Digital Cinema Implementation Partners (DCIP) -- representing AMC, Cinemark and Regal Cinemas -- has
worked out a deal to finance the installation of thousands of digital movie screens starting next year in the U.S. with the help of Lion's Gate, Paramount, Fox, Universal and Disney. Not participating, at least for now, are Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures, with the latter expected to announce a separate deal soon involving the installation of
Sony 4K SXRD projectors around the world. Key to the deal? "Virtual print" fees, meant to help defray the expect $70,000 cost to switch to
3D-ready digital projection setups, as the studios will kick in the $800 - $1000 they would have spent on old school movie prints to finance the changeover. In the future they save by distributing only digital prints, not to mention having somewhere to show the dozen 3D flicks expected to debut next year. Both sides are betting the $1 billion package will help pull us away from the HDTVs and back into a movie theater, but until they work out a payoff with that one guy who won't stop talking, we're
not sure how likely that is.
Read - Wall Street Journal
Read - Reuters
Read - Variety
posted Oct 1st 2008 at 11:03AM
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
avester @ Oct 1st 2008 11:07AM
But then again, does this make 3D-films any better than beowolf?
ZaxCG2 @ Oct 1st 2008 11:12AM
Uhuhuhuhgh... don't remind me of that horrible movie. Ruined the true story of Beowolf...
Harkonian @ Oct 1st 2008 12:01PM
Thanks for the heads-up. I'll move that out of my netflix queue now.
Blackstar @ Oct 1st 2008 12:34PM
Everyone will now know the awesome power of Captain EO in all it's glory!
Hellaphunt @ Oct 1st 2008 11:13AM
Great, just as long as they have kid-sized 3D glasses in those theatres as well. It was horrible for my three year old son when we watched Journey to the Center of the Earth. We took turns holding his glasses up!
Scott Beckstead @ Oct 1st 2008 6:48PM
You actually took a 3 year old to that movie! You get no sympathy from me. Not exactly age apropriate entertainment there is it?
Hellaphunt @ Oct 1st 2008 6:50PM
Are we talking about the same Journey or are you one of those nuclear sheltering advocates?
StalematE @ Oct 1st 2008 11:15AM
anyone see the remake of nightmare before christmas in 3D? awesome! "the kids are throwing snowballs instead of throwing heads..."
Ogo @ Oct 1st 2008 11:17AM
During an economic slowdown I would think $15 entry tickets and $7 popcorn would be among the first things to get cut from a household budget.
Are you sure you want to invest in this?
3dpenguin @ Oct 1st 2008 11:36AM
Actually digital cinemas don't cost any extra, its the 3D ones that do, and they require a rental fee for the $60 glasses, $3-5.
3dpenguin @ Oct 1st 2008 11:33AM
This is stupid, Warren Theatre Group installed Digital Screens when building their newest theater in Oklahoma, and then they fitted the bill to convert it over to 3D a few months after opening, why is the nation's largest theater company depending on the studios to fit the bill for the change over.
matt @ Oct 1st 2008 11:43AM
I think it'd be far more likely for me to go back (or more often than once a year) if a pair of tickets for me and my wife didn't cost as much as buying the DVD...
John @ Oct 1st 2008 11:57AM
Wow,
Where do you go to see a movie for that little. When I take the wife, 2 kids and myself to the movies. The entry fee would cover the cost of a low end DVD player, snacks would cover the cost of 2-3 movies to watch on it.
Patriks7 @ Oct 1st 2008 12:05PM
Dude how much does your family eat?!
Chad @ Oct 1st 2008 12:40PM
I'm totolly with you on that Matt. I've boycotted going to the movies because I can't justify paying $19 for a single ticket. They've even cut out student discounts on the weekend. If I had to go see a movie maybe I could justify the matinee price but I don't know if I could waste a morning away in the theater. Oh, and to all the teeny-boppers reading this.....STFU when the movie starts.....you know who you are.
Andrew Colver @ Oct 1st 2008 11:54AM
Cinetopia in Vancouver, WA is the best movie theater I have ever been to. I see them as the best because they are a total (all screens) digital cinema. The difference is very clear. I am now totally ruined and can never go to a regular regal or AMC movie theater again (at least until they get these digital projectors in place).
kjb434 @ Oct 1st 2008 11:55AM
Tell me why i should ever go to a theater period.
A large TV, good AV equipment, and good home made buttery popcorn is a whole lot cheaper.
Thank you Netflix and friends for creating a much better and cheaper experience.
Bassir @ Oct 1st 2008 12:00PM
Because you want to see a certain movie badly?
cesium @ Oct 1st 2008 12:30PM
Because I want to see the movie 6 months before you on an ungodly large screen that makes the experience far better than any normal HT setup
Mobius @ Oct 1st 2008 6:40PM
If they implement this in Canada as well, I bet I have to pay 50% or more for a ticket to see a movie. That's 15 dollars +
I will actually go more often unless its actually cheaper than what I have to pay now. And don't even get me started on the cost of drinks and popcorn!
http://www.thewebtechreviews.com
maball54 @ Oct 1st 2008 12:06PM
All digital distribution of movies? sounds good too me. They'll make their way to the torrent sites even faster.
