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Monthly Archives: May 2009

Breaking News: Sony Is Regal’s Choice For Digital

Posted by J. Sperling Reich | May 15, 2009 3:23 pm

Regal Entertainment Group

UPDATE: A Celluloid Junkie source has confirmed that Regal has chosen Sony 4K digital cinema technology for its theater circuit, which consists of 6,793 screens in 551 theaters (that figure includes Imax screens and screens that already offer digital projection). The news comes just a few months after AMC Entertainment decided to install Sony 4K projection systems across its theater circuit, which represents a total of 4,628 screens at 309 theaters in five countries. Combined, the deals have the potential to make Sony the market leader in North America once the installations are complete–although there is no word yet on a rollout schedule. Both Regal and AMC are members of DCIP.

 

Earlier today I heard a rumor that Regal Entertainment had chosen to install Sony’s 4K digital cinema technology circuit-wide.  Even as I was confirming the rumor, news of the decision was spreading throughout the industry like wildfire.  In fact, Digital Cinema Report sent an email out to its subscribers that stated:

Regal Cinemas has selected Sony 4K digital cinema technology for all of its theatres. Two sources confirmed the news today. Following on the heels of AMC’s decision to work with Sony this marks Sony’s second major success story in recent weeks.

If this news turns out to be true it could quite possibly make Sony the market leader in digital cinema projection.  At least it would once all of the projectors were installed, which could take years.  There is no word on a rollout schedule or when the first units will be installed.

One reason Regal may be going with Sony is that they can provide financing for any planned rollout.  Both AMC Entertainment and Regal are part of Digital Cinema Implementation Partners’ integration efforts, though DCIP has yet to announce any success they have had in raising funds for their rollout.  We’ll provide updates as details become available.

Popularity: 16% [?]

Posted in Digital Cinema, Equipment Vendors
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Digital Faces Critical (Archiving) Dilemma

Posted by Carolyn Giardina | May 14, 2009 2:34 pm

digital_dilemma_cover1

“The Digital Dilemma”—a 2007 report from AMPAS’ SciTech Council that examines the challenges of archiving and accessing digital motion picture materials—was the subject of the SMPTE’s Hollywood Section May meeting, held at the Academy’s Linwood Dunn Theatre in Hollywood.

The report concludes that there is no long-term strategy for archiving and preserving digital assets that doesn’t require large capital investment.

Andy Maltz, director of the SciTech Council, reported that in 2008 the worldwide box office reached $20 billion, but he estimated that only 0.0015% of that amount was spent on addressing this dilemma. He emphasized that much more needs to be done.

During the evening, Maltz presented an overview of the report and an update on its impact since its release. He generated applause and laughter from an audience that has been inundated with 3D format talk when—in outlining the discussion objectives—he quipped “there will be nothing about stereoscopic movies tonight.”

Actually, he wasn’t entirely correct. He addressed AMPAS’ need to preserve digital content, citing as an example the increasing number of 3D titles that originate from and are/will be released in the digital realm. He also cited the ASC/DCI Standard Evaluation Material (Stem) and all Oscar-nominated films, which are archived by the Academy.

“Current technologies and practices are inadequate,” he said. “Periodically you will need to copy the digital media. Storage technology and operating technology will become obsolete.”

As to current investment, the report suggested that it costs $1,059 to preserve one film archival master for one year. In contrast, it estimated that annual cost of preserving a 4K digital master to be $12,514.

The SciTech Council is now working on what it calls a Digital Motion Picture Archival Framework, which would include the development and standardization of a file format, directed research, education and a follow up report on “The Digital Dilemma” for indie filmmakers and executives at public archives.

A very worthwhile read, “The Digital Dilemma” report can be downloaded from the AMPAS web site (here).

Popularity: 35% [?]

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Daily Cinema Roundup – Wed 13 May – “Going forward it will look different after the 3D screens are in place.”

Posted by Patrick von Sychowski | May 13, 2009 8:05 am
Say hello to my little 8K friend!

Say hello to my little 8K friend!

- For those that decry Imax Digital’s 2x2K imaging technology, perhaps we can interest you in JVC’s new 8K projector? (pictured above) From CrunchGear, “8K content is pretty much…impossible to find right now. Unless you were to make a motion-JPEG movie out of full-size shots from a Hasselblad, I don’t think 8K is even approaching necessary. Fortunately, it also supports 4K (and why shouldn’t it?), a more reachable standard and one at which hi-def cinema cameras are actually shooting.” At 10,000 lumens, it won’t even make a proper size Imax screen blush, but it would do justice to a fully scanned Imax film frame (69.6 mm x 48.5 mm), so you could watch the action set pieces from “The Dark Knight” at home, just as Messrs Noland and Pfister intended them to be seen;

- National CineMedia Q1 2009 Earnings Call Transcript has been posted online courtesy of Seekingalpha. It’s been a good quarter for NCM with revenue up 17 per cent. “The improving reach of our networks, especially in the larger DMAs, is continuing to aid our strategy to broaden our client base. Several new clients are buying our network for the first time in 2009, including clients in the retail, import auto, broadcast TV, cable TV, and restaurant categories. I was most encouraged by the fact that several clients who had previously bought Screen Vision exclusively began to buy our network.” Which leads us to conclude that Screenvision’s Q1 was probably not as good;

