High Tech - Barco and Kinopolis Expand Strategic Alliance to Complete Germany’s Largest Laser Cinema Rollout

By Mulder, 29 june 2026

The European cinema industry received another strong vote of confidence during CineEurope 2026 as Barco and Kinopolis announced a significant expansion of their long-term partnership, confirming a four-year agreement that will see Germany's fourth-generation family-owned exhibition giant complete the transition of all its mainstream auditoriums to laser projection technology. The agreement includes the installation of more than 70 Barco Series 4 laser projectors, covering both 2K and 4K configurations, across 11 Kinopolis locations. Building on a collaboration that first began in 2022, the new deal underlines how exhibitors continue to invest heavily in premium presentation despite a theatrical landscape that has undergone enormous changes since the pandemic. Rather than treating laser projection as an optional premium upgrade, Kinopolis is positioning it as the new standard for every mainstream screen, reinforcing a strategy focused on consistently delivering the highest possible image quality to audiences throughout Germany.

The announcement could hardly have arrived at a more symbolic moment. During CineEurope 2026 in Barcelona, Kinopolis was already celebrating two prestigious industry distinctions that highlighted the company's ambitious vision for the future of moviegoing. The circuit received the UNIC/Coca-Cola Retail Award 2026 for its hospitality-driven approach at the newly opened Bad Homburg cinema, recognizing innovative concepts designed to elevate the guest experience beyond simply watching a film. At the same time, its spectacular Hamburg HafenCity multiplex earned the ICTA Best New Build Cinema 2025-2026 award, acknowledging one of Europe's most technologically advanced new cinema developments. These honors reflect a broader trend across the exhibition industry: modern cinemas increasingly compete not only through blockbuster programming but by creating destinations where architecture, premium seating, food offerings, hospitality and cutting-edge technology combine into an experience that cannot easily be replicated at home.

For Barco, the agreement represents another major milestone in its global strategy to accelerate laser adoption across commercial exhibition. Headquartered in Kortrijk, Belgium, the technology company has become one of the industry's defining innovators through its continuous development of laser-powered cinema systems. Its award-winning Series 4 family has earned widespread recognition for delivering higher brightness, deeper contrast, richer color reproduction and improved operational efficiency compared with traditional xenon-lamp projection systems. One of laser projection's greatest advantages lies in its long-term consistency: exhibitors can maintain stable brightness and color performance throughout years of operation while significantly reducing maintenance requirements associated with lamp replacements. This operational reliability has become increasingly attractive for cinema operators seeking to maximize presentation quality while optimizing operating costs.

Few cinema operators are better positioned to showcase those technological advantages than Kinopolis. With more than 120 years of cinema heritage, the Darmstadt-based company remains one of Germany's largest and most respected exhibition groups while retaining its identity as a fourth-generation family business. Operating 18 locations across the country, Kinopolis has built a reputation for combining premium architecture with advanced presentation technologies. Its flagship Mathäser Filmpalast in Munich continues to rank among Germany's busiest and most successful cinemas, while the recently opened HafenCity complex in Hamburg has quickly become a showcase for what executives describe as the "cinema of the future." The venue features ten auditoriums, more than 2,100 seats, multiple seating concepts ranging from recliners to motion seating, extensive hospitality areas and widespread deployment of premium audiovisual technologies including Dolby Atmos and Barco laser projection. The project has become one of the most closely watched new cinema developments in Europe, illustrating how exhibitors continue to reinvent theatrical exhibition as a premium destination experience.

The strengthened partnership also reflects a broader transformation occurring throughout the global cinema technology sector. Over the past decade, laser projection has steadily evolved from a luxury reserved for premium large-format auditoriums into an increasingly mainstream solution adopted by exhibitors seeking higher reliability, improved sustainability and superior image presentation. As studios continue mastering films with wider color gamuts and greater dynamic range, exhibitors equipped with next-generation laser systems are better positioned to reproduce filmmakers' creative intentions. Barco itself has continued pushing innovation beyond conventional laser projection, showcasing technologies such as HDR by Barco during major industry events including CinemaCon and CineEurope, where the company has become one of the exhibition sector's most visible technology partners. Its growing presence at international conventions reflects how projection technology has once again become a central topic in conversations about the future of theatrical exhibition.

The Kinopolis agreement therefore extends beyond the installation of new equipment. It represents a statement of confidence in the long-term future of cinemas as premium entertainment venues. While streaming services continue reshaping viewing habits, exhibitors increasingly distinguish themselves by offering experiences built around exceptional audiovisual quality, sophisticated venue design and elevated customer service. The simultaneous recognition of Kinopolis for both hospitality excellence and architectural innovation at CineEurope illustrates that technological investment alone is no longer sufficient; success increasingly depends on combining immersive presentation with memorable guest experiences. By completing a full laser rollout across its mainstream auditoriums, Kinopolis joins a growing number of leading exhibitors betting that audiences will continue choosing cinemas capable of delivering a level of spectacle, comfort and technical excellence unavailable anywhere else.

(Source : press release)