheral vision, although there is a visible seam between the screens. Most of the theaters are set up with 30–35 feet main screen with equivalent size side screens. The main screen has an UltraHD (not laser) projector running off a 2K DCP and the side screens have Barco DP2K-20C projectors that feed from a separate server. The Barco Escape sequences for ''The Maze Runner'' were created digitally using the Crytek Engine and integrated with the principal photography shot with Arri Alexa camera. About half of the Barco Escape material for ''

Star Trek Beyond ''Star Trek Beyond'' is a 2016 American science fiction film, science fiction action film directed by Justin Lin, written by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung. It is the 13th film in the ''Star Trek'' franchise and the third installment in List of Star ...

'' were full CG set-extensions created by Prime Focus in conjunction with Prime Focus-owned VFX studio Double Negative. The other half was created by Kelvin Optical, an in-house VFX group at Bad Robot, working with Base Effects in China.

Theaters with Barco Escape

United States and Canada

* D'Place Mary Pickford, Cathedral City, CA (theater repurposed as a ScreenX auditorium since May 2024) * Sierra Vista Cinema 16, Clovis, CA * Cinema West Palladio 16, Folsom, CA * Cinemark 18 and XD, Los Angeles, CA * Cinemark Century 16, Pleasant Hill, CA * Cinemark Redwood Downtown & XD, Redwood City, CA * Regal LA Live: A Barco Innovation Center, Los Angeles, CA * Camera 12, San Jose, CA (closed Sept. 8, 2016) * Cinemark Paradise 24 & XD, Davie, FL * Cinemark at Seven Bridges and Imax, Woodridge, IL * Cinema West Village Cinema 15, Meridian, ID * Odyssey Cinemagic Hollywood 12, Rochester, MN * Landmark Sunshine, New York, NY * Cinemark Legacy and XD, Plano, TX * Santikos Palladium AVX Entertainment, Richmond, TX * Santikos Palladium IMAX, San Antonio, TX * Santikos Silverado 16, San Antonio, TX * Santikos Silverado 19, Tomball, TX * Cinemark Lincoln Square, Bellevue, WA * Scotiabank Theatre Edmonton, Edmonton, AB * Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver, Vancouver, BC *

Scotiabank Theatre Toronto The Scotiabank Theatre Toronto (formerly Paramount Theatre Toronto) is a major movie theatre at the RioCan Hall in the Entertainment District of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada at Richmond and John Street owned by Cineplex Entertainment f ...

, Toronto, ON * Imagine Cinemas Lakeshore, Tecumseh, ON

Rest of the world

* China Film Group, Beijing, China * China Film Group, Shanghai, China * Hengdian Cinema, Jinhua, China * Cinépolis Paseo-Acoxpa, D.F., Mexico * Euroscoop Tilburg, Tilburg, Netherlands * Euroscoop Maastricht, Maastricht, Netherlands * Euroscoop Rotterdam, Schiedam, Netherlands * Kinepolis Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium * Kinepolis Kortrijk, Kortrijk, Belgium * Reel Cinemas Dubai Mall, Dubai, UAE * Cinema 3D Morena Mall, Gdańsk, Poland

Films presented in Barco Escape

References

{{Reflist Premium large format movie formats