– HBO will not be sponsoring Washington DC’s Screen of The Green, ending the outdoor summer cinema tradition after nine years, according to the Washington Post. “Ah, memories. The persistent bugs, the hateful humidity, the evening thunderstorms rumbling in the distance, the veggie plates and the contraband alcohol — Screen on the Green allowed us to experience all the hallmarks of a summer in D.C. at once, with a classic film unspooling on a giant screen on the grassy expanse between Fourth and Seventh streets NW. It was fine viewing on prime real estate.” There is a Facebook group to save the Screen on the Green event, but unless a new big sponsor is found, don’t expect President Obama to dig into the TARP funding to rescue this tradition. Other outdoor screening continue, though, in the suburbs, “Rosslyn is running movies from the ’80s every Friday through September at Gateway Park near the Key Bridge. Crystal City is doing the same thing with superhero movies. Other outdoor festivals are hosted in Bethesda, Rockville and elsewhere in Arlington.” As far as cheap or even free cinema entertainment goes, outdoor screenings are hard to beat, particularly in these tight financial days;

- The hunt is on for the Norwegian projectionist believed responsible for camcording and uploading a recent local hit Max Manus, according to Screen International. “The film was released on 103 prints but was illegal copies were made available online shortly afterwards. Filmkameratene tried to trace their origin from the so called ’water marks,’ different signals on each film copy which are not visible to the audiences, but readable to computers. The result has not been reported.” It sounds like the copy was made off a digital cinema screening, though it could also be the more primitive cap coding on 35mm prints. We will try to track this one;

- While box office taking are good, US exhibitors like Regal Cinemas are still having to scale back their growth plans because of the tighter credit climate, according to Reuters. “But plans to build 10 to 12 new theaters per year have been tempered by the ability of shopping center owners to move forward with projects, Campbell said. Regal expects building to be slowed to five to six theaters per year for the next three to five years, he said. The company’s participation in Digital Conversion Implementation Partners — a partnership with the No. 2 and No. 3 U.S. theater chains aimed at converting screens to digital and 3D projection systems — also had been slowed in the financing stage.” Regal is expecting growth to continue at four to five per cent for the next five years, but that is without calculating the added growth from 3D, which they say is “harder to project” (no pun intended). Quote in headline from new CEO Amy miles;

- More signs of the recession, UK’s Vue is putting on free film screenings, The Times tells us. Just don’t expect “Star Trek”. Instead Metrodome is providing some…interesting…choices. “First up, on May 15th, One Eyed Monster.  What sounds like a classic piece of schlockeroo starring adult film legends Ron Jeremy & Veronica Hart with”Buffy The Vampire Slayer” pin-up Amber Benson. Expect slimy alien creatures and unwise costume choices from an array of screaming starlets. And, most importantly, expect it for free.” The participating cinemas are: Vue West End, Vue Cambridge, Vue Edinburgh Omni, Vue Manchester Lowry and Vue Bristol Cribbs Causeway and you can get a ticket by e-mailing creditcrunch@metrodomegroup.com. Bless;

- THR.com uses the Cannes premier of Pixar’s “Up” as a jump off point for two in-depth articles about 3D in general and in Europe in particular: ‘Who’ll pay for 3-D glasses? Exhibitors, studios squabble over who should foot the bill‘ and ‘3-D accelerates as ‘Up’ opens Cannes – Film’s exposure at the fest could give 3-D an international push.’ Both articles are well worth reading and we particularly like Chris Morris’ illustration of what the black tie screening might look like (right), though perhaps XpanD as one of the sponsors and technology providers of the event might want to have a word with him for drawing anaglyph red-and-blue glasses instead of the Nuvision active glasses. We hope to bring you a picture of Co-Editor Sperling on site with glasses for comparison. Possibly even a report on the event if he can tear himself away from the Cannes parties. Follow him on Twitter here, where he reports: “The press in Cannes loved Pxar’s “Up”. Many in the press screening audience were all teary eyed at the end.“;

- Slight relief for Indian multiplexes (and cinema goers) as Bollywood film “99″ opens this Friday in defiance of the Distributor-Exhibitor stand-off, while Sony Pictures is going ahead with the release of “angels & Demons” on 29th of May. But two films don’t make a box office summer and the dispute remains unresolved.

Popularity: 41% [?]

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Daily Cinema Roundup – Tuesday 12 May – “Hollywood is providing people with some pretty sweet two-hour vacations.”

