In a clear sign that audiences will return to theatres once they’re open and have a good movie to present, the Global Cinema Federation today celebrated the record opening weekend in China of Detective Chinatown 3. The title set a single market record for opening day of $163 million and opening weekend $397 million. This comes one year after China’s 70,000 screens were completely shuttered for 2020’s Lunar New Year celebrations.
Nite Owl Theatre has created a laser projection drive-in cinema experience in the heart of Miami, Florida. Featuring a 53-foot screen, the Knight Foundation-backed theatre can accommodate between 65-70 cars per screening. This enables Miami area movie lovers to reconnect with the big screen from the safety of their car and ensures theater guests will enjoy enhanced visual experiences, with brighter higher quality images, while maintaining social distance in the new venue.
MediaMation recently installed a 60-seat MX4D Motion EFX Theatre in Perpignan, France to add a new experience to Cinemovida's facilities.
Much has been written, broadcast, and talked about regarding the fate of cinemas throughout 2020. As the CEO of a global cinema technology company, I stand at the crossroads of talking with exhibitors, technologists, leaders, and creatives across geographies. This mosaic of viewpoints provides a unique perspective into our industry-specific challenges, opportunities, and possibilities for the road ahead. When you start to connect the dots in our industry, three drivers have significant potential to shape cinema in 2021.
Costa Rican cinema chain CCM Cinemas has opened the country’s first movie theatre equipped with an RGB pure laser projector. The cinema, located at Plaza Occidente multiplex in San Ramón, the country’s second largest city, has installed a Christie CP2315-RGB projector, as well as Christie Vive Audio speakers and Dolby Atmos sound. The installation was carried out by the systems integrating company Vidicom
National CineMedia and Harkins Theatres, the fifth-largest exhibitor in America, have signed a long-term cinema advertising affiliate agreement to bring NCM’s Noovie pre-show entertainment program to millions of Harkins movie fans across the Southwest. With the addition of Harkins Theatres, NCM’s national theatre network now includes all of the top five exhibitors in the country.
The International Union of Cinemas, the body representing European cinema trade associations and operators, has today released preliminary 2020 box office estimates for the territories covered by the organization. At the same time the association said that more government support for cinemas is needed.
Germany’s Filmpalast Kassel has equipped 14 of its theatres with the latest JBL Professional cinema audio systems. Located in the heart of Kassel, Filmpalast Kassel’s distinctive architecture and interior design makes it a popular entertainment destination and tourist attraction.
Researchers at Britain’s Gower Street Analytics have released a new report that shows that, as theatres are allowed to open, some cinema markets are slowly beginning to rebound in the wake of the pandemic. This past weekend marked one year from the first closure of the China’s cinema market due to the COVID-19 virus. That market closed just ahead of its lucrative Chinese New Year holiday in 2020 – a holiday that this year falls on February 12, due to the lunar calendar on which it is based. A year on and currently China is the most robust international market, tracking 41 percent ahead of 2020, even before reaching the closure period of last year, and on par with the average of the previous three years: 2017-2019
CineStar Bosnia and Herzegovina has chosen 4K laser projection by Cinionic for its new destination cinema, CineStar 4DX Sarajevo - Bingo City Center. As part of the deal, Cinionic, the Barco, CGS, and ALPD cinema joint venture, brings its award-winning Barco Series 4 laser projection to the theatre’s 10 auditoriums.
