The Art Deco building of the Belvárosi Cinema was built in 1920 according to the plans of the architect Endre Sebestyén. Today it is the only cinema in the country that was originally built as a cinema and has been in continuous operation since its opening. In 2019, the listed building underwent a complete renovation, with a VR experience, a film history exhibition and an interactive theme park. Its three digitalised, state-of-the-art, 7.1 and 5.1 Dolby sound system, air-conditioned rooms are named after film professionals with ties to Szeged. The 100-seat room is named after film aesthete Béla Balázs, while the 50-seat chamber room is named after film director József Csőke. The ground-floor large hall, which can seat 530 people and has an extended balcony, is named after Vilmos Zsigmond, the Szeged-born Oscar-winning cinematographer. Every year, the building hosts the Vilmos Zsigmond International Film Festival in honour of his work. In addition to spectacular, sophisticated films for the general public, the cinema offers a wide selection of universal and Hungarian contemporary films, film history and live opera and theatre broadcasts.
Over 100 years old, the Belvárosi Cinema also offers a large-scale VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) attraction.
From July 17, 2020, the patinated institution will be offering a VR Experience Library, which will include a film history exhibition, a VR game room, a virtual reality cinema and a unique 360-degree VR film about the life of William Zsigmond.
AND, WHAT ARE THE FILMS AND GAMES ALL ABOUT?
Unlike the classics, the VR movies are shorter: between 6-15/20 minutes, just like the games, which are now being offered to anyone over the age of 12, regardless of age or gender. Both the films and the games are varied: they focus on skill development, logical dexterity, paintings and/or nature films.
In other words: not only the exhibition, but also the games in the virtual space upstairs and the film corners designed for education and cultural enrichment offer a huge and varied experience.
Film exhibition
Our exhibition traces the history of the Belvárosi Cinema and the development of the moving image from silent film to 3D virtual reality. Contemporary posters, photos of legendary stars and museum projectors will take you up to the latest digital technology, while you will also learn about the filmmaking work of our namesakes – Vilmos Zsigmond, Béla Balázs and József Csőke. The visitor experience is enriched by a museum guide and an AR object viewer that can be launched from a smart phone. Only here you can also see the VR film, in which you can take a 360-degree look at the life of Oscar-winning Vilmos Zsigmond.
Our film exhibition is free of charge during opening hours!
VR Game Room
Forget everything you thought about traditional cinema! Get a unique virtual reality experience: take a 360-degree tour of multiple VR providers’ movies! It’s like you’re really there! Explore the world, watch a concert of Mozart’s work or immerse yourself in a cute animated story! You can fly with Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender or Rooney Mara, test drive racing cars, even go into outer space. Choose from nearly 100 VR movies!
If you love computer games too, we’ve got just the thing for you: the brand new VR Game Room blows away everything you’ve ever seen. Forget your consoles, PC and mobile games, grab our VR glasses, slip into your Spider-Man skin and head to the top of the New York skyscrapers!
Ticket price: 2.100 HUF/person – 50 min
Groups must pre-register.
Opening hours:
Every day 12:45-21.00
Film exhibition: every day 14.00-20.00
VR Room: Wednesday-Sunday: 12.45-20.50 (last time: 20.00)
Information
6720 Szeged, Vaszy Viktor tér 3.
+36 20 277 1688
belvmozi.penztar@gmail.com
www.belvarosimozi.hu / www.zsigmondvilmosfilmfest.com