Posted by Patrick von Sychowski | May 12, 2009 7:59 am

- The backlash against IMAX Digital appears to have begun in earnest with a Slashfilm blog post titled ‘Why You Probably Shouldn’t Waste $5 More For Digital IMAX‘. Imax gets taken up for the shrinking screen size (see comparison above), as well as the resolution of the new projectors. “Not only are the IMAX Digital screens much smaller in size, but also a much lower resolution. IMAX digital currently uses two 2K-resolution Christie projectors
to project two 2K images over each other, producing an image that is potentially of a slightly higher resolution than common 2K digital cinema. But with AMC installing Sony 4K digital cinema projection systems in all 309 theaters and 4,628 screens by 2012, why would anyone want to pay $5 more for a lower resolution theatrical experience?” A knowledgeable industry insider told me at this year’s ShoWest that he was surprised that the audience hadn’t cottoned on to what he termed a ‘con trick’. Looks like they might do;

- There are a lot of Iron Maiden fans around the world, is the conclusion we draw from the announcement about the large number of people who went to see the aging rockers in ‘Iron Maiden: Flight 666‘. From the press release, “70% of the total admissions, which exceeded 100,000, were from one-day-only special event screenings, day and date, on April 21st. The feature length film, released exclusively on digital prints, has achieved the distinction of being the biggest ever worldwide simultaneous release of a documentary film.” In case you were wondering, “Flight 666 won the audience award for Best Music Documentary at the recent South by South West festival.” Rock on;

– Celebration Cinemas is getting it’s third generation of Loek’s running the Michigan based exhibitor. 32-year old J.D. Loek seems a pretty progressive sort of chap, based on the interview inMLive.com. “Two years ago, J.D. Loeks, then chief operating officer, led the company to adopt digital projection technology. The $14 million project expanded the options for the Loeks chain of movie theaters. “With film projectors, the only thing you can put on our screen is film stock,” Loeks said… “With digital, you not only have better movies, but you can put anything on the screen, including live TV broadcasts, anything on satellite, or anything on a computer screen.” Young Master Loek has his eyes squarely on what the technology could do for the exhibitor’s bottom line. “The technology brought opportunity to theaters with plenty of seating for large groups. “It’s redefining what we can do in our facilities,” Loeks said. “We’re doing catering, banquets, sports events, business meetings, non-profit fund-raisers. We’re in a period of rebranding right now.” The non-movie events have grown from 1 percent of the company’s income heading to 10 percent over the next year or two.” The quote in today’s headline is from JD;

- Want to know how to be a recessionista cinema goer in Korea? The Korea Herald has some good suggestions. “Even for just the price of a cup of coffee you can see some of the newest releases in Seoul. At small theaters in your area and even larger chain megaplexes in Seoul (Megabox, Lotte Cinema, Cinnus, CGV) you can watch early-morning showings throughout the week, and on the weekend, for about 4,000 won. Also, late-night double- or even triple-features are available at some theaters, where you can watch multiple movies through until dawn for around 10,000 won.” The further suggestions are even more obscure but cleaver and helpful (not least for expats) and give a fascinating glimpse into cinema going in South Korea;

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- The Cannes Film Festival opening of Pixar’s “Up” (above) is opening un petit boîte de Pandore regarding 3D in France. From AFP, “In France, for instance, “Up” will screen in 800 movie theatres from July 29, but only 120 are kitted out to show it in 3D. The French release of “Monsters and Aliens” was hamstrung by an unseemly row between Paramount, distributors and cinemas over the extra costs, although Pixar settled a similar row by offering cinemas a slice of ticket revenues for its hit “Bolt.” Another glitch in the studios’ plan: filmmakers, distributors and cinemas cannot agree on who should pay for the glasses that viewers still need to get the full effect.” What isn’t mentioned is that French audio-visual body CST has strict rules about quality norms for cinemas and that one of these is light output – something that any 3D system struggles to achieve on screens above a certain size. Maybe that’s why Christie is installing two of its SB (super bright) projectors for the 3D screening of “Up.” We are hoping for a full report from Sperling;

- Parents trying to smuggle their children into screenings of “Slumdog Millionaire” are putting at risk the licence of Screen Machine, says BBC News. “Operators of the Screen Machine – the UK’s only mobile cinema – said they had never known of so many attempts to get under-age children into a film.They said an 11-year-old tried to get in to see the certificate 15 movie by hiding behind his grandparents….Robert Livingston, from Hi-Arts, said it appeared it was the children who wanted to see the film, rather than a problem of finding babysitters while the parents went out. He said it was a mystery to him why the film had captured the attention of so many young children.” Read Robert Livingston’s Hi-Arts blog for some of the better excuses parents use for smuggling in their kids;

- Finally, we bring you some ingenious thinking from Malaysia, how to come up with something even better than 3D. No, not 4D, not even the right direction. From Sun2Surf:

GSC general manager Irving Chee says: “As the leading cinema exhibitor, we always strive to bring movie fans the latest innovation in cinema technology, facilities and services for the best cinema experience.

“We kicked off the first-ever real-live 3-D version of Journey to the Centre of the Earth last year (2008), followed by the 3-D screening of the animation movie Bolt and Disney’s Jonas Brothers concert earlier this year.”

After listing a slate of upcoming 3D titles, the articles then goes on:

Chee adds: “It is only a natural ­progression for GSC to be able to screen movies in 2-D digital format and offer Malaysian movie patrons this improved viewing experience.

“GSC will look for more opportunities to showcase movies in 2-D digital based on Hollywood’s approved DCI (Digital Cinema Initiative) Compliance Digital format.”

That’s right, “Angels & Demons” in glorious 2-D. Golden Screen Cinemas even charges more for Digital 2-D it than for 35mm…eeerh….2-D. We can see another Imax-type backlash brewing already.

