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Industry
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December 11, 2008
Industry innovations
The Wall Street Journal discusses some new technology being launched soon for the movie business.
Get ready for a lot more ways to catch a movie.
Hollywood studios and tech companies are rolling out a host of innovations that will change the way we experience films at home and in theaters. They’ve already begun to serve up DVDs that let you chat with other people who are watching the same movie. They’re also sprucing up theaters with crystal-clear screens and amenities like cozier seats and restaurant-quality food.
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Marshall Theatre article at Static Movement
Some Cinema Treasures members might enjoy my short fictional story,“The Marshall Theatre,” that is online at Static Movement Magazine, December issue. It is about a movie palace.
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December 10, 2008
Regal in the news
Reuters examines the state of Regal Entertainment in two iinteresting articles. One looks at how they’re on pace for a great fourth quarter while the other shows an acquisition of National Amusements as a tough sell.
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December 9, 2008
Odeon gives Europe first taste of Imax
LONDON, ENGLAND — Odeon prepares for the holiday season by giving Imax its European debut.
Odeon, Europe’s largest exhibition chain, opens the first Imax screens in the continent to be kitted out with digital projection systems Friday at two multiplex sites in London.
The investment has cost Odeon £1.5 million ($2.2 million), but the company will be hoping to start cashing in from the get-go given the launch is well-timed to make the most of the annual Christmas holiday rush on plexes.
Read more at Variety.
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December 5, 2008
Redstone to possibly sell NA
Faced with mounting debts, Sumner Redstone might be forced to choose one of his companies to sell. It could end up being National Amusements.
To the list of bizarre recent events such as taxpayers owning a chunk of Citigroup, and Lehman Bros., Bear Stearns and Merrill Lynch all biting the dust can be added the prospect of Sumner Redstone selling National Amusements holdings.
Privately held National is essentially the holding company for Redstone’s stakes in both CBS and Viacom as well as the theater chain run by daughter Shari Redstone.
Nothing is official, but a divestment of theaters is on the table as the mogul wrangles over how best to address the looming debt payments of about $800 million. Redstone has repeatedly vowed not to sell “one single share” of either company and to hold onto the 1,500-screen exhib circuit, the original building block of his empire.
Read the full story in Variety.
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December 2, 2008
Is Village Entertainment out of business?
Hello everybody.
I am wondering what has happened to the Village Entertainment/Village Theatres chain. Consider the following:
1) The Village North, per its phone number, is now called “Visionary Theatres”.
2) The North Riverside is now operated by Classic Cinemas.
3) The Lincoln Village and the Bloomingdale Court are now run by Indian (Bollywood) film companies, although they do show Hollywood films too. According to Yahoo Movies, the Lincoln Village is now called “Fun Asia Devon”.
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December 1, 2008
The Screening of America
A.O. Scott of the New York Times looks at how our viewing patterns of films has changed and what the future may hold.
A short time ago, in honor of the impending holiday season and the looming depression, I settled in for a viewing of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” I watched it on the same laptop on which I’m writing these words, with headphones plugged in to filter out distraction, though from time to time I did shrink the image so I could check my e-mail or my favorite blogs.
Did this compromise my experience of the movie? Maybe, but then again, compared to what? Hadn’t there always been commercial breaks and scenes interrupted by a trip to the bathroom or the refrigerator? As I watched Jimmy Stewart discover Zuzu’s petals in his pocket for at least the 20th time, I realized that “It’s a Wonderful Life” — like “Casablanca” and “Ben-Hur” and most of Ingmar Bergman and James Bond, among countless others — was a film I had never seen as a film. I’d never seen it projected through a dark room full of strangers onto a big screen.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
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November 26, 2008
A new magazine for those who cherish Britain’s OLD THEATRES
A new magazine for enthusiasts wishing to learn more about Britain’s OLD THEATRES has just been launched at the Coliseum theatre, Aberystwyth. The publication has the backing of Britain’s maestro of mirth, Ken Dodd, O.B.E., and Mr. Nick Thomas, the world’s most prolific pantomime producer.
Packed with information for preservation groups, it will create an open forum on all that’s good about British theatre—some of which were converted into cinemas during their life time.
For more information and if you would like to join in, please contact Terry Kirtland direct by E Mail: .co.uk He will be very pleased to hear from you.
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Classic cinemas and picture palaces forum
I thought it would be a fun idea if we had a forum to post and chat, etc. so I’ve made one up and I hope you all join in :)
http://thepalladium.21.forumer.com/index.php
Just copy and paste into your browser.
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November 20, 2008
Duluth fails to support Omnimax Theater
DULUTH, MN — The Duluth Omnimax Theater has lost money for at least the past four years and the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center will probably turn the Omnimax into a Hockey Hall of Fame when the lease is up in 2011.
The theater drew large audiences during the first two months it was open in 1996, but then attendance fell well below expectations. During the last four years, the Omnimax has rung up a debt of over $200,000.
The director of the DECC noted that Duluth probably isn’t big enough to support a full IMAX theater and that it’s just hanging on.