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The latest movie theater news and updates
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February 26, 2010
England’s only back projection cinema is leaving 35 mm and going digital
WOODHALL SPA, LINCOLNSHIRE, ENGLAND — After 88 years of 35 mm England’s last surviving back projection cinema is now turning its back on the 35 mm format and heading for the digital age. To be able to compete with the new-age technology of 3-D and digital, it seems that the way forward is to adapt, all we can hope for is that this extreme makeover will not tarnish this rustic and rural beauty that is England’s final back projection Kinema.
At 14 minutes and 50 seconds in (18/02/10): BBC Video
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Film & Movie Memorabilia Bazaar Fundraising Weekend Sat & Sun 27&28th February 10am-5pm
The Cinema Museum at The Masters House, 2 Dugard Way Kennington London SE11 4TH England will be holding their first fundraising weekend bazaar this saturday & Sunday
The film bazaar,the first of its type to raise funds for the only museum of the cinema in the U.K. will be opened by famous British film director Michael Winner.
With dealers & visitors coming from all over the country and abroad, this will be one of the largest collections of film related collectables that has ever been seen in one sale room. Classic original posters from Hollywood to Bollywood, famous original film stills, films of all ages & gauges, cameras& projectors of all shapes & sizes & related film equipment, film books of all types & hundreds of mouthwatering DVD’s ect.
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February 25, 2010
Group formed to pursue restoration of La Grande’s Liberty Theatre
LA GRANDE, OR — Closed since 1959 and partially converted to retail use, the 1910 Liberty Theatre may make a comeback if engineering and environmental reports come back positive and the funds can be raised. The theater was also known as the Orpheum and the Arcade.
The upper reaches of the main auditorium, the balcony and projection room, are mostly intact. An ornate but tarnished old chandelier hangs from the ceiling near the balcony. It’s an emblem of the past that draws the eye.
Piles of drapery lay about, and some of the old carpet remains. In the projection room, there’s some equipment left over.
Down below, under a couple of layers of added flooring, can be found the orchestra pit, the stage, stage stairways and doors left and right, dressing rooms.
There is more here in the La Grande Observer.
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Happy 20th, Goodfellas!!!
Later this year, after Martin Scorsese’s new film “Shutter Island” comes and goes at the movies and comes out on Blu-ray and DVD, it will be 20 years since his hit movie “Goodfellas” came out. At the time of its release, the two-and-a-half hour movie had more than 300 uses of a popular swear word, had an all star cast, and made back its $25 million budget and thrived as a popular movie on TV as well as on DVD and Bluray and VHS. The popularity of this movie spawned other mob movies of the decade, and reinvigorated the genre as a whole.
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Europe cinemas refuse to screen Alice in Wonderland due to Disney DVD release plans
Some theaters in Europe are threatening to not show Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” because of the studios decision to release the DVD only three months after the film hits theaters.
Disney said it intended to release the “Alice” DVD about three months after the movie appears in theaters, compared with the typical four- to six-month window. Like other studios, Disney is experimenting with shorter windows in response to declining DVD sales. Theater owners, especially in Europe, fear that will discourage consumers from going to theaters amid a period of record revenue. Exhibitors are also upset because they have recently spent millions of dollars upgrading thousands of screens to show 3-D movies.
The flare-up illustrates how an arcane topic once only of interest to Hollywood executives can affect moviegoers around the world.
No U.S. theater owners have threatened to boycott “Alice” so far, although some have said they will pull it from their screens once it hits the home video market.
Read more in the Los Angeles Times.
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February 24, 2010
Tarantino serves as ‘angel’ of the New Beverly
LOS ANGELES, CA — For the past few years, Quentin Tarantino has been operating as the owner of the New Beverly Cinema. This piece in the Hollywood Reporter discusses how he acquired it and how his contributions have led to a smooth running business.
The New Beverly has been the Torgan family business since 1978. But if not for the intervention of the director with the encyclopedic knowledge of film, it would be just another chain franchise.
“It was going to be turned into a Super Cuts,” Tarantino said. “I’d been coming to the New Beverly ever since I was old enough to drive there from the South Bay — since about 1982. So, I couldn’t let that happen.”
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Christie is First to Ship 4K DLP Cinema
CYPRESS, CA — Christie, the leader in digital cinema projection technologies, is pleased to confirm full production, shipping and installation of the latest generation of 4K-ready DLP Cinema projectors, the Christie Solaria series, beginning with the Christie CP2220. The Christie CP2220 digital cinema projector features Texas Instruments' (TI) (NYSE: TXN) next generation Series 2 DLP Cinema technology. Shipments began early January to North and South America, Europe and Asia and are now installed and showing feature films worldwide, including Australia, Canada, Korea and the United States. With orders arriving daily, Christie continues its lead in digital cinema deployment resulting in 70% of all digital cinema installations worldwide since the introduction of DLP Cinema projectors — which Christie was also the first to market.
Designed to meet all Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) specifications, the Christie Solaria is fully upgradeable to 4K digital cinema and features Christie Brilliant3D technology, providing the ultimate, most realistic 3D experience with the lowest cost of operation.
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3D Screens about to be stretched thin
According to Pastapadre, the increase in 3D movies means more and more screens will have to be added with the technology.
The cost of converting, being upwards of $100K per screen, has caused hesitation in the past with uncertainty that it would be worth the investment. However leading up to the release of Avatar (and now especially after its success) theater owners have been making a more concerted effort to meet the oncoming demand. About 250 screens are being added each month.
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February 23, 2010
Theatre research volunteers wanted
I am looking for help collecting historical information about currently operational vintage theatres around the country. If you have any history about an operational theatre, or are interested in doing some research to uncover some history, please send an email to Thanks so much!
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ISO: Old movie posters
Hello,
I’m a film buff and on the hunt for old movie posters. Are there any old movie theaters that have old posters in a backroom somewhere?
Thanks,
Jessica.Please