Imax – According to Wall Street Journal China, Imax is planning to open a further 19 screens in partnership with local companies ahead of listing its local operation. Interestingly Richard Gelfond’s Chinese name is Gail Fang.
IMAX theater will open new cooperation with Chinese state-owned Shanghai Film Group (Shanghai Film Corp.), these new theater will open in the second half of 2015. IMAX chief executive Gail Fang (Richard Gelfond) in an interview that the new screen is in agreement IMAX April this year after the signing of a new partnership agreement, IMAX at the time that 20 percent of China operations will the shares sold to the Chinese Cultural Industry Investment Fund (China Media Capital) and private equity firm party sources of capital (FountainVest Partners), Chinese Cultural Industry Investment Fund and each party sources of capital will be paid before the beginning of 2015 to $ 40 million to purchase these services 10 % stake. Gail Fang said that this is one of the local partners to introduce IMAX many reasons. He explained that the next few weeks IMAX will sign an agreement with the Shanghai Film Group, a related company in China to open six new screens. He would not disclose more details. Gail Fang said they feel American investors do not fully understand the potential of the Chinese film market. IMAX China is a key growth market, also destined to become the company’s largest market. LINK
China – Internet purchases of cinema tickets via PCs and smartphones now accounts for as much as 40% of some screenings in China, many through third-party operators. But there are problems getting refunds when a screening or booking is cancelled.
So why buy from a third-party platform movie tickets will not refund it to industry sources, it involves a lot of problems:? First permissions issues, some theater tickets willing to open permissions to the site at any time to cancel or reservation, some if not, for unwilling audience request returned tickets, you need a web site to communicate with the theater; Second, the number of back problems, the user tickets through the website, the website will charge a service fee, which is not linked to the occurrence and the theater, And every ticket website service charges are not the same, how much money to retire to cinema audiences has become a major problem; most critical is that each theater has its own ticketing provision that “once sold, will not refund” also it as a “norm”, because in the theater seems, movie tickets have a time limit, the audience returned tickets may affect sales, so in the case of theater tickets out of their own can not retire, the net purchase tickets. LINK
China – The world’s second largest cinema market is not simply depending on the likes of Vista and Unique Digital for their ticketing, TMS and advertising systems as this domestic cinema advertising solution shows.
Chen Xing TMS ad management system, enabling the big screen advertising from trading, distribution, automatic operation screenings become available to the whole industry to promote the advertising operating platform. Meanwhile, the powerful functionality of the system to provide users with advertising catalog, manage advertising orders, advertising automatic distribution, broadcast automatically collect logs, playing automatically upload logs, order generation and cinema playback log management functions.
Theater by date, time, schedule, screenings, viewing trips and other custom bit different prices for each ad, while supporting the linkage with the ticketing system, providing a complete viewing trips forecasts and statistics, so that cinema can provide rigorous for advertisers The impact assessment report. LINK
China – NEC has delivered its first batch of laser projectors to China.
NEC (China) announces today that 18 sets of its newly developed DC projector, NC1100L, the first DCI certificated laser projector, have been shipped to 9 cinemas in 5 provinces. This is a mark of the Chinese digital cinema industry marching into the laser era.
NC1100L, with its laser light source, has been the most expected product since its first appearance at ShowEast in Oct. 2013. These first 18 sets will be installed in some cinemas of the leading cinema circuits, including Guangzhou Jinyi, Guizhou Xingkong, Huaxia, Hunan Chuxiang, Shandong New Century and Henan Oscar. LINK
India – Yesterday we mentioned PVR’s expansion plans, including several ‘Superplexes”. So what exactly are those?
Multiplex chain PVR Cinemas is set to launch a new concept called PVR Superplex, which will have 15 screens or more under one roof offering a range of formats. The company has already tied up with real estate developer Logix Group for the first Superplex, which is slated to open in Noida in the next couple of months.
From latest technology offerings such as IMAX and 3D and 4K (ultra high-definition) digital experience, to specially designed seats, menu and interiors for children and senior citizens, the company is looking to drive up occupancies. LINK
USA – The Diamond Ticketing blog has a good list of ‘six things TO DO in your theater and the specific product and vendor that will save you money or increase sales.’ It starts cheerily “Hope your summer is going well,” which is clearly not the case in North America, so the list of sensible (albeit US-focused) suggestions is particularly timely there.
4. Buy Nestle Pure ½ liter water bottles This is a nationally recognized brand name, has attractive labeling and is available for 11.6c per bottle from Costco, Walmart, etc. Your profit margin is 94.2% on sales if you price at $2/bottle. This is a higher margin than popcorn or soda and is likely your third best seller after popcorn and soda. Water is 3rd in line to the profit throne and you should make every nickel you can on it as long as your brand is not the super-store’s house bottle — that screams cheesy/price-gouging for $2 a pop. LINK
USA – Yesterday we mentioned Latino audiences, who have been a bright spot in an otherwise dismal summer at the box office. here is The Wrap’s look at what cinemas like AMC are doing to entice one of the most loyal audience demographics in the US, particularly on the F&B (food and beverage) front.
