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The latest movie theater news and updates
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March 21, 2010
Sony studio head asks for healthier food concessions at theaters
At ShoWest, the head of Sony Pictures called for theater to include healthier options at the concession stand.
Sony Pictures chief Michael Lynton fired a shot across the large-margin concessions bow of theater chains Monday, asking exhibitors to add healthier food options at the box office.
Delivering his remarks at the ShoWest convention in Las Vegas, Lynton cited skyrocketing childhood obesity rates before noting, “adding healthier options to your existing menu is the right thing to do for our industry, for audiences and for our country.”
Read more in The Wrap.
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March 19, 2010
AMC introduces new, premium theater auditoriums
AMC is rolling out its ETX Format in theaters with a combination of packaged amenities.
AMC Theaters has announced a new way for movie goers to experience films on the big screen with the AMC Enhanced Theatre Experience (ETX).
This new movie-going experience will have:
– 20% larger screens
– An upgraded sound system
– 3D technology
– Digital projection
– 12 audio channels with 50,000 watts of powerETX will debut in the United States on March 5th at the AMC Theatre at Downtown Disney in the Walt Disney World Resort.
Read more in Disney Dreaming.
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Former Mann 4 to house dinner theater
FORT COLLINS, CO — Scheduled to open in September, the Mann 4 is morphing into the Midtown Arts Center. In its new role, the former cinema will be home to the Carousel Dinner Theater and three other function and performance spaces.
Carousel Dinner Theatre owners have purchased the former four-plex cinema – which closed in 1999 and up until this year was used by the Lithia car dealership to store tires and equipment – and plan to reopen it this fall as the Midtown Arts Center.
“We’re so excited that this is finally happening,” said Kurt Terrio, adding that they kept the project secret, even from the dinner theater’s employees, until they were certain it was going to go through.
There’s more detail and sketches of the renovated facility in theColoradoan.
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3-D system for Marcus’s UltraScreens in development phase
MILWAUKEE, WI — Although Marcus Theaters does screen 3-D films on some of its screens, current digital systems do not work on their UltraScreens which measure up to 75 feet wide and 32 feet high. A system to project 3-D films on these screens is being tested, and the company is also installing and expanding digital 3-D throughout its chain.
Greg Marcus told conference attendees that company executives have concluded that 3-D is more than just a fad, noting the box office success of the 3-D film “Avatar.”
“We’re excited about it,” he said. “We will continue to grow it.”
A company spokeswoman said after the presentation that Marcus and Neis had nothing additional to say about how long the tests would take or when the 3-D UltraScreen capability might be available.
Read the full story in the Journal Sentinel.
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March 18, 2010
Another cell phone “innovation:” a movie that calls you
First it was the cell phone application that let you know when an opportune moment in the film was coming up so you could quickly exit to use the restroom. Now someone has created software that allows a movie to become “interactive.” In connection with an upcoming German-made horror film, patrons can provide their cell phone numbers upon entry; one audience member will be called and, via the voice-recognition software, will assist a character in the film make life-and-death decisions with rest of the audience listening in on the conversation. Here’s the news item which includes a demo via YouTube:Movie Viral
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Avatar might be rereleased this fall in a longer version
According to USA Today, James Cameron in an interview with the newspaper said that this fall his highest grossing movie ever, Avatar, might return in 3D in an extended version.
Q: When is Avatar coming out in 3D on Blu-ray?
A: We’re not officially announcing it right now but I’m hoping for fall. The wildcard is that we might be re-releasing the movie this fall. It’s kind of gotten stomped out (in theaters) because of Alice in Wonderland. The word we’re getting back from exhibitors is we probably left a couple of hundred million dollars on the table as a result. The question is the appetite still going to be there after the summer glut of movies. We’re going to assess that. We’re talking about maybe adding in additional footage and doing something creative.
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March 17, 2010
Virginia Theatre marquee update
CHAMPAIGN, IL — As you know the Champaign Park District owns the historic Virginia Theatre. The Champaign Park District is dedicated to restoring it to it’s original appearance. In the summer of 2010 the are planing on demolishing the current 60 year old marquee and replacing it with a false replica of the Virginia’s 1920’s marquee. The Virginia’s marquee should be preserved and replacing the current marquee would be historicism.
Plans call for the new replicated marquee to have LED. Back in the 1950’s the RKO circuit owned the theatre and installed this historic marquee. The RKO circuit owned the Virginia and the Orpheum on Neil Street for a while. Not many historic theatres have 60 year old marquees. We can’t just watch another one bite the dust! We have to step in and tell the Champaign Park District that we want to keep this historic marquee for many years to come. Save this 60 year old marquee!
Contact the Champaign Park District at 217-398-2550
Locate them at 706 Kenwood Road, Champaign IL 61821 -
Great Star Theater in San Francisco’s Chinatown to reopen
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Sometimes a spat with one’s significant other can lead to something quite unexpected. This what happened to George Kaskanlian Jr., who was walking off his anger when he came across a Chinatown movie house that had been closed for over a dozen years. One thing led to another, and the Great Star will be reopening as a film and concert venue.
Thus it was perfect as a venue for “Another Hole in the Head,” Kaskanlian’s enticingly named film festival that he runs as an offshoot of SF Indie Fest. Kaskanlian, 35, and business partner Ken Montero, 36, got a 10-year lease and it has taken the first year just to clean the place, which seats 540. Next, they are taking on the 1950s-era Christie projectors with Xenolite lamps.
“The goal is to revitalize it and to do local community Chinese events and bring in concerts and film festivals,” says Montero, who, like Kaskanlian, grew up in San Francisco but has no previous connection to Chinese culture.
Read the whole story at the San Francisco Chronicle.
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Theater chain buys 60 Christie 4K-Ready Projectors
CYPRESS, CA — Christie, a global leader in digital cinema, announced that Studio Movie Grill (SMG) has selected its 4K-ready Solaria™ Series digital cinema projectors for 60 screens in multiplexes across Texas, Missouri and Georgia. SMG audiences watch the latest first-run movies while enjoying restaurant-style table service with upscale foods that include gourmet pizza, BBQ ribs and fresh salads. SMG pioneered the in-theater dining concept and is considered the number one theater of its kind in Texas for close to 10 years. The chain will install the Christie CP2220 and Christie CP2230 projectors, which are based on Texas Instruments' (TI) (NYSE: TXN) Series 2 DLP Cinema technology and are fully upgradeable to 4K.
SMG is recognized for continuously raising the bar on the quality of entertainment outside the home. It strives to provide audiences with a total immersion of their senses that includes great tasting food, exceptional service, and a spectacular movie-viewing experience.
“The contrast and brightness of Christie digital cinema projectors are unparalleled. We foresee a much lower cost of operation while providing a new level of excitement for our audiences, especially with all the great new 3D movies coming down the pipeline this year,” remarked founder and President, Brian Schultz of Studio Movie Grill.
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March 16, 2010
More 3-D advertising coming
Looking for a new way to attract advertiser dollars, the increase in 3-D projectors in theaters will also bring more 3-D ads.
The number of theaters that could handle 3-D advertising has limited 3-D cinema advertising. Screenvision aired the first 3-D ad for Wrigley last May, which aired for five weeks in more than 400 theaters. By the end of the year, only 7,736 theaters had digital projectors, per the Motion Picture Association of America.
With more film studios producing 3-D films, theaters are gearing up to attract moviegoers and lure advertisers with a new way to promote brands.
Read more in Media Week.