Opened in 1999 and run by the BFI along with the BFI Southbank the BFI IMAX has the largest cinema screen in the UK – 20 metres high and 26 metres wide. Whereas the BFI Southbank showcases critically acclaimed and specialised films, the IMAX focuses on recent releases that can highlight its technology. These include 3D films and digital surround sound.
The IMAX is situated beneath the roundabout next to Waterloo Station close to Southbank London. In the 80s and 90s the area was renowned for its homeless population who used to live in cardboard boxes here. This provided its moniker Cardboad City.
This is not the only IMAX cinema in the capital. There is one in the Science Museum, and there are digital IMAXs in Greenwich, Swiss Cottage and Wimbledon, run by Odeon, but the Southbank IMAX is the largest.
What’s on at the BFI IMAX Southbank?
You will find details of the programme here.
How to get to the BFI IMAX Southbank
Waterloo (Bakerloo, Jubilee and Northern lines) is the nearest tube station, with Waterloo and Waterloo East as the nearest mainline station.
Nearby Attractions
In addition to the BFI Southbank, the cinema is close to the the Southbank Centre (Royal Festival Hall and the Hayward Gallery), as well as the National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe and Tate Modern, in what is undoubtedly one of the cultural highspots in the capital.
