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Industry
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February 6, 2009
Suburban London Cinemas
Hello,
I am the author of a new book called Suburban London Cinemas (just published by The History Press, here in the UK: ISBN 9780750949538).
It has loads about the city and the many, many cinemas that used to be so popular there.
Details locations and how to reach them/biogs etc.Thanks,
Gary
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February 4, 2009
3-D Revolution at movie theaters
An article in the Philadelphia Inquirer looks at the upcoming 3-D pictures coming to a theater near you.
Moviegoers, adjust your eyeglasses for what Hollywood gamblers bet is the next revolution in film: digital 3-D.
Not the cumbersome, headache-inducing gimmickry behind 1950s movie novelties like Bwana Devil and House of Wax. It’s the nanotechnology giving the filmmakers James Cameron and John Lasseter the means to dissolve the screen separating the viewer from the movie experience. Some Wall Street analysts say that within the next two years, 3-D could boost movie revenue 10 percent – if there are enough digital 3-D theaters to accommodate the volume of product.
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February 2, 2009
National Cinemedia releases 2009 outlook
The country’s largest cinema ad operator released its 2009 projections.
National CineMedia Inc. updated its anticipated financial performance for 2008 and released its outlook for 2009 on Thursday, saying it expects last year’s revenues “to be at the high end or slightly exceed” its initial estimate of $364 million to $368 million.
The Centennial company operates North America’s largest movie-theater digital network.
Read more at Bizjournals.
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January 30, 2009
Theater admissions fall in ‘08
It certainly wasn’t a win, but a not so serious decline and current increase in ticket sales provide a bright pictures for theaters.
Theater admissions fell less than anticipated in 2008 — 2.5% — while they are up a sizeable 4.5% so far this year.
Tallies provide further evidence that moviegoing has become a favorite pastime in brutal economic times.
Industry estimates released at the end of December showed that admissions for 2008 were running 4%-5% behind 2007.
Read the full story in Variety.
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January 29, 2009
Arthur Stein, Jr passes
Arthur Stein, Jr, former General Manager of Central States Theatres of Des Moines Iowa passed away January 20th, 2009 in Rancho Mirage, California. Arthur retired from Central States at the age of 88. He is survived by his wife of 63 years Helen (Sis) and his two sons Jay and Art.
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No recession at Staten Island movie theaters
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Even with the failing economy, movie theaters haven’t taken that much of a hit, at least in Staten Island.
As they packed onto mass transit in record numbers, cemented “staycation” into the popular lexicon and just tried to hang on in a collapsing economy, Staten Island and the nation largely spared the moviehouse.
Hollywood emerged from last year with a 4 percent drop in overall attendance but with a take nearly even with that of 2007, at about $9.62 billion. At the borough’s three movie theaters, fans weren’t cutting back.
Read the full story in the Staten Island Advance.
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January 28, 2009
Bigger Knight better than Oscar Night
Christopher Campbell discusses going to see “The Dark Knight” in IMAX and how it affects his thoughts on the Oscars.
The Academy had their say, that The Dark Knight isn’t one of the five “Best Picture” candidates for 2008. But who cares? Sure, you can’t enjoy the Batman sequel as part of AMC’s annual marathon of top Oscar contenders, but then again you can’t see any of those five films in IMAX either. What would you prefer? Personally, I haven’t decided if I like any of the Best Picture nominees any better than The Dark Knight. But I do personally prefer to see a movie as big as possible, as long as that movie is appropriate for such viewing. And not only is The Dark Knight appropriate for the size, but it was partially filmed for it. So, rather than see any of those other movies a second time, I chose to see The Dark Knight again, in IMAX.
Read the full post at First Showing.
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January 27, 2009
Paramount ponies up for 3-D deal
Paramount is throwing in money to exhibitors to entice them to convert to 3-D.
Anxious to see more theaters converted to digital 3-D screens before DreamWorks Animation’s “Monsters vs. Aliens” opens in March, Paramount is offering to pay print fees directly to exhibitors who have the means to finance the conversion.
The digital cinema transition has been hit hard by the economic collapse and the freezing of the credit markets, which happened just as the consortium repping the country’s three largest circuits — AMC, Cinemark and Regal — was trying to secure a multimillion-dollar line of credit.
There are a number of consortia repping different circuits, or independently owned theaters.
Read more in Variety.
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January 23, 2009
D-BOX scores deal to bring rumbling chairs to Mann Theatres
HOLLYWOOD, CA — A theater within the Mann Chinese 6 will be the first commercial theater chain screen to debut D-BOX motion code seats.
Ah, ha! So the rumors were true, after all. Just over three months after we heard that D-BOX was trying desperately to get its Motion Code technology into cinemas, we’re finally seeing the first deal with a commercial theater chain. Mann Theatres, the operators of the famous Mann Chinese 6 Theatre in Hollywood, has become the first to first to allow D-BOX seating to be installed, with the initial installation taking place in theatre six of the aforementioned multiplex.
Read more at EngadgetHD.
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Film on Theatre Pioneer, former Warner Brothers Zone Manager, James E. Coston
Web site has been uploaded with trailer and photographs. Principle filming to be complete by July 2009.