Category Archives: Countries

Norway Set To Convert All Of Its Cinemas To Digital

Posted by J. Sperling Reich | June 24, 2009 11:12 pm

norway_flag Norway’s FILM & KINO has announced that it has signed virtual print fee (VPF) agreements with five out of six studios (discussions with Sony Pictures still on-going), thus paving the way to make it the first country to switch over all of its cinemas to digital in a government-led effort. Announcement in Norwegian here and press release in English here. From the latter:

Film & Kino, the Norwegian interest organization for cinemas, announces the world’s first non-commercial complete national digital roll out with agreements with Twentieth Century Fox, United International Pictures (the local distributor for Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures in Norway), Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International, and Warner Bros. Pictures International.

Film & Kino has served the Norwegian cinema industry for over 90 years, and is proud to announce multiple studio agreements in Norway. This complete digital roll-out will transform all of Norway’s cinemas, big and small, to modern DCI-compliant digital cinema houses. The roll-out will start in late 2009 after the completion of public tenders for the procurement of equipment and services required for the digitization process. Read More »
Popularity: 12% [?]

Posted in Countries
Tagged as Arts Alliance Media, Film & Kino, Norway, Unique Cinema Systems, Virtual Print Fees

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The Commoditization of VPFs, or, Why Having a Deal With Hollywood Studios Isn’t The Big Deal It Used To Be

Posted by Patrick von Sychowski | April 1, 2009 7:50 am

Scrabble Entertainment has announced virtual print fee (VPF) deals with five Hollywood studios (”Hello Scott from SPE, in the back.”) to roll out digital cinema in India. This may be the last notable VPF deal for some time, if not for ever.

Scrabble has signed up Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, plus Paramount and Universal, with only Sony Pictures yet to come on board. At the press conference in Las Vegas on the second day of ShoWest 2009, three of the studio representatives joined Scrabble’s CEO Ranjit Thakur on stage to praise his efforts. Tom Molter from Warner Bros said that WB has supplied more digital cinema titles internationally than any other studio (definitely true for India) and was looking forwards to doing more of this with Scrabble. Julian Levin from Fox praised Ranjit’s determination and effort, acknowledging that negotiating with the Hollywood studios is a “very difficult and complicated process.” Lastly Jason Brenek from Disney was happy that Scrabble digital cinema roll-out would include 3D installations, understandable given Disney’s 17 3D titles over the coming three years. Jack Klein from Christie was also up on stage. Christie is the 2K digital cinema projector supplier of choice for Scrabble, but what is not discussed is that Christie is said to have helped behind the scenes to facilitate the VPF deals for Scrabble. Universal and Paramount were not on stage, though they had signed up as well (Paramount’s logo was on the banners, though Universal’s was missing), though this may be due to the fact that both are represented jointly in India by the (elsewhere largely defunct) UIP, with Paramount branding, in India, meaning that there is some untangling to be done still.

Screen International covered the agreement:

Scrabble has signed contracts with Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Bros, Walt Disney Studios and Paramount Pictures that become effective on April 1, and the company is in the process of finalising deal points in the agreement with Universal Pictures. The agreements are based on the self financing virtual print fees model, which is essentially a pay-per-use or booking system. Read More »
Popularity: 41% [?]

Posted in Business, Countries, Digital Cinema
Tagged as India, Paramount Pictures, Scrabble Entertainment, VPF

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Battle Brews Over 3D Glasses In Europe

Posted by J. Sperling Reich | March 26, 2009 11:10 pm

RealD's Disposable 3D Glasses

Late last week I picked up on a rumor that was circulating about European exhibitors. Apparently, they are rejecting digital 3D versions of DreamWorks Animation’s “Monsters vs. Aliens” in lieu of 2D digital and 35mm prints as a response to being told that distributors will not pick up the tab for 3D glasses. The film opens internationally on March 27th.