Popularity: 36% [?]

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Who Does Regal Love More – RealD or Imax?

Posted by Patrick von Sychowski | May 11, 2009 9:07 am

If the US exhibition industry was a comic strip, Regal Cinemas would be Archie and 3D rivals RealD and Imax would be Betty and Veronica. Things seem to be coming to a head between the three with the opening of Regal’s latest multiplex Thornton Place Stadium 14 & IMAX – to give it its full and proper name – and with a shot across the bows from Veronica, sorry, Imax about just how fabulously rich her offerings are.

First the details on the opening of the state-of-the-art Thornton:

Regal Thornton Place Stadium 14 will feature a new IMAX® theatre utilizing a specially-designed screen that is slightly curved and moved forward to immerse the audience. The IMAX Experience® is further enhanced by a crystal-clear digital surround sound system. Regal’s IMAX theatre will also offer IMAX 3D® when filmmakers choose to integrate 3D images into their movies. Future IMAX releases include: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (6/24) and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (7/15).

The new theatre is modern in every way, equipped with RealD® 3D to provide true-to-life 3D. RealD is a new generation of digital 3D, giving moviegoers a stunningly realistic movie experience that engages the imagination, activates the senses and invites the audience not only to watch a film, but also step inside the story. Upcoming Digital 3D movies include: Disney-Pixar’s Up (5/29), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (7/1) and Disney’s G-Force (7/24).

‘Immerse the audience’ and ‘step inside the story’, OK, so Regal has both systems on the go. No major surprise there. But RealD and Imax do not see themselves as equals and do not just want to co-exist peacefully. This was made clear in an e-mail that went out from Imax today, headlined ‘Star Trek IMAX breaks record with $8.3 mil opening weekend in U.S.‘, which amounts to 11 per cent of the total box office (see Weekend BO story below).

Imax then goes on to quote from the Regal Cinemas public earnings conference call, where Regal’s CEO Mike Campbell, took a  question from an analyst on whether Veronica was cutest or Betty prettiest:

Matthew Harrigan  – Wunderlich Securities – Analyst

Good morning. Thanks for taking my question. Two questions. One, there’s a pretty profound asymmetry even if you adjust for the size of the auditoriums on the 3-D results for IMAX versus REAL D. Have you given any thought to re-balancing that or is it just more a matter of educating the consumer on REAL D? I heard there are some people actually think that some of the quality in 3-D with REAL D is better than with IMAX, but it doesn’t seem to have quite the marketing cachet.

Michael Campbell  – Regal Entertainment Group – Chairman and CEO

As far as the Real D versus the IMAX experience, IMAX is a powerful brand and it’s not just the visuals and the size of the screen. It’s a–it’s got the best sound system in the world according to most people. So we’re seeing that when we run REAL D versus 2-D, the Real D screens show a multiple of two to three times the attendance that you’re getting out of a 2-D screen while the IMAX will run five to six times. So we view this actually as a very viable market going forward, where IMAX remains at the top of the food chain. It’s long-established as a powerful brand, attaches a higher premium. Real D 3-D is somewhere between IMAX and 2-D. And we think that it gives the customer maximum flexibility in choosing. [emphasis added]

So Regal loves Imax twice as much as it loves RealD? Or at least its audience does. Imax want to have us believe that. Regal has 52 screens contracted with Imax, but has committed with RealD for 1,500 screens. So the date count seems to go in favour of Betty. Moreover, if you read the above quote early, what Regal is saying is that RealD lacks the brand awareness that Imax has been building up over several decades. But that could of course change.

But could it be that neither of the two will end up the real winner? Archie-ologist will remember that Issue #320 saw the introduction of Cheryl Blossom, a redhead from Pembroke, England, introduced to compete with Betty and Veronica for Archie. Who might 3D cinemas Cherry Blossom be? Why, none other than UK-born American-relocated Dolby Laboratories. With studios threatening to no longer pay for RealD’s disposable (now recyclable) eyewear, the Dolby3D system with its re-usable glasses (and high gain, instead of silver screen) is becoming more and more appealing.

Not that Regal is likely to break it off with RealD for its 1,500 dates and while Imax is likely to continue to occupy a high end niche, the race for the attention of the cinema is definitely heating up and getting interesting. We don’t expect a cat fight, but we are awaiting RealD’s retaliation keenly.

Popularity: 68% [?]

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Daily Cinema Roundup – Monday 11 May – “I have been in this business since 1972, and I have never seen such a bad time.”

