Here’s a discussion from NPR about new tactics Hollywood is using to bypass theaters and its effects.

As DVD sales decline, Hollywood studios are looking for ways to get movies straight to consumers’ living rooms. This has some industry insiders worried that Hollywood is jeopardizing its most valuable asset: the theatrical release date. The movie industry is looking to change the way it distributes content.

EAST GRAND FORKS, MN — In “Citizen Kane,” the protagonist thinks it would be fun to run a newspaper; over 25 years ago, driving by a for sale theater in Blackduck, Bob and Jan Moore decided it would be fun to bring a cinema back to life and run it. Since then, they have rehabilitated theaters in Fosston and Crookston, and have converted a former crafts store East Grand Forks into a multiplex. But in spite of their successful growth, their approach to running their theaters is anything but corporate.

The movie theater has been so successful that owner Bob Moore plans to add an additional three to four screens within the mall and says he might eventually turn the entire mall into one giant theater after he purchases the mall from the city in the future.

“The theater is one of the better uses of that facility,” says Jim Richter, executive director of the East Grand Forks Economic Development and Housing Authority, which owns the mall. “These guys had a good background in theaters and entertainment. They did it right. It’s been a draw and it’s helped bring more focus to our redeveloped downtown."

Read more at Prairie Biz Mag.

The MPAA announced that they are paving the way towards bypassing theaters in the film distribution model.

In a filing today with the Federal Communications Commission, the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) reinforced the benefits of allowing studios the option of sending movies fresh from the box office to tens of millions of American households.

“Many of us love movies, but we just can’t make it to the theater as often as we’d like.  That is especially true for parents of young children, rural Americans who live far from the multiplex and people with disabilities that keep them close to home,” MPAA Chairman and CEO Dan Glickman said. “Having the added option to enjoy movies in a more timely fashion at home would be a liberating new choice."

Read the full story at Deadline Hollywood.

Long time cinema treasures fan and theater manager in south jersey is working on an indie horror film with canadian comic book company arcana studios. The film is an old fashion ghost story set in an aged multiplex (every theater has a ghost story).

Pre-production is underway contact nerwallfilms1@yahoo.com for more information.

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OSKALOOSA, IA — Des Moines-based Fridley Theaters is reducing the number of theaters it currently operates. It has found a new owner for its Penn Centre Theatre in Oskaloosa and is looking to sell theaters in other Iowa towns.

However, Fridley Theatres is leaving Oskaloosa as of Oct. 30, according to Patti Ryan, Penn Central Mall manager. Fridley Theatres have operated out of the Penn Centre Theater since the mid-1990s. The mall owns the Penn Centre Theatre building and was leasing the property to Fridley Theatres.

Ryan said an individual will own and manage a movie theater business out of that building. She added, this individual will be an Oskaloosa resident, which Ryan called a good thing. The individual’s identity remained unreleased at press time.

Read more in the Oskaloosa Herald.

Techinicolor has announced a new 3D-on-film solution that it claims is an improvement over previous over/under 3D film prints. While acknowledging that the future probably lies with digital 3D projection, the process is intended to increase the number of screens that can show 3D productions by providing an alternative to digital, at least on an interim basis, Seven studios have indicated interest already.

The system aims to address the shortage of digital 3D screens by using conventional celluloid film prints capable of 3D imaging.

No exhibitors have yet announced they will install the system, but Ahmad Ouri, Technicolor’s president of strategy, technology and marketing, said he expects to announce the first deployment deals for Technicolor 3D at ShowEast next week.

Read more in Variety.

ORLANDO, FL — Christie, the leader in digital cinema projection technologies, will debut its next-generation digital cinema solutions, the Christie Solaria series, at ShowEast with the launch of the Christie CP2220 digital cinema projector. Recognized as “the future of digital cinema,” the projector features Texas Instruments’ (TI) (NYSE: TXN) next generation DLP Cinema technology and an optional integrated 2K/4K media block. Christie’s next-generation 4K digital cinema projectors will display 4096 x 2160 pixels of resolution.  While maintaining support for 2K external servers, these new models allow exhibitors to easily project 2K or 4K content, giving them the widest choice in digital cinema options. The Christie CP2220 with Doremi’s integrated media block will be on display at the Christie booth #1100.

The Christie CP2220 is the first in the new series of digital cinema projectors that also includes the Christie CP2210 and the Christie CP2230. The Christie CP4220 and the Christie CP4230, also introduced in June, are the Company’s premium 4K projectors and among the brightest in the world - like the 2230, the 4230 is capable of delivering over 30,000 lumens on the largest screens and delivers breathtaking 3D images. All next-generation Christie digital cinema projectors continue to utilize Christie Brilliant3D technology, providing the ultimate 3D experience with the lowest cost of operation. 

Read more…

BURBANK, CA — Todd-AO has installed the Isono “3D” sound mixing system at its Stage 2 mixing facility. According to Isono, the sound produced is totally “immersive” in theaters equipped for the process which already has already been installed at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Todd-AO’s Stage 2 mixing facility has been outfitted with 672 speakers; 40,000 watts of power drive 224 audio channels. Todd-AO hopes to see at least 50 theatrical installations by the end of next year.

"We believe that Iosono 3-D Sound holds the potential to transform the movie-going experience, providing a rich, astonishingly realistic sound environment that audiences will find thrilling,” added Robert C. Rosenthal, President of CSS Studios, parent company of Todd-AO. “Our mixers and other sound artists are excited about the potential of this technology and we are very pleased to introduce it to Hollywood through Todd-AO, a company synonymous with innovation and excellence in motion picture sound."

Read more at Broadcast Newsroom.

NEW YORK, NY — A new book has been published about the Talbot Theatres arthouse legacy in Manhattan’s upper west side. These theatres, the New Yorker, Cinema Studio, Metro and the still open Lincoln Plaza, helped a new generation discover many rare classics and changed the way specialty films were perceived. The Talbot’s cinemas influenced many new filmmakers, among them Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen.

In addition to the contribution made by their theatres, their distribution arm, New Yorker, made celebrities out of many talented new foreign directors previously unknown in the US. They released previously unseen works by rising star directors as well as helped make media darlings out of Fassbinder and Saura, eventually providing a wealth of arthouse hits for their screens as well as copycat operations all over the US.

A good solid read for movie theatre fans and foreign film fans alike.

Amazon Link

AUSTIN, TX — Currently operating or licensing seven locations, the Austin-based Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas hopes to expand to thirty locations by the end of 2010, by moving aggressively to a franchising model. In addition to opening six additional locations in its home state of Texas, the company will soon have its name on a new brew-and-view theater in Winchester, VA, its first out-of-state venture.

Martin, president and CEO of Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, said revenue grew 8 percent last year, the best in the 12-year-old company’s history. He declined to disclose figures or the value of Monday’s deal.

“For years, we’ve been out franchising, and trying to find a good fit for the franchise families,” Martin said. “Norman Abdallah of Triple Tap definitely fit that mold."

Get more details in the Austin Statesman.