It’s good news for cinemagoers in Germany as Barco, the digital cinema leaders, and German cinema chain Kinopolis have announced that they have signed a four-year deal to bring laser projection most of the German chain’s mainstream locations. The deal means that over 70 Barco Series 4 projectors, comprising both 2K and 4K units, will be installed across eleven locations.
The announcement follows on from Kinopolis being honored at CineEurope 2026 with the UNIC/Coca-Cola Retail Award for hospitality-led cinema at the newly opened cinema at Bad Homburg, as well as the ICTA Best New Build Cinema award for its innovative Hamburg HafenCity venue.
In March 2025, UK and European chain Vue announced a deal with Barco to bring laser projection to around 1,000 screens, making the Kinopolis deal seem relatively small. However, while Kinopolis accounts for approximately only five per cent of the total German √market in terms of overall attendance, it punches above its weight in terms of revenue share thanks to operating premium locations such as Munich’s Mathäser Filmpalast and the recently opened “Cinema of the Future” in HafenCity, Hamburg, which both attract high attendee numbers.
Laser Projection Benefits
Laser projectors offer significantly better image quality than units based on Xenon lamps, offering a higher light output, better color reproduction, greater contrast and an overall more uniform image. At the same time, they are more energy efficient and easier to maintain.
As such the move to laser projection at Kinopolis is great news for local punters. Hopefully, it will encourage all cinema chains to follow suit and switch to laser, so consumers will get a better overall experience, encouraging them to make the effort to leave their homes to see movies on the big screen.
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