**UPDATE 29 Feb 2016**
Barnsley's Parkway has confirmed the dates it will be showing The Hateful Eight in 70mm. Catch it there between Friday 8 and Thursday 14 April.

**UPDATE 2 Feb 2016**
Parkway cinema in Barnsley has announced its preparation to be the third cinema in the UK to show The Hateful Eight in 70mm. Dates and times to be confirmed, expected to be April.

**UPDATE 7 Jan 2016**
Edinburgh Filmhouse has just announced it will be the second cinema in the UK to screen the film in 70mm.

**UPDATE 5 Jan 2016**
Trouble with the release of The Hateful Eight continues as cinema chains Curzon, Cineworld and Picturehouse (owned by Cineworld) will not be screening the film in any format due to a failure to reach an agreement with distributor Entertainment, which appears to stem from the exclusivity given to Odeon Leicester Square's four-week run of the film's 70mm print, likely the only copy in the country. Digital Spy first reported the news, which has been reported further afield. Entertainment has issued the following statement:

Cineworld had made us aware that they were very unhappy that The Hateful Eight had been booked into the Odeon Leicester Square for an exclusive 70mm Ultra Panavision presentation, and specifically that they would therefore not be able to play the film at their Picturehouse Central venue. Due to the special facilities required for the unique 70mm Ultra Panavision presentation we needed the largest theatre and screen possible in the West End and the Odeon Leicester Square was the natural choice. The technical elements and costs involved with this special presentation meant that this would need to be the exclusive West End venue. The Odeon Leicester Square seats 1680 and Picturehouse Central only seats 344 so clearly this was not a viable alternative.

Cineworld had every opportunity to book the film in their other cinemas across the country on the same basis as other exhibitors and declined to do so. This is despite the fact that there is no dispute over the financial terms for this release.

We feel very sorry for Cineworld’s customers and in particular their Unlimited cardholders who will be denied the chance to see the film at a Cineworld cinema using their Unlimited card – a result of this Picturehouse issue relating to a single London West End cinema. As far as the general release is concerned we will be booking more sites with other exhibitors to compensate for Cineworld’s lack of support for a film that has already been given 5 stars and declared as Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece by The Guardian.

If Cineworld change their mind by tomorrow morning and decide to book the film in the proper way along the lines of the other exhibitors we would be happy for them to do so.

There's much to be read between the aisles here, but ultimately it's film fans that will be losing out, and that's the real shame.

**UPDATE 18 Dec 2015**
It is our understanding that due to issues with the Ultra Panavision lens required to project The Hateful Eight in 70mm film, the only cinema currently equipped to screen the film in this format is Odeon Leicester Square. We will provide further updates soon.

Original article:

It's no secret that Quentin Tarantino prefers traditional film techniques over the now standard digital formats. That's why his much-anticipated western The Hateful Eight, set to premiere on Christmas Day, was shot for a 70mm – a large and high-resolution format – release. The problem is: the vast majority of cinemas across the UK (and the world) are not equipped with projectors wide enough to handle these prints.

Tarantino has already argued that the wider shots allow both outdoor and indoor scenes to look 'more intimate and vital'. 'I figured if I shot in 70, they'll have to release it in 70', he said in this year's Comic Con, in San Diego. Unsurprisingly, the Weinstein's obliged.

Since 1992's Far and Away, no film has invested so heavily in 70mm prints as The Hateful Eight. After an exclusive two-week US run in selected 70mm cinemas only, the film will then open with a traditional digital release worldwide, on 8 Jan 2016, while continuing to be shown in 70mm.

The format was first used in the late 19th century and was very popular with Solviet filmmakers in the 60s, 70s and 80s, not to mention for Hollywood's classic epics such as Ben-Hur (1959), West Side Story (1961), My Fair Lady (1964), The Sound of Music (1965) and, of course, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963). More recently, blockbusters like Jurassic World (2015), Interstellar (2014), Gravity (2013), Inception (2010), Die Hard (1988), Blade Runner (1982) and Star Trek (1979) were partially shot in 65mm to amplify the impact of special effects and action sequences.

So, if you want to be among the cinephiles to see The Hateful Eight as the directors intends it to be seen (then brag about it to your pals), here are some of the UK cinemas that we think will offer you that opportunity:

Parkway (62-68 Eldon Street, Barnsley) — 70mm screening 8–14 Apr
Parkway has confirmed it will be bringing the 70mm print of The Hateful Eight to the north of England. This will be the first film Parkway has shown in 70mm.

Filmhouse (88 Lothian Road, Edinburgh) — 70mm screening 12–25 Feb
A three-screen independent cinema showing around 700 films every year, either in 2D, 3D, 35mm, 16mm or 70mm. Recently played Interstellar with the 70mm projector.
Filmhouse has confirmed it will be showing The Hateful Eight in 70mm.

Picturehouse at FACT (88 Wood Street, Liverpool) — not screening
The city's most popular and best-equipped venue, showing independent and mainstream movies. Projected Die Hard, Edward Scissorhands and Interstellar in 70mm, among others.

Odeon Leicester Square (24–26 Leicester Square, London) — 70mm screening 8 Jan–4 Feb
A large vintage space with architectural traces from the 30s. This year's projection of Interstellar was the first time a 70mm print film was shown here since Armageddon in 1998.

Pictureville Cinema (National Media Museum) (Little Horton Lane, Bradford) — not screening
Elected one of the highest-tech cinemas in the world, with 35mm, 70mm, 4K and Cinerama projectors (the only Cinerama system in regular use in Europe). The 300-seat cinema opened in 1992 with a special performance of the film Hook in 70mm.

The Rex Cinema (High Street, Berkhamstead) — not screening
Armed with a 1938 art-deco proscenium and one of the clearest sound systems in the world, the Rex Cinema also offered 70mm fans a wider look of Interstellar this year.

For now, you can feed your curiosity by watching Quentin Tarantino and Samuel L Jackson explain why when it comes to Ultra Panavision 70mm, you absolutely positively accept no substitutes...

**We will continue to update this article as and when we get confirmation of cinemas showing The Hateful Eight in 70mm. Please feel free to comment below if you hear of cinemas that are or aren't screening..