Posted by Patrick von Sychowski | May 11, 2009 8:59 am

cctraintour
-We have come across cinemas on wheels, before, but Disney is going on step further by installing a digital 3D cinema in a train as part of its promotion for “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”. From the press release: “”Disney’s A Christmas Carol” Train Tour kicks off Memorial Day Weekend 2009 in Los Angeles, traveling across the country with stops in 40 cities, culminating in New York City in November. Visitors will be treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the magic and the cutting-edge technology of “Disney’s A Christmas Carol.” Pictured above is the state-of-the-art 48-foot-wide, 3D theatre–the first inflatable 3D theatre ever to go across the country–which will be erected onsite in each city showcasing an exclusive sneak peek of “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” in Disney Digital 3D.”” Digital cinema projectors provided by Barco, server and 3D equipment by Dolby, touch panels by HP and trian by Amtrak – only no word who is supplying the distinctly rickety and non-plush looking chairs;

- Digital Cinema integrator Cinedigm (formerly AccessIT) has been thrown a financial life line by its largest creditor GE Commercial Finance. From the press release, “The amendment significantly relaxes the financial covenant ratios that C/AIX is required to meet every quarter through the maturity of the loan in 2013. In addition, the new arrangement allows C/AIX to pay approximately $5 million in cash to its parent company, Cinedigm, as well as increase its ability to pay annual fees to Cinedigm. Reflecting the current market conditions, the amendment increases the interest rate on the credit facility from 4.5% to 6% above LIBOR and sets a LIBOR floor of 2.5%. C/AIX will pay a 0.5% amendment fee on the outstanding balance of $183.9 million.” The deal is a vote of confidence and saves Cinedigm and Christie/AIX, but staying afloat and surviving is not the same as expanding and thriving;

- Of the 53 films screening at the Cannes Film Festival 50 will be screening in digital, but the press release from Christie frustratingly doesn’t tell us which three won’t. Instead we learn that “20 [films] screened digitally in 2007 and 37 in 2008” and “Christie will provide over 19 projectors for the world’s leading film festival,” but they don’t name and shame the digital refuseniks. Is it famous film fanatic Quentin Tarantino? Or some obscure Chinese director who smuggled out a Super16mm documentary in a concealed can? We want names. So if you are involved, feel free to leak them to us anonymously in an e-mail or in the comments section. We know you want to;

-Things are going from bad to worse in India, where the stand-off between the Distributors and the Exhibitors is turning into a WWI-style war of attrition. Now the single screens are becoming the collateral casualty, according to the Economic Times. “For those who could not survive with just cancelling shows, shutting shop was the only option. Single theatres like Regal and Roxy, and the multi-screen Apsara in South Mumbai, have been closed till further notice, while the 1,200-seater Liberty theatre, a Yashraj and Barjatya favourite, also closed shop for two weeks, though citing air-conditioning repair as reason. “I have been in this business since 1972, and I have never seen such a bad time.” Multiplexes are surviving partly thanks to revival of Marathi films, but the government is suffering from single screen closures as Maharashtra state has a 45 per cent entertainment tax on tickets, while Uttar Pradesh (India’s most populous state with 190m people) taxes single screens at 60 per cent;

- The Bollywood stand-off is having repercussions abroad, with Hollywood soaking up audiences left high and dry in the Middle East, according to United Arab Emirate’s The National. “Indian film has a major presence in the UAE, given the country’s large expatriate Asian presence, but the movies are popular with Arabs and other communities too, and most open to packed houses. Several have had grand premières in Dubai even before their releases in India, among the most recent being Jodha Akbar and Delhi-6. Last year Yash Raj Films, a leading filmmaker, entered into an agreement with Dubai Infinity Holding to build an entertainment district in the city themed around films made by the production house.” Anyone living in Mumbai knows that the city is effectively twinned with Dubai, so the ripples will be felt for some time across the Arabian Sea;

0805_shortwaveint- Up-and-coming London area of Bermondsey Square is getting a 50-seat ‘uniplex’ (pictured above) called Shortwave Cinema, described by the owner as “the first cinema to be built in 21st century Britain.” From Londonist, “The brainchild of “local DJ, filmmaker and renaissance man” Rob Wray, Shortwave has a pleasingly retro moviehouse look, with comfortable old seats re-housed from the Electric Cinema and a black and red colour scheme within. Matching the old-school aesthetic, the cinema intends to eschew blockbuster releases and instead program independent fare: they’re currently showing the adaptation of David Peace’s Red Riding Trilogy, while future releases include Chilean film Tony Moreno and a season of London documentaries from the 1950s.” Looks like a worthy successor to the frankly-not-missed Lux Cinema in up-and-already-came area of Hoxton;

- Australia is set to get its first all-digital multiplex as Greater Union unveils its latest multiplex at at Robina town centre on the Gold Coast. From Perth Now, “AHL says digital cinema technology means it can now screen everything from overseas concerts, to international operas, ballet, theatre and live sports. “From a satellite feed of a U2 Concert to the State or Origin on the giant Vmax screen, it is an exciting development,” it says. The centres will retain Greater Union’s popular premium luxury Gold Class program.” Hmmmm, Vmax – not to be confused with Imax;

- The booming North American box office has dragged Canada’s Cineplex Galaxy back in black, according to THR.com. “Toronto-based Cineplex Galaxy, which operates 130 multiplexes country-wide, posted earnings of CAN$3.7 million ($3.16 million) to March 31, against a loss of CAN$2.3 million in 2008. Revenue rose 11.2% to CAN$211 million ($180 million), compared to a year-earlier CAN$189 million. Total boxoffice receipts rose 11.5% to CAN$133 million ($113.5 million), from CAN$116 million in 2008.” Expect 3D to be big at Cineplex Galaxy as it rolls it out on 122 screens by the end of May.

