The Big Picture

Tracking the Oscar Bump

Wed, 02/24/2016 - 10:47 -- Nick Dager

For film producers, an Academy Award can be worth much more than its weight in gold. Based on box office sales over the past five years, winners of the Academy Award for Best Picture averaged $10.3 million in additional box office sales following their victory. In comparison, nominated films that failed to win the Oscar generated an average of $3.9 million in box office receipts following the awards, which is $6.4 million less than their winning counterparts. However, studios, producers and actors need not walk away with any Oscar hardware to achieve massive financial success. While they may not always secure the Oscar, films with relatively smaller budgets benefit from higher profit margins upon nomination. After Room was nominated for Best Picture in the 88th Academy Awards, the number of theaters screening the movie more than quadrupled, increasing from 198 theaters prior to its nomination to 862 after the announcement.

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Fandango Acquires Flixster, Rotten Tomatoes

Wed, 02/17/2016 - 17:31 -- Nick Dager

Fandango has acquired Flixster and Rotten Tomatoes, including the professional movie critic rating tool, the Tomatometer, from Warner Bros. Entertainment. The addition of Flixster and Rotten Tomatoes, along with Fandango’s recent acquisition of on-demand video service, M-Go, will expand the company’s theatrical ticketing business and create the industry’s premier digital network for all things movies.

The Revenant: From Chivo’s Perspective

Thu, 01/28/2016 - 09:51 -- Nick Dager

Along with being one of the most hotly anticipated movies of 2016, The Revenant is also highly likely to carry away a clutch of major prizes during awards season. In addition to key nominations for best film and best acting in a motion picture, the movie has also secured nominations for best cinematography. Little wonder. The work of Mexican DP Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki AMC ASC – working in horrendous cold and using only natural light – has been lauded by the critics as the “consummate cinematic experience.”

Metadata: Lenses for the Digital Cinema Era

Tue, 01/05/2016 - 11:09 -- Nick Dager

It’s an understatement to call Cooke Optics’ chairman and owner Les Zellan a digital cinema pioneer. In 2000 when he first introduced the idea of metadata technology in lens manufacturing, only a small number of people believed that digital cinema technology would ever truly replace film as Hollywood’s production medium of choice. At the time, the American Society of Cinematographers was actively campaigning against the idea of replacing film projectors with what were derisively called video projectors. Much has changed, of course, but Zellan still talks in the wary manner of pioneers who understand that, even though they’ve overcome some challenges, there are still more to face.

Archimedia Releases World’s First IMF Media Player

Tue, 12/15/2015 - 12:20 -- Nick Dager

Iris, Archimedia’s suite of software applications designed to speed file workflow, can now play Interoperable Master Format complex files. These files are rapidly becoming a preferred format for motion pictures because they dramatically reduce the number of file versions film studios need to send out. Archimedia CEO Mark Gray said, “We are proud to introduce an upgrade to Iris that makes it the world’s first software media player for IMF complex files. Now that IMF is gaining traction in the OTT and video on demand television markets its use is sure to increase.”

Ymagis Opens Dolby Atmos Screening Room

Wed, 12/02/2015 - 14:56 -- Nick Dager

Ymagis Group has opened a new, state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos screening room at its Soho offices in central London to serve the UK film industry. Featuring nine luxury seats in a private environment, this new screening facility is acoustically isolated and ideal for quality-control and VIP screenings, daily rushes, color-grading, mastering and corporate activities.

Disney Dinosaurs

Fri, 11/20/2015 - 09:41 -- Nick Dager

The popular T-Rex Café at Disney Springs, formerly Downtown Disney Marketplace, at Lake Buena Vista, Florida is a monster-sized, Palaeozoic-themed restaurant that bills itself as a Prehistoric Family Adventure. The execution of the theme is extensive and spectacular, and certainly includes enough pre-historic atmosphere to stir the imaginations of dinosaur enthusiasts of all ages. Highlights include a vast and impressive crystal cave that constantly sweeps through a range of intense backlit colors and thickets of cretaceous jungle foliage around smoke-emitting tar pits. All of this provides a backdrop for the stars of the show, the cast of 23 fully-articulated animatronic prehistoric creatures that include such usual dinosaur suspects as tyrannosaurus rex, apatosaurus, triceratops, mastodons, and a woolly mammoth family, together with pteronodons and an 11-metre giant octopus suspended over the bar and the heads of the diners.

Meyer Sound Introduces Amie

Mon, 10/26/2015 - 11:13 -- Nick Dager

Meyer Sound has introduced Amie, the first studio monitor from the company in more than two decades. Developed to meet the demanding needs of Skywalker Sound, Amie brings a level of clarity professionals can trust, making it ideal for critical production environments where accurate translation to larger systems is imperative. Amie made its debut at the Sound for Film event on September 26 at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California.

Cinema Advertising Widens its Reach

Thu, 10/22/2015 - 11:16 -- Nick Dager

While Hollywood feature films continue to be the main revenue source for exhibitors, digital cinema technology has opened the doors to advertising revenue both in preshows on the big screen and, increasingly, on digital displays in the lobby. Katy Loria, chief revenue officer, Screenvision, is optimistic about the future for both advertising options.

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