DR. WHO COMING TO THEATERS IN 3D

Dr. Who, the British science-fiction show that debuted in 1963, making it the longest-running sci-fi show in history — which has also successfully transitioned into books, DVDs, and iTunes downloads –is about to transition to movie theaters as part of a 3D 50th anniversary celebration. 3D, said BBC’s controller of drama commissioning Ben Stephenson, will […]

EXHIBITOR DROPS SHOWTIME LISTINGS; NEWSPAPER FIGHTS BACK

Malco Theaters, a 32-theater chain in the Southeastern U.S., has decided it no longer wishes to pay the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette to list the times its movies play on its screens in Little Rock, Arkansas. And the newspaper is fighting back. Romenesko.com has displayed a “house ad” in which the newspaper says that the Malco decision […]

3D CONCERTS IN MOVIE THEATERS — BETTER THAN LIVE?

Watching classical music projected on a 3D movie screen may be more enjoyable than watching it being performed live, British music critic Guy Dammann has suggested. The veteran critic attended a screening in London last Thursday of Berliner Philharmoniker: A Musical Journey in 3D, a recording of Sir Simon Rattle conducting the Berlin Philharmonic in […]

TO SELL OR EXPAND? A DILEMMA FOR U.K.’S LARGEST EXHIBITOR

The Odeon/UCI chain, the largest motion picture exhibitor in the U.K., is in separate talks that could yield either of two different outcomes: sale of the company or the procurement of $1 billion in new debt to expand it further, Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported today (Tuesday). Odeon chief Rupert Gavin told the newspaper, “The priority […]

CHINA’S BOX OFFICE DECLINES (BUT NOT AS MUCH AS U.S.)

China is experiencing the same sort of box-office doldrums as the U.S. In the first quarter revenue slipped to $400 million, versus $450 million for the same period a year ago, Daily Variety reported today (Thursday). That’s a decline of 11 percent, about half the size of the downturn in North America. Last year, revenue […]

SYMPHONIES COMING TO THEATERS — IN 3D

Employing a strategy that could prove to be a boon to struggling symphony orchestras elsewhere, the Berlin Philharmonic, under the baton on Sir Simon Rattle, will stage a performance that will be beamed in 3D to hundreds of movie theaters around the world. Reporting on the planned screening, Britain’s Guardian newspaper said today (Tuesday): “The […]

REPORT: CHINA TO CHALLENGE HOLLYWOOD

Presumably convinced that its citizens would rather watch large-scale movie productions on theater screens than see pirated versions on TV sets, China — a country where film piracy is rampant — has embarked on a massive theater construction program, opening as many multiplexes so far this year as they did in all of 2009, Britain’s […]

INFLATION HITS BOX OFFICE

Defying the trend in virtually every other U.S. business, prices of movie tickets shot up over the weekend, particularly at IMAX and 3D theaters, with charges rising about 8 percent in 3D theaters, 4 percent in non-3D ones and $5 across the board at IMAX locations, according to various reports. A spokesman for AMC theaters […]