Popularity: 36% [?]

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Box Office Review-Sunday 10 May

Posted by Carolyn Giardina | May 10, 2009 11:21 am

The Star Trek franchise had its biggest opening yet, as Paramount’s relaunched “Star Trek” topped the North American box office this weekend with an estimated $72.5 million, giving the film a domestic total of $76.5 million (with its Thursday opening night).

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”—which last week had the biggest opening weekend of the year so far with an $85 million debut–finished in second place with an estimated $27 million, bringing its domestic box office total to $129.6 million. Worldwide, the film has crossed the $200 million mark.

Dreamworks Animation’s first digital 3D release “Monsters versus Aliens” stayed in the top 10 in its seventh week, bringing in an additional $3.4 million as its domestic total climbed to an estimated $186.9 million and worldwide gross reached $329.9 million. The production budget for “Monsters”—still the top grossing film of the year so far–is estimated to be around $175 million.

DWA still has a few more weeks before the next wide digital 3D release, Disney/Pixar’s “Up,” opens in theaters on May 29.

After a disappointing start last week, Lionsgate’s animated 3D release “Battle for Terra” continued to struggle. This weekend it brought in an estimated $184,000 for a $1. 5 million total domestic gross.

Add two more 3D release dates to your lists: Warner Bros.’ “Happy Feet 2”—the sequel to the computer animated Oscar winner “Happy Feet”—is slated to open in 3D on Nov. 18, 2011. Meanwhile Vivendi will open the live action family adventure “Call of the Wild 3D” next month on June 12.

Popularity: 37% [?]

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Daily Cinema Roundup – Friday 8 May

Posted by Patrick von Sychowski | May 8, 2009 8:38 am

orange-wedensday-witch

- Catch someone taping a film off the screen? You have little choice but to let him (it’s rarely a ‘her’) walk free in the UK, according to Sky News. “Tim Richards, who runs Vue cinemas, told Sky News that while his staff are getting better at catching film pirates, he invariably has to let them go. He said: “We catch these individuals and we can’t do anything with them. It’s extremely frustrating.” But the police say sales of illegal pirated (usually elsewhere) DVDs are a bigger problem and the UK government urges cinema to go after the cinema camcorders with the Fraud Act. Yes, really, don’t laugh;

- UK mobile phone carrier Orange has been running its two-for-one mid-week offer for five years and have clocked up 14m uses (that’s 7m couples). From newmediaage, “The Orange Wednesdays offer has encouraged an average of 300,000 people to go to the cinema each week, saving them an estimated £30m, the operator said. The five most prolific users have redeemed the offer an average of 70 times each.” Apparently “Mamma Mia!” has been the most popular film.Notice that the Orange Witch [Surely she's green and wicked, not orange? - Ed.] from the advert (below) is brandishing a Celluloid Junkie icon popcorn box knock off. Definitely not authorised by us;

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-Imax‘s finances are slowly improving, with Q1 of 2009 showing a narrow loss as the company waits for digital to kick in, according to THR.com. “Toronto-based Imax posted a loss of $2.6 million to March 31, compared to a loss of $10.2 million in 2008, on revenue up 43% to $33.7 million, against a year-earlier $23.5 million. Imax recorded sharply lower R&D costs compared to 2008 when it incurred steep digital projection rollout costs. The first quarter operating profit was $2 million, compared to a loss of $5.6 million in 2008.” Perhaps more interestingly than digitla itself was that revenue from bigged-up Hollywood releases such as “Watchmen” and “Monsters vs. Aliens” doubled from around $15m to over $30m in the quarter;

- Sony Pictures “Angels & Demons” had its world premiere in Rome using Sony Electronics 4K SXRD projector. From the press release, “Oliver Pasch, head of digital cinema in Europe at Sony Professional says, “We’re delighted to have played a part in helping Sony Pictures  premiere Angels & Demons. The studio understands the phenomenal value of 4k projection and how it allows audiences from across the world to see more detail than ever before, thus creating a truly unique cinematic experience.”" The film will be released in 4K, so best place to catch it will be Norway or an AMC cinema – click here for full list of 4K locations.

-With the stand-off in Bollywood between Indian film distributors and multiplexes still not showing any sign of ending, exhibitors are starting to look for small films to distribute themselves. From liveMint.com, “In a clear signal that the gloves are off in the dispute with
producers, Fame India Ltd has joined forces with its fellow leading
national cinema chains INOX Leisure Ltd, Cinemax India Ltd, Adlabs
Films Ltd, Fun Cinemas and PVR Ltd and set aside around Rs40 crore [$8m] to
acquire a film on the open market for release in multiplexes, where the
deadlock has seen all new releases being put on ice since 4 April.” A handfull of candidate films are hten listed. Meanwhile distributors are saying that they will release their films in single screens and independent multiplexes. Still no word if Hollywood distributors will soon start releasing their films during the stand off;

– If you think Indian multiplex operators have it hard, spare a thought for their colleagues in Iraqi, where cinemas are dying a slow death. From LA Times, “Before the 2003 invasion, Baghdad had 40 cinemas; now there are only
eight. In those days, the theaters opened at 8 a.m. and closed just
before midnight. Today, the theaters shut at 1 p.m. Hashim says only
the riffraff and lowlifes frequent his theater…. Other theaters have closed rather than cater to the new
market — the owners of the now-shuttered Nujoom (Star) cinema
described their clientele after 2003 as “drug addicts, alcoholics and
freaks.”” We have highlighted the plight of Iraqi cinemas before, but it is sad that there appears to be no hope in sight;

- Reasons why 3D is plenty D’s enough, from UK’s The Mirror. “A cinema at a National Sea Life Centre is so realistic it is causing visitors to feel seasick. Bosses at the £1million 4D screen in Birmingham are handing out sea sickness bracelets after customers complained the images of giant waves, vibrating seats and water spray made them ill.” Isn’t ayone complaining bout the water sprays making their popcorn wet?