Disposable polarized 3D glasses cost between 50 and 99 cents (USD) and are required to view digital 3D movies shown using systems manufactured by RealD and Masterimage. “Active glasses”, which operate using LCD lenses that flicker open and closed at the shutter rate of the projector, are reusable and cost upwards of USD $$25 to $30. Such glasses are necessary to view 3D films shown using XpanD technology. Reusable glasses for Dolby’s color wheel system cost USD $23. More than likely the dispute is over disposable glasses rather than reusable glasses since it is generally accepted that the exhibitor will be responsible for the latter.

In North America it has become a somewhat common practice for the distributor of a 3D film to pay for disposable glasses in part or entirely. This may not last however since distribution chiefs such as Mark Christiansen of Paramount Pictures have said they are determining whether they will be reimbursing an exhibitor for the cost of disposable glasses on a film by film basis.

The theatre owners that reported the unofficial boycott of “Monsters vs. Aliens” in 3D were from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and a few Scandinavian countries. Equipment manufacturers and the few dealers I spoke with confirmed the story, and were somewhat frustrated as they believe such issues will hold up the rollout of digital cinema in Europe. Read More »

Popularity: 100% [?]

Posted in Countries, Digital 3D
Tagged as Dolby, Dreamworks Animation, MasterImage, Palace Cinemas, RealD, Xpand

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Palace Cinemas Brings 3D To Central Europe

Posted by J. Sperling Reich | March 19, 2009 5:20 pm

Palace Cinemas 3Digital

Central Europe will soon be able to experience 3D digital releases the way filmmakers had intended thanks to Palace Cinemas. Tomorrow the exhibitor will announce they will be adding twelve 3D digital screens to their circuit just in time for Dreamworks Animation’s “Monsters vs. Aliens” to premiere on March 26th.

Palace, which is the largest exhibitor in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, will install three screens in Prague, two screens in Brno, two in Bratislava and an additional five in Budapest, where the company is headquartered. The news is a bit of a coup for Masterimage. The Korean company’s 3D technology has been selected for 11 of the installations. Palace, which already has one RealD system, will install an additional RealD screen at West End, one of their premiere venues in Budapest. Recently RealD and Dolby have stolen the spotlight when it comes to making announcments about new 3D installations.

“We like Masterimage, said Palace CEO V.J. Maury of why they chose the technology. “It’s a combination of great 3D on the screen and the right price. And we wouldn’t add another RealD screen at West End if it were not for its excellent 3D picture.”

Popularity: 66% [?]

Posted in Countries, Digital 3D, Digital Cinema
Tagged as Barco, Czech Repblic, Film-Ton-Technik, Hungary, MasterImage, Palace Cinemas, RealD, Sloviaka, V.J. Maury, XDC

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RealD Scores Hat Trick in 3D Deal With UK’s Vue

Posted by Patrick von Sychowski | February 24, 2009 9:29 pm

Digital 3D provider RealD was bagged three of the top three UK exhibitors with the announcement that Vue will be converting 200 screens using RealD’s solution. This follows hot on the heels of #1 exhibitor Odeon/UCI’s deal for 500 screens and #2 exhibitor Cineworld’s deal to convert 30 of its 73 sites. From article in THR.com:

Vue Entertainment, the U.K.’s third-largest theater operator, is turning to 3-D technology, striking a deal with RealD to add 200 screens equipped by the 3-D specialist.

Vue and RealD said Monday that the rollout of RealD 3-D-enabled screens already has begun, with an installation at Vue’s flagship location in the British capital, Leicester Square.

“RealD 3-D is the market-leading choice for its remarkable track record of providing a superior viewing experience, something we can’t wait to bring to our many locations across the U.K.,” Vue CEO Tim Richards said. Read More »
Popularity: 47% [?]

