A round-up of cinema news over the slightly more quiet cinema summer month(s). We are also busy working behind the scenes on a new newsletter format. Comments and suggestions always welcome.
USA – The head of AMC Gary Lopez has unexpectedly resigned to be CEO of Extended Stay instead. (No, we hadn’t heard of it either). CFO Craig R Ramsey takes over as temporary CEO. Friction behind the scenes with Wanda or a burning desire to work in the hospitality industry? LINK
Austria – Dolby will be rolling out its Dolby Cinema concept in six locations across Austria with local exhibitor Cineplexx. Two this year, the first one in Linz and the rest in 2016 and 2017. Austria becomes the first German-speaking territory to roll out Dolby Cinema. “Pixels”, “Mission: Impossible”, “Everest” and the last “Hunger Games” films will all be released in Dolby Vision. LINK and LINK
USA – Cinema ticket prices hit a record high this summer of USD $8.61. No real surprise as Imax/PLF, 3D, motion and premium seating take hold. LINK
Spain – Spanish box office nosedives in the first half of 2015. No “8 Basque Names”-size local hit to save the day. “revenue fell 60%, from 73 to 28 million euros between January and June, data presented in the Yearbook of film presentation in the relevant State to 2014.” LINK
Austria – Attendance at Austria’s largest exhibitor Cineplexx rose by 17% in the first half of the year. The exhibitor is also aggressively rolling out Dolby Cinema in six locations (see above), as well as upgrading its sound in its two Imax cinemas. LINK
UK – Vue is looking for a new consumer PR agency. Clarion previously won the account off Freuds in 2009. LINK
Ireland (Republic) – Arc Cinema in Drogheda faces PR s**t storm after confiscating a bottle of water from a nine year old boy with Type 1 diabetes. LINK
Russia – A charity in Moscow called Friends on the Street have opened a temporary tent cinema for homeless people. LINK
UK – Andre Rieu’s latest concert has taken over GBP £1 million for its broadcast, making it third in the BO for that Saturday and knocking “Pirates of Penzance” and “Take That” off the top spot. LINK
USA – The Colorado “Batman” cinema shooter James Holmes was found guilty on all counts. Sentencing to follow. LINK
USA – “Terminator Genisys” was almost stumped at a screening by a low battery on a Windows laptop. (But Skynet is not thwarted that easily.) LINK
USA – An Ohio cinema played “Insidious 3” instead of “Inside-Out” to a frightened group of children. LINK
UK – After autism friendly screenings, now comes ‘dementia friendly’ screenings in Tyneside with “The Wizard of Oz”. LINK
UK – Secret Cimema’s other (non-Empire Strikes Back) event in London had to be cancelled on opening night. It’s Back to the Future deja vu all over again. LINK
Germany – Cinema evacuated because of dyslectic mother reads son’s SMS wrong. LINK
Germany – Whiskey tasting in cinema? I hope they have a licence for that. LINK
Iceland – Cinema going has declined 16% in Europe’s most avid cinema nation since 2009. Icelanders in the capital still see on average 5.5 movies per year. LINK
Australia – Two men used a blowtorch in a failed hold-up attempt of Grand Cinema in Perth. LINK
France – The Cinema Paradiso event in Paris attracted nearly 80,000 visitors. LINK
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tBCHF_Utww[/youtube]UK (Scotland) – Brazen seagull wanders into Aberdeen cinema and attack staff. Without buying a ticket! LINK
South Africa – Captive audience: Ster-Kinekor apologises for locking in patrons at a late (event cinema) screening. LINK
Australia – Cinema employee sacked for shouting abuse at an elderly couple. LINK
India – Inox’s latest quarterly profits are up four-fold, but it is not a good like-for-like comparison. LINK
India – PVR plans to expand to 1,000 screens by 2018, mainly in Tier 2 and 3 cities. LINK
UK – A last-of-its kind mobile cinema restored and sold on eBay is back on the UK roads. LINK
UK – FT profiles Secret Cinema, Luna Cinema and Floating Cinema observing that they fill ‘an analogue need in digital times.’ LINK
UK – A false fire alarm, most likely caused by someone smoking in a toilet, forced the evacuation of a Vue cinema in Reading. LINK
Ireland (Rep.) – A dressing down of Irish cinema mogul Tom Anderson by a High Court judge in the Pod case. LINK
Russia – Cinema Star has chosen MasterImage to roll out its new digital screens, not long after MasterImage overturned RealD’s patenting Russia. LINK
Thailand – Having just visited Bangkok for the first time, I was very impressed with their cinemas. Here is a list of the top-end luxury ones. LINK
UK – Moonlight Drive In Cinemas has agreed a debt and equity deal with One Stop Business Finance. The company is planning a “Christmas tour” of screenings in various locations. LINK
India – A petrol bomb was thrown at a Tamil cinema showing local mega-blockbuster “Baahubali”. Nobody was injured. LINK
Cinema Opening/Closings
USA (NY) – Regal is replacing Lynbrook vintage cinema with a 13-screen, 1,600 seat multiplex. That’s an average of just 123 seats per screen. LINK
USA (CA) – The Osio Cinema in Monterey has closed. It was known for niche films and documentaries. It’s last film was a Swedish comedy. LINK
UK – Everyman will be the operator of the cinema opening in Stratford-upon-Avon’s Bell Yard. The city already has a Stratford Picturehouse. LINK
UK – A new Savoy cinema in Doncaster is expected to create 100 local jobs. LINK
UK (Wales) – Prestatyn’s Scala Cinema has re-opened. 20 new jobs created. LINK
India – PVR has opened a seven-screen multiplex in Vadodara. LINK
Nigeria – Imax has signed its first agreement in Nigeria. LINK
Finally
A fairly amusing act of vandalism at a Canadian cinema. “No big deal. It’s happened many times before,” comments the cinema’s manager. LINK