– A novel way of attracting customers to cinemas? Bag of cocaine found in Reel Cinema in Grantham by 10 year old. From the local paper, “”Obviously this is a family entertainment venue and children are present. It is very worrying when a ten-year-old comes into possession of drugs like this.” Jonathan had only recently started to let his son do things on his own but the experience has made him worry. He said: “What if a child had picked it up and thought it was sherbet? Or what if he had walked in to find someone taking drugs?” I’ve heard of weed smoking to Cheech and Chong and LSD for “2001: A space Odessey”, but cocaine to “X-Men Originas; Wolverine” seems like a desperate way of improving the film;

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Daily Cinema Roundup -Thursday 8 May – “the best industry you could want to be in”

Posted by Patrick von Sychowski | May 7, 2009 9:09 am

- Things are returning to semi-normal in Mexico, with fear of an H1N1 pandemic abetting and cinemas outside of the capital are re-opening, we are told by THR.com. “All employees must wear protective masks and those handling food are required to wear rubber gloves and wash their hands frequently. After each screening, theaters will be scrubbed down with detergent or a bleach solution. Additionally, audiences will find antibacterial gel at the entrance of each theater.” An unintended side-effect of the mustn’t-call-it-swineflu is that cinemas will smell fresher than ever before;

- If yesterday’s item about r$5.5m golden parachutes-for-failures at Carmike left a bad taste in your mouth, here is a story of a better run family cinema operation in the US deep South, Malco Theatres, from the California Chronicle. “Jimmy Tashie points out that Malco has survived ” depressions, recessions, wars and even home theaters.” He says he looks forward to seeing how technological developments will further influence film operations. “Where can we go from here? Well, 3-D and digital cinema for one,” he said. “At present, Malco is branching out and showing live feed from the New York Metropolitan Opera, concerts, sporting events and even teleconferencing.” Malco is also actively supporting  independent film organizations like the On Location: Memphis International Film Fest, the Indie Memphis Film Festival and the Oxford Film Festival in Mississippi, as well as providing a cast-and-crew screening to the undeservedly straight-to-DVD political thriller “Nothing but the Truth“;

- Staying with US exhibitors in the South, Regal Cinemas has appointed former CFO Amy Miles to take over as CEO from the chain’s founder Mike Campbell, while SVP finance David Ownby is new CFO and Gregg Dunn stays on as President/COO, according to THR.com. “Campbell described his new role as one focusing on corporate strategy. “This is something I’ve been thinking about doing for several years,” Campbell said. “I informed our board a couple years ago about what I was thinking about doing, and they are glad I’ll still be engaged.” Miles said she was pleased to be handed the corporate reins “in such an exciting time for Regal and the theater exhibition industry.” ” It is Ms Mile’s quote that is today’s deadline banner and we fully endorse her view – this is the best industry to be in, and not just because the box office is doing well;

– Some digital signage news from the UK and US. Odeon has been using signage from Connectvision (pictured right) to drive concession sales in Liverpool and Belfast, according to Digital Signage Today. ““By using dual-purpose tills we have more flexibility at the point-of-sale. If the need arises we can use the concessions areas for both concession and ticket sales. Connectvision allows us to use the bank of screens to maximum effect when promoting popcorn, drinks, confectionery and other concessions, as well as topical special offers linked to films at the cinema,” said Alison Burns, retail manager U.K., Odeon U.K.” Meanwhile in the US Santikos Theatres uses Allure Global Solutions‘ signage (top), according to Digital Signage Expo.  “A large screen displaying animated beauty shots of beverages pouring over ice and other imagery which promotes brand awareness and appetite appeal are a part of the overall solution for Santikos Theatres. Allure Global has seen sales lift for digital promoted products in the area of 7-9% for their digital menu boards in a theatre environment. Also, internal proprietary research with a beverage company and a theatre chain has shown that the incidence of a beverage purchase is 10% greater after viewing its digital imagery on a screen, than from its static counterpart.” Will these interactive signage displays show the calorie count in New York cinemas, as recently mandated, we wonder;