Nex @ Oct 1st 2008 12:40PM
no, they won't, because there are layer and layers of encryption over them
Scott Beckstead @ Oct 1st 2008 6:40PM
We actually do have encryption tied directly to the player when those go out. Good luck with that. Oh also we know which house and which player a videoed copy comes from.
bryanhop @ Oct 1st 2008 12:03PM
This is a load of crap. The film companies should be paying for everything for all theatres. Independent theatre owners are the ones suffering here, we can't afford to foot the bill. We just installed four 3D Digital Cinema auditoriums out of our 13 that we have in two locations and that still hurt us. We were promised at first that we wouldn't have to pay for this but then it was taken back and put in our hands. There are groups out there that will come in and help out but frankly I think that is signing the theatre ownership away. You don't own the equipment and they have the right to pull the stuff if the theatre isn't making money. This is the reason you have your theatres raising the price and they should when you only get 30%-40% of the ticket price. You don't make your money selling tickets you make your money in Concession. I know some places are extreme but Independent owners try their best to keep the price down. And now when you have to pay such a high min wage for kids it gets to be a joke. If all independent owners went closed down the film companies would then realize how much we really bring in for them. Just to clear some things up, Dolby 3D is the best. It's got the best picture and allows for the most light, which is the key for 3D. First glance at glasses might set you back because they are reusable but once you think about it it's better. Ogo, wouldn't you think that $100 concert tickets or sporting event tickets with $10 hotdog would be the first to go. In a falling economy, theatre attendance raises because compared to other entertainment it's the cheapest. My families theatre has been in business for over 40 years so we've seen the ups and downs.
Kyledl @ Oct 1st 2008 1:16PM
Hate to say it but its the cost of doing business (business owner to business owner). You cant complain about mandatory minimum wage, its WAY too low to begin with at this rate of inflation. Also, theatres make their money from concessions yet every theatre ive been to has been horrible at hawking these candies. Hell if the Quiznos down the street can afford to pay a minimum wage kid to flip a sign with a hot sandwich on it, why arent movie theatres marketing their concessions more than they do? PS it doesnt help to run a 30 second concession spot before the film starts BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE ALREADY IN THEIR SEATS. Theatres are so ass-backwards its incredible. Hardly anyone I know opens their wallets to go to the concession stand, the prices are beyond the point of rediculous. How about you guys find an equilibrium?
Also, I would think that theatres use alot of electricity with huge A/C costs and lighting costs, so why not invest in a solar installation on those expansive roofs? Charge the batteries during the day for the shows at night. Seems like a no brainer, but you guys are too busy trying to sell me a 50oz soda for 8 dollars. Something I wont finish and is way overpriced.
cliff @ Oct 1st 2008 12:05PM
two problems with this model...
1) the movies coming out over the last few years just suck. AKA.. that dumb chiwawa thing that will have puppy mills churning out dogs for people who will neglect them.
2) Get rid of the stupid chick sitting directing in front of or behind you with the long ass fingernails talking to all her friends on her Treo during the movie.
3d or not, I'll stick with sitting around in my underwear at home, watching a movie that I own in a peaceful environment with an HDTV that equals the cost of 20 theatre admissions + gas and gold plated popcorn.
bryanhop @ Oct 1st 2008 1:20PM
cliff,
your right on both accounts. Films companies need to stop releasing all their good movies during Summer and Christmas. During those times it's nothing new to release 6-8 movies in one weekend. The average movie-goer doesn't have time to watch those movies because next weekend they have 6-8 more movies. If they would release them throughout the year August through October and January through April might actually have good movies. I don't know about your local theatre but at my theatre we try to stop this from becoming a problem. When someone tells us about a problem we tell the person with a phone to turn it off or go in the hallway. If they do it again we take the phone away. Sometimes it is hard for us to catch everyone though if people do not let us know. With the sound from the movie we can't hear everyone. But I still do not think staying at home and even watching a movie on an HDTV can give you the experience that a movie theatre can if done right that is. I realize that most theatre chains do not care about the customer but you ask my regular customers and they will paint a picture I can't.
kjb434 @ Oct 1st 2008 12:05PM
Look,
Movies are now coming out in retail outlets and on Netflix within only a few months. I'll gladly wait for that than to deal with the theater. Also, the day my life centers around making it to the movies to absolutely see something is the day I need to question what really important in my life.
It's like waiting in line over night to buy a game console or an iphone. So you get it a week are two later than the release date, is that really so bad?
BigD145 @ Oct 1st 2008 12:44PM
Your tax dollars at work.
VampireHunter Z @ Oct 1st 2008 1:28PM
I have a 46" 1080p TV along with 5.1 audio and I still go to the movies. Sometimes it's not about which gives you the better experience but more about hanging with the wife or friends. The only time I really value the greater quality is when I rarely go to watch something on IMAX. Now that's real quality.
However I do support everywhere switching to digital. Film is just not what everyone hypes it up to be. It's not sharp enough and the colors are just not deep enough.
bryanhop @ Oct 1st 2008 2:46PM
Kyledl,
Your business is completely different from my families. Plus I'm not a national chain. You are actually comparing my theatre to national fast food chain. I am still laughing from that. Min Wage shouldn't have been raised that high that quick because that just caused everyone to up their price which means raising min wage didn't work. You must just own your business and not run it because you would have seen this. Oh by the way not all theatres RUN ADS FOR THEIR CONCESSION STAND like you think we do. Matter of fact not all theatres are alike. How can I stand on the street and promote my concession stand people don't come just for that. They buy concession items for the MOVIE!!! Hell if I had the money Quizno's has I could do a lot of things. How much do you think I can get candy for? I want to know how much you think I pay for my concession items. Yes I admit I've been