The large round auditoirum that is split would be a lot like "Experimental Pod Design 3" with modifications to make the spaces between auditoriums become exit hallways. The whole point in the "pod" designs were to minimize sharing of walls between auditoriums, therefore minimizing sound leakage from one to the next. I'v seen several theatres built using pods, such as Huntsville's former University 6, as well as Cinema North and Cinema South in Nashville. For pictures of these theatres, go to http://home.hiwaay.net/~criswell/theatre/images/nashville/

I set these up a long time ago and forgot they were there.

Since I've never been in a really large old single-screen theatre, it is difficult for me to imagine a round auditorium so large that it could be split producing 6 or so smaller "pie slice" style auditoriums. But, if you think about it, if you want 6 40 foot screens, you need 240 feet of wall space, plus, say, 8 feet for each dividing wall, for a total of 288 feet circumference. But, you have to have a lobby and main entrance, so let's assume all that needs to be about as wide as an auditrorium, so multiply by 7/6. You get 336 feet circumference total. Remember that a circle's circumference is 2*pi*r, so the radius of this minimal circle is 53 and a half feet. That doesn't seem that big. I'd say a circular auditorium with a radius of 70 feet (you must have a booth in the middle) could be split like this. Each of the 6 resulting auditoriums would have about 55 foot throws to the 40 foot screens, if the booth were a circle with a 15 foot radius. The booth would need 6 projectors, which would each be 14 feet apart along the inside 94-foot wall of the circular booth (Is that doable?).

Anyways, for more info, http://www.famousplayers.com

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Andrew McCrea