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Industry
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February 10, 2004
Obituaries: Anthony T. Heinsbergen, 74
Anthony T. Heinsbergen, whose Los Angeles firm restored the interiors of the Wiltern Theater, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, and other landmark buildings across the country, many of whose interiors were designed by his father decades earlier, has died. He was 74.
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February 6, 2004
Taking Historic Cinema Into The 21st Century
HARWICH, ENGLAND — The Electric Palace first opened its doors in 1911 and continues to show films on weekends throughout the year. Working with UK software development company Baby Lamb, the Electric Palace team have just taken the historic cinema into the 21st Century, with a new website.
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January 23, 2004
AMC and Loews Cineplex Kill Merger Talks
KANSAS CITY, MO — AMC has announced that its discussions with Loews Cineplex about a potential merger of the two theater chains have come to an end. At present, it’s unclear why the negotations died. For (slightly) more details, read the full press release below:
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January 21, 2004
Wanda Group and Warner Bros. International Cinemas to Build Some 30 Multiplexes in China
BEIJING, CHINA — Wanda Group and Warner Bros. International Cinemas (WBIC) have jointly created Warner Wanda Cinemas (working name) for the building and operating of some 30 “state-of-the-art, world-class multiplex cinemas” in all of Wanda Group’s shopping complexes, which are currently under construction or planned to be built.
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January 6, 2004
Tickets Sales Drop in 2003
Boxoffice ticket sales last year dropped for the first time since 1991, according to a report by tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. During the 2003 season, ticket sales totaled $9.27 billion, compared to $9.32 billion in 2002, a 0.5 percent drop.
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December 30, 2003
NYC Ticket Prices Hit $10.25
NEW YORK, NY — Ticket prices at NYC movie theaters have broken the $10 dollar barrier for the first time, according to Newsday.com. During the past week, both Loews Cineplex and United Artists have raised ticket prices by 25 cents, bringing adult admissions to $10.25 per ticket.
“In comparison to other entertainment options, movie ticket prices are modest and remain one of the most affordable out of home entertainment activities,” Loews spokesman John McCauley said Monday.
What do you think? Is this increase reasonable? Comment below.
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Renovation Consultant Writes Book
David Jenkins, 50, former Executive Director of the Fox Theatre in Salina, Kansas, has written a new book: 501 © Blues: Staying Sane in the Nonprofit Game.
Jenkins said in an article in THE SALINA JOURNAL, “I decided I wanted to write a book that exectutive directors and responsible board members could use as a weapon, as a tool to try to get their boards to behave in a more businesslike manner.”
Jenkins was executive director of the Fox Theatre project in Salina, Kansas from the start and has been involved in nonprofit theater groups for the past 15 plus years His book is available on line at www.amazon.com and www.fandangopress.com.
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December 29, 2003
New Book Profiles Southern Movie Palaces
TAMPA, FL — Janna Jones, a University of South Florida professor, has written a new book about the history of Southern movie palaces. The Southern Movie Palace: Rise, Fall, and Resurrection, the first such book to focus exclusively on cinemas of the South, profiles theaters in Atlanta, Memphis, Durham, and other large Southern cities.
“As far as I know, she’s the only one who’s taken such an in-depth look at the Southern movie palace,‘’ says Cecil Whitmire, president of the nonprofit group that owns the Alabama Theatre, one of those Jones covers in her book. "I thought she did a good job putting it together. It was well researched and well done.‘’
More information can be found in this report in the Tampa Tribune.
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December 1, 2003
IMAX Debuts New MPX Screen
LANSING, MI — Celebration! Cinema has installed the very first IMAX MPX screen, according to a report in the State News. MPX is a new, low-cost version of IMAX that’s designed specifically for use in traditional multiplex and megaplex theaters.
Here’s how IMAX’s press release described the new system:
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New Landmark Owner: “I’m a Maverick, Not a Mogul!”
The December issue of Wired Magazine has an interview with Mark Cuban, the new owner of Landmark Theatres. Cuban, a colorful figure who founded Broadcast.com (and later sold it to Yahoo for $6 billion), also owns the Dallas Mavericks NBA team and HDNet, a high-definition cable channel. The interview includes some interesting thoughts on digital cinema and the future of moviegoing.