The movie box office in Brazil increased by ten percent from January to the first week of August, according to regulatory agency Ancine. The audience grew from 113.9 million to 125.4 million in one year’s time, the agency said.
The motion picture business in China is one of, if not, the fastest growing in the world. By one estimate, there were some 31,000 screens in China by the end of 2015 and that number is expected to exceed 40,000 by the end of this year. Not surprisingly, a number of digital cinema technology companies have announced major Chinese sales in the past few months. Perhaps no company has enjoyed more success in China to date than Dolby. I recently spoke with Doug Darrow, senior vice president, cinema, Dolby Laboratories, about their success and the Chinese market in general.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is opening a new theatre in Charlottesville, Virginia. The 33,000-square-foot Alamo Drafthouse Cinema will be the first in the Charlottesville market area and is expected to open in early summer 2017.
CJ 4DPlex has partnered with Royal Films in Colombia to expand its number of operations from four to six by bringing the fully immersive 4DX technology, which incorporates motion chairs and multisensory environmental effects to a Royal Films theatre in Viva Barranquilla, the third largest shopping mall in Colombia in late October. Another installation will be added by late 2017.
A highlight of the Christie booth at the Beijing International Radio, TV & Film Exhibition currently taking place at the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing is the Christie Cinema Corridor.
One of the highlights of the Christie exhibit at BIRTV 2016, now underway in Beijing, China is the Christie CP2208-LP laser phosphor cinema projector. Delivering up to 11,000 native lumens of brightness for screens up to 35 feet, the 3D-capable Christie CP2208-LP is virtually maintenance free with no lamps to change, offers a lower total cost of operation, and provides a lower carbon footprint for theater owners.
Cinépolis is expanding its long-standing partnership with Barco as the exhibitor continues to grow its footprint in Mexico, Latin America, India, Europe and the United States. Since initially selecting Barco as its exclusive digital cinema projector partner in 2011, Cinépolis has significantly grown to operate nearly 4,000 screens featuring Barco projection technology across three continents. Cinépolis, the largest cinema chain in Latin America and the fourth largest in the world, has now decided to extend its partnership with Barco into the next decade, with plans to install more than 1,000 projectors in Latin America and across the globe to grow its ever-expanding circuit.
Arts Alliance Media has signed a new direct agreement with Shanghai SFC Film & Television Technology Development to deliver its Lifeguard system monitoring software. Lifeguard provides centralized equipment monitoring and support ticketing capabilities, enabling a comprehensive maintenance service to be provided to cinemas. The deal will see 5,000 cinema screens covered by AAM’s Lifeguard, enhancing the capabilities of SFC’s Network Operations Centre as it serves both SFC screens and those of its external exhibitor customers.
AMIA and the Alamo Drafthouse, in partnership with The Film Foundation, are offering a three day projection workshop for projectionists and staff presenting 35mm film in theaters. The workshop offers speakers and hands-on tutorials for projectionists working with 35mm film prints and will focus on film preparation and projection as well as special stipulations for archival projection, and coordinating with lending institutions. The workshop is aimed at those who have some booth experience and are looking to expand their knowledge and skills.
Classic Cinemas’ Classic Charlestown theatre in St Charles, Illinois recently enlarged its auditorium one screen by 126 percent and now delivers images over 53-feet across in a wall-to-wall scope presentation. CineActive Solutions was hired to ensure the screen met DCI-specified light levels.
