Hollis Cinemas 4 goes digital

Holly Sow/ Arizona Silver Belt Hollis Cinemas 4 owner, Bobby Hollis, stands next to a new digital movie projector in his theater complex. Filmgoers will notice improved audio and visual thanks to the upgrade.

Globe — Hollis Cinemas 4 has undergone a major upgrade of historic proportions recently, one that moves the theater into the 21st century and marks the end of an era.

Last Thursday, movie-goers most likely noticed a change in quality in both the audio and visual projection of the movie they were viewing. This is thanks to the newly installed digital projection and digital sound equipment.

Theater owner and operator, Bobby Hollis, noted, “It is like a huge HD television. People will notice a big difference.”

The upgrade cost a pretty penny, approximately $300,000 for the four new systems, but it equips Hollis Cinemas 4 with the most state-of-the art movie projection there is to date. Nearly all theaters have gone to or are in the process of going to digital projection. There will be few exceptions of historical theaters, museums, and similar small theaters that will continue to use 35mm film reels, but new movies will soon only exist in digital format.

“This is the future of cinema projection and sound for theaters,” noted Hollis, “but it is also the end of an era of 35MM projection.”

The 35 mm film reel existed for nearly a century. Since 1909, 35 mm movie projectors dominated the commercial movie business around the world until just a few years ago.

Hollis is proud of the change, but also recognizes the historic move as exactly that, a piece of history in his own theater.

The new systems were installed by American Cinema Equipment technicians Brandon Kumm and Justin Green.