Auditorium Seating
Lecture halls, writing tablets and tip-up rows for daily class changeover.
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Every seat should see the picture
Cinema and theatre rows are judged in the dark: rake, offsets and compact centres so side seats still see the screen, with foam and back height set for a feature, not a 45-minute class.
Sightlines before capacity
A hall chair copied into a cinema usually fails on both comfort and viewing angle. We set seat angle and row offsets against the screen or proscenium, then pack as tightly as the room and regulations allow. Tip-up pans keep aisles walkable between shows for cleaning, latecomers and egress.
Navy, charcoal and black commercial grades disappear under house lights. Bright cloth reflects spill. Cup holders, numbered aisle ends and armrests are added where the programme needs them, not as a default that costs seats. Lecture rooms with writing tablets are a different range — see auditorium seating. Sanctuaries with usher aisles are on church seating.
Price a cinema or theatre layout
Share a seat count, screen width or a photo from the back row. We will say whether the existing rake works or whether offsets are needed, then quote manufacture and install.
House photos
LED cinema rooms, comfort close-ups and seat details. Use these to brief a committee or landlord, then send screen width and seat count for a layout.
LED rooms, campus cinemas and live houses
Cinema seating in South Africa is no longer only a multiplex brief. Colleges build small LED auditoriums. Municipal theatres hire for drama and film. Churches convert a hall into a screen room for overflow. In each case a standard auditorium chair usually fails on viewing angle and sitting time. Planet Seating manufactures cinema and theatre chairs in Johannesburg with tip-up pans, compact centres and foam set for a feature, then installs the rows so side seats still see the picture.
Send screen width, a photo from the back row and an approximate seat count. We will say whether the existing rake works or whether offsets are needed. Lecture rooms with writing tablets stay on auditorium seating. Sanctuaries with usher aisles stay on church seating.
Cinema and theatre questions
How is cinema seating different from hall seating?
Rows are planned around sightlines, longer sittings and tighter centres, usually with tip-up seats so aisles stay clear between shows.
Do you seat LED auditoriums and live theatres?
Yes. Movie houses, live theatres and rooms built around a video wall. Dark fabrics and rake are set to the picture.
Can theatre chairs include cup holders?
Yes. Cup holders, armrests, tip-up seats and numbered aisles are specified with the layout, not as a default pack that costs seats.
Can you refit cinema seats on an existing rake?
Usually yes. We check whether the current rake and offsets still work for the screen, then quote manufacture and install on the floor you have.
Do you supply community theatre and school auditorium chairs?
Yes. Campus cinemas, drama rooms and hired theatres use the same sightline brief as a commercial house, often with a tougher fabric grade for daytime classes.
What row spacing do you use?
Centres are set to the room, the regulations and how long people sit. A cinema packs tighter than a lecture theatre. We will not copy a hall chair grid onto a screen room.
Should cinema fabric be dark?
Navy, charcoal and black commercial grades disappear under house lights. Bright cloth reflects spill from the screen or LED wall. We match the grade to wear and cleaning as well as colour.
How do I start a cinema seating quote?
Share seat count, screen or LED width, and a photo from the back row. Use the form on this page or the contact page.
Other venue types
Church Seating
Sanctuary chairs, usher aisles and fabrics that sit quietly under worship lighting.
View Church Seating