Posted in Countries, Digital 3D
Tagged as Odeon, RealD, UK, Vue

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Largest UK Cinema Chain Picks Vendors for 3D While Snubbing Third Party Integrators

Posted by Patrick von Sychowski | February 12, 2009 9:34 pm

logo_odeon The UK’s largest exhibitor Odeon (formed through the merger with UCI) has selected Real Image’s Qube server and projectors from NEC to extend the company’s digital cinema and (particularly) digital 3D reach.

From the Qube press release:

Odeon and UCI Cinemas Choose Qube Servers Qube XP-D servers chosen in 111 screen 3D digital cinema rollout in Europe

Qube XP-D Digital Cinema Server

Web Site

Local Page

The Qube XP-D digital cinema server has been chosen by ODEON and UCI Cinemas – Europe’s largest cinema operators – to be a part of their current 111 screen digitization plan across Europe.

Already playing Disney’s “Bolt” in digital 3D in Portugal for several weeks, Qube has recently commenced commercial digital 3D screenings across the UK with “My Bloody Valentine”.

The digitization plan of ODEON and UCI Cinemas is in response to the significant number of digital 3D productions scheduled for release from 2009, ensuring that the audiences across Europe can enjoy the latest films in state-of-the-art cinema technology.

Popularity: 66% [?]

Posted in Countries, Digital 3D, Digital Cinema, Equipment Vendors
Tagged as Cineworld, Digital Cinema, Doremi, NEC, Odeon, Qube Cinema, RealD, Sound Associates, UK

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The Dutch Go Digital With Arts Alliance

Posted by J. Sperling Reich | February 3, 2009 12:30 am

Arts Alliance Media Logo These days, with the global financial meltdown in full swing, any announcement about a rollout of digital cinema installations is big news. Just ask Arts Alliance Media. The U.K. based integrator had a press release picked up by several trade publications that announced an agreement to install and support d-cinema equipment in 20 independently run theatres in the Netherlands. AAM negotiated the deal with Amsterdam Booking Company, a film buying firm which represents the theatres.

While the agreement only covers 68 screens, or 1o% of the screens in the Netherlands, it’s notable for being the first rollout of digital cinema kit in Holland to be funded by virtual print fees provided by the major Hollywood studios. Until now, d-cinema installations in the Netherlands have been one-offs to facilitate 3D releases. This fact didn’t escape ABC’s owner Paul Visser when he provided a quote for the press release about the deal:

“We see clearly what the future of cinema is going to be – digital, 3-D and live events. AAM is the best partner to make that happen and enable us to be the first widespread movers in the Netherlands.”

Popularity: 31% [?]

Posted in Countries, Digital Cinema, Integrators
Tagged as Amsterdam Booking Company, Arts Alliance Media, CGR Cinemas, Howard Kiedaisch, Netherlands, Paul Visser

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India Welcomes “Slumdog” With Protests And Piracy

Posted by J. Sperling Reich | January 24, 2009 9:46 am

Danny Boyle at the premiere of "Slumdog Millionaire" in India (EPA/STR)

Less than 24-hours after “Slumdog Millionaire” picked up 10 Oscar nominations on Thursday, filmmaker Danny Boyle’s rags-to-riches movie about a teenage boy from the slums of Mumbai opened on Friday in India stirring up a bit of resentment and controversy. In fact, rather than being greeted by long lines of moviegoers, according to The Times of India the release of the film caused a small riot at the Inox Multiplex in Panaji.

As a story in the Los Angeles Times details, some in India are dismayed over what they see as the stereotypical portrayal of their country as filled with corruption and impoverished throngs. Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS), a pro-Hindu group, petitioned the government to ban or censor “Slumdog Millionaire” stating that the movie would upset the religious values of millions of Indians due to references of Hindu deities and a misrepresentation of the Lord Ram. Then on Friday, a large group of Shiv Sena activists vandalized the only multiplex in Panaji (the capital of the Indian state of Goa) when theatre managers would not cancel showings of the film. Read More »

Popularity: 43% [?]

Posted in Countries, Piracy
Tagged as India, Slumdog Millionaire

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China claims cinema-laser first, but details sketchy

Posted by Patrick von Sychowski | July 22, 2008 5:28 am

Paul Simon sang about ‘the are the days of lasers in the jungle’, but these days it is cinemas in China where lasers are putting an appearance. Or so an article in THR.com would have us believe:

”Beijing Phoebus Vision Co. provided us with the world’s first set of laser-screening instruments” Han Jie, spokeswoman with Beijing UME said Monday.

The projector was installed in an existing 120-seat hall in the Chinese capital at a cost of about 1.2 million yuan ($176,000).

“It is the first laser-screening set in the world,” a Beijing Phoebus Vision spokesman said. Han said that UME’s normal cinema projectors cost about 700,000 yuan ($102,000).

Several companies, including Mitsubishi, have demonstrated laser projection systems, said industry analyst Matt Brennensholtz of Norwalk, Conn.-based research firm Insight Media. These systems are usually very costly, he added.

“I’m not aware of anybody that’s used a laser projector in a movie theater before,” Brennensholtz said. “There were a number of tests, but I’ve never head of a public theater where you pay your ticket and go in and see one of these.”

A Google search for Phoebus Vision does not yield any results other than the THR.com article itself. That an unknown company should have come out of nowhere and perfected laser technology is not impossible, but it is highly unlikely.

The only time lasers have been used for a paying audience was at the 2005 Expo in Japan where Sony demonstrated the GLV projector (based on techonlogy developed by Silicon Light Machine) in the ‘Sony Dream Theatre’ (PDF link here) that it has since kept under wraps while it promoted its SXRD 4K projector.

There is no mention of the brightness, resolution or even of the laser are direct projection CRT-style or whether they are just used as a light source. So for now this one is to be taken with a big pinch of salt.

Popularity: 40% [?]

Posted in Countries, Technology
Tagged as , China, GLV projector, laser

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RealD and Cinepolis see Latin America in 3D

Posted by Patrick von Sychowski | July 18, 2008 4:23 am

Cinepolis logo Mexican exhibitor Cinepolis has big 3D plans for the whole of Latin america. Its deal with RealD envisions 500 screens to be converted in the next few years. From the press release:

The rollout of these 500 RealD 3D screens has already begun with six new screens installed for the release of Journey to the Center of the Earth, and will continue through 2010. The partnership makes RealD the exclusive choice of Cinepolis for digital 3D and creates a strong platform in the market for the upcoming slate of over thirty major studio 3D releases in 2009 and 2010.

The press release then goes on to quote Jeffrey Katzenberg and Disney before remembering to sample the opinions of the two companies that made the deal happen, showing you where the TRUE power of 3D lies today (content, content and, yes, more content). THR.com’s take is that:

Cinepolis and RealD are co-financing the venture, though Cinepolis declined to disclose financial details when contacted Thursday.

The deal provides a major platform for 3-D cinema in Latin America as Cinepolis continues to expand in the region. Cinepolis rival Cinemark also has a partnership with RealD.

and

Cinepolis, owned by the Ramirez family, currently has more than 1,800 screens. In recent years, as Mexico’s exhibition market has grown more saturated, the exhibitor has expanded into Guatemala, Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras and Colombia. Moving forward, Cinepolis is eyeing Brazil’s underserved exhibition market.

So at the present screen count, one out of every 3.6 screens will be 3D. This is clearly a bit too high, so it is likely to come about when Cinepolis has increased its footprint across Latin America. It must also mean that the screens will embrace digital cinema in 2D first, though whether Cinepolis will finance this itself or with a third party provider is nit clear. This means that the deal might not be contingent on something like the delayed DCIP deal holding up Regal and Cinemark’s 3D plans.

Popularity: 44% [?]

Posted in Countries, Digital 3D
Tagged as Cinépolis, Disney, DreamWorks, Katzenberg, Latin America, Mexico, RealD

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