– But no signage, digital or otherwise, for Doncaster’s Odeon, whose art-deco building is threatened by demolition, we learn from South Yorkshire’s The Star. “An English Heritage report turned the building down for listing because it had been too heavily altered inside and outside to be of interest in a national context, but said it made a positive contribution to the Hallgate conservation area and could be a candidate for a local list. The Friends of Doncaster Odeon (FODO) was set up to try to save the building. Spokesman Ray Nortrop said much of the information put forward by the trust echoed its own experts’ advice. The Odeon, formerly the Gaumont Palace, opened in September 1934 and was designed by the architects WE and WS Trent. ” Not every cinema is wort saving, but surely Doncastrians desefve a renovated cinema more than a casino in its place. As a commentator notes in DigitalSpy, “Now there will be no option but to use the chav infested VUE” while another one opines “Vue Doncaster – number 1 for people who want to watch films in a shoebox.” Visit this great site for some beautiful photos of what the cinema used to look like. It was also where local lad Daniel Craig saw his first Bond film;

- Projector maker Ballantyne of Omaha has reported Q1 results for 2009 and business is looking good with reveniue up almost 10 per cent, according to Reuters. “Q1 2008 net revenues increased 9.8% to $14.2 million compared to Q1 2007 net revenues of $12.9 million. The increase was principally due to recording as revenue in Q1 2008 the sale of digital projection equipment in 2007 on deferred payment terms.” That’s a five-fold growth in digital projector revenue, which “more than offset an anticipated decline in sales of traditional analog film projection systems.” More reasons to be cheerful, even though gross profit was down slightly from $2.7m to $2.3m. Warren Buffet, he of Omaha too, could worse than to invest in this company;

- There appears to be no end in sight to the stand off in India between film distributors and multiplexes. This leaves Hollywood distributors with a dilemma, as a backlog of US titles builds up that will fight even harder than usual with local films for screens this summer. From Business of Cinema. “As was reported by Businessofcinema.com last month, some studios had postponed the release of their films in India in order to show their support to the producers. Two big movies that are slated to release from Fox Star Studios and Sony Pictures Releasing of India are the Hugh Jackman starrer X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Tom Hanks starrer Angels & Demons respectively. Promotions and marketing activities of both movies had been kept on hold until yesterday’s meeting.” If the releases are delayed much longer the main beneficiaries will sadly be the pirate disk vendors, who are all to ready to step in and sate the demand;

- Which leads us to the larger question, is global day-and-date increasingly unavoidable in today’s wired world. The Guardian dwells on this question in an article headlined ‘If you can’t buy it legally, of course you’ll download it‘. Far from condoning it (OK, maybe other than for TV shows), the journalist  out  that “There was a time when the system worked. From the earliest days of cinema, a system of staggered worldwide releases of Hollywood movies developed. It made sense: there were only a certain number of prints and it took time to ship them across the world. Nick James, editor of the British Film Institute’s magazine Sight and Sound, told me that in the 1970s you could sometimes wait two years to see a Hollywood film in the UK.” But those days are over and global advertising creates global awareness and instant demand, which is why “It’s time for staggered releases to end. Every day they continue, more people, tired of seeing adverts and reviews of shows and movies they won’t be able to buy legitimately for months or years, call up a techie friend and say “that torrenting thing, how do you do that?“” I still remember the ShoWest a few years ago when Jack Valenti gave what inadvertently amounted to a Master Class in How To Download Films From The Net. If anyone didn’t know the way to do it before the presentation, they were fully qualified to fire up their torrent engines by the end of it.

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Digital Hollywood: Credit Market Starting to Recover

Posted by Carolyn Giardina | May 6, 2009 9:13 pm

A group of 3D industry leaders shared varying opinions on the future of 3D—as well as their latest impressions of the credit market–during a panel yesterday at the Digital Hollywood confab in Los Angeles.

“The market has recovered a little since December,” said James Dix, analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities. “The credit market is clearly loosening up, although DCIP happening imminently is not likely.”

Cinedigm chairman/CEO Bud Mayo reported: “Cinedigm has already financed $300 million in conversions of digital screens and we expect to start again this summer. The VPFs are a model that is proven and we have the data to support it. Getting our lenders to put up money for a proven model is not that much of a challenge. It is the macro economics that are the challenge.”

Kerner New York’s chairman/CEO Neal Weinstock surprised some while addressed production costs, suggesting that “we think we can get the production budget only about $25,000 higher for 3D than 2D, for episodic TV. Television will be the lion’s share of the 3D business.”

Lenny Lipton predicted that all content would eventually be 3D. “We are seeing the domino effect with 3D. Genre by genre it will become necessary to attract audiences. Animation was the first. It appears that horror will be next.”

Citing the success of 2D blockbuster “The Dark Knight,” Imax’s Greg Foster disagreed, saying “3D is providing a benefit, but I don’t think you have to throw all your eggs in one basket.”

Mayo also doesn’t believe that all movies need to be 3D, but he did promote alternative content. “The opportunity of digital have very little to do with movies–it’s to complement movies. How do you fix the seats that are empty? The opportunity comes with doing other things along with movies.”

As an example, he reported that Cinedigm would be offering concerts as alternative content during the summer.

Foster reported that Imax is up to 90 digital installations. He added that at Imax screenings, the first 15 minutes of upcoming summer release “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” would be presented in 3D.

Moderator Marty Shindler of consulting firm The Shindler Perspective offered a screen count update: Over 7,000 digital cinema screens worldwide, 3500 of which are 3D ready.

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