The chain’s Dine In theaters also serve five types of margaritas, beer, wine and martinis. It’s part of a growing industry push to upgrade concessions and serve meals and liquor alongside Twizzlers and popcorn. “We are lobbying almost every jurisdiction in the United States to make it legal to serve alcohol in cinemas,” John Fithian, CEO of the National Assn. of Theater Owners, said at the Produced By Conference in June. “We want alcohol in the cinema.” One reason why is that concessions, including alcohol, overindex among Hispanics. LINK
Event Cinema
UK (Scotland) – Though it won’t have as much of a detrimental effect as the World Cup, at least one cinema chain is not taking chances with the Commonwealth Games, but will be showing the bookend of them on the big screen.
The opening ceremony at Celtic Park on July 23 and the closing ceremony at Hampden Park on August 3 will be screened via a live link up at all Vue sites in Scotland including Glasgow Fort and will be free of charge to the public. This alternative screening of the ceremonies is a fantastic way to enjoy the visual spectacle and embrace the atmosphere during Scotland’s finest hour. Joanne Webb, Vue marketing and sales director, said: “We are very excited to be screening the opening and closing ceremonies across our sites in Scotland. LINK
UK – Proof that not all cinema is in decline this summer, with this plucky screen under new management attributing its improved performance to event cinema.
Mr Negus has put a large part of the increase in sales down to the popularity of live theatre events on screen, including the encore screenings of the National Theatre’s A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The popularity of these live screenings has continued unabated, with the first screenings of NT Live’s Skylight and the Monty Python reunion shows selling out completely. The cinema has decided to show additional performances from both shows, with the Pythons being shown on Friday 1 August at 7.30pm, and Skylight on Tuesday, August 12, at 7pm as part of a new strategy for the enterprise. LINK
Technology
HFR – It seems that the steam is going out of higher frame rates (HFR) with TVBEurope looking at the standardisation work being done behind the scenes, but also the artistic motivations for using it (or not).
Perhaps over time, as audiences become more and more accustomed to viewing Ultra HD content on Ultra HD displays, we will all become attuned to having stories told visually in this hyper-realistic manner.
Perhaps it is a matter of creative experimentation. Rather than presenting an entire feature in HFR, filmmakers may prefer to have the choice of using it on a scene-by-scene basis, adjusting the dial from 24 to 48 to 60 and above.
Perhaps the next big kick will come when James Cameron releases his set of Avatar sequels in HFR and 3D as planned, but exhibitors have not exactly rushed to equip themselves with HFR-capable equipment. Projection and server vendor Christie, which trumpeted a five-year pact with Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment to promote 3D cinema and HFR technology in 2011, has also fallen silent about any developments the partnership has made. LINK
Concessions
UK (Northern Ireland) – It seems that Northern Ireland is making a name for itself in the popcorn business.
A Draperstown-based popcorn manufacturer has received a loan from the Northern Ireland Small Business Loan Fund (NIF), allowing it to expand its product range and meet increased consumer demand.
After establishing in August 2013, So Popcorn started producing its own range of popcorn products and now produces more than 2,000 bags a week.
The NIF is managed by Ulster Community Investment (UCI) on behalf of Invest Northern Ireland. UCI declined to disclose the amount of the loan.
So Popcorn will now invest in its research and development programme and explore export opportunities throughout the UK. LINK
Premium Large Format
UK – The big screen obviously impressed but it seems like the immersive audio (Dolby’s Atmos) played just as much of an important role in providing the ‘wow’ factor.
Showcase Cinema de Lux officially unveiled the XPlus screen at a launch party on Friday, showing the hotly anticipated Dawn of the Planet of the Apes movie on the day of its release. The 64ft-long, crystal clear screen is combined with a 360-degree Dolby Atmos sound system. The number of speakers used is roughly double that at a standard cinema screen and the result is every bit as impressive as when 3D imagery first arrived. LINK
Law & Order
USA (TX) – Watch out when you park your car outside a cinema in Houston.
Car break-ins rank at the top of a list of crimes at area movie theaters, according to a Local 2 Investigates review of police reports written for the past two years. LINK
Digital Death Watch
South Africa – The improbably named Labia Theatre (after Princess Labia no less) is facing dark screen as they will not be getting any more 35mm prints after they finish screening UK arthouse film Belle.
Independent cinemas are a dying breed in South Africa, casualties of the popularity of DVDs, illegally-downloaded movies and the huge expense of moving to a digital operation. One of the most iconic, Cape Town’s Labia cinema, is launching an attempt to save itself via a crowdfunding campaign. By REBECCA DAVIS. The cliché most often attached to the Labia is that walking into its dark interior is like “stepping into a bygone era”. The experience is certainly nothing like the slick, soulless operations of the major movie chains in this country. Tickets are purchased from an old wooden booth. A bar will serve you a beer or glass of wine to take inside one of the cinema’s four screens. Most of the staff have been clipping tickets and loading up projection reels here for well over two decades. LINK
Trinidad & Tobago – No corner of the earth is immune from the death of analogue. Not even small island states in the Caribbean.
The age of movie theatres in a mall-type atmosphere has rendered cinemas like Palladium obsolete, said Tony Sirjoo, manager of Palladium cinema in Tunapuna. The cinema is set to shut down permanently on August 4. “Everything is digital now. You no longer have the aspect of the 35 mm film. That is done. We did not think it is cost-effective to keep that. This cinema has been around since the 1940s and has a long history,” Sirjoo told the Guardian on Thursday. The cinema will be replaced with a mall and four cineplexes. Sirjoo said times have changed and people are no longer interested in going to see a movie alone, but want the entire mall experience. LINK
UK (Wales) – Another community cinema, this one in Wales, faces closure unless they spend to upgrade to digital.
Visitors to the cinema’s page on the council website are greeted with a message saying: “We would like to apologise on behalf of Neuadd Buddug and Gwynedd Council that the programme does not include popular new films like programmes in the past. “Unfortunately as Neuadd Buddug has no digital equipment, there are limits on the films that can be screened. It is very difficult to obtain new films on 35mm and some are of poor quality. An application has been submitted to the Arts Council for the digitizing of Neuadd Buddug but unfortunately, the project’s timetable (which includes other theatres / cinemas throughout Wales) means that this is not currently in place. We apologise for any disappointment to our customers.” LINK
Cinema Opening/Closings
France – One of Lyon’s most famous art-house cinemas is set to re-open this autumn, partly with help from Thierry Frémeaux, head of the Institut Lumière and Artistic Director of the Festival de Cannes.
It closed in October 2012 . since the front of the cinema stamped “arthouse” Rue Pierre Corneille (Lyon 3), remained in the state, with the brand intact and red displays of an edition of the Cinema Festival “ticket to 2.50 euros.” The rumored for several weeks in the middle of movie professionals, it was confirmed to us by the deputy mayor Commissioner for Culture, Georges KEPENEKIAN: Ant will reopen next fall. Between October and November definitely. LINK
USA (CO) – Regal Premium Experience is coming to Longmont, colorado, and to do so it needs to demolish the existing Twin Peaks theatre.
Longmont’s John Davis said goodbye Sunday to Longmont’s Twin Peaks movie theater, watching “Tammy,” the last movie, with his wife and a neighbor. “It’s a piece of Longmont,” he said about the 17-year-old theater — the final business to close inside Twin Peaks Mall, which is slated for demolition and redevelopment. “I have good memories of this theater.” About 1,200 people watched movies on closing day at the UA Twin Peaks 10 theater, with showings of “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” selling out. As the last movies ended, people went to the concession stand for final popcorn refills, played video games and took pictures of movie murals painted on the walls. LINK
USA (NY) – A heartwarming example of local business and community reviving a much loved and long neglected local mixed-use theatre/cinema.
With the support of many community members and local contractors, the father-son team brought the Kallet Theater back to life. Today, it sits revitalized — a reflection of 20th century charm. The original Kallet Theater was opened in 1939; it served as a cinema and community meeting house. It was named for its owner, Myron J. Kallet, who owned several small-town theaters throughout upstate New York. The historic theater closed in 1984 and sat vacant for nearly 30 years. Despite being used intermittently as a yoga studio and an auto parts store, the property fell into disrepair. “It was in pretty rough shape,” said Steven J. York, theater manager.
Finally
It seems that not everybody got the full Monty Python event cinema experience. Or rather, those in the cinema did but not those watching it at home. Can anybody who saw this in a cinema please confirm this in the Comments field.
At first it seemed like a minor technical glitch; by the time Eric Idle got to The Penis Song, it was clear what was happening: the show was being censored.
One routine was obliterated entirely when the broadcast cut away to a pre-recorded item featuring Michael Palin in drag, explaining why the television audience weren’t allowed to see it (although there were no such interruptions for those watching in cinemas).
Nobody who’d settled down to enjoy a unique television experience had seen this coming. There had been no advance warnings of the on-the-hoof edits. It wasn’t until the interval that Dara O’Briain, who presented the broadcast, explained that Ofcom, British television’s regulatory body, was behind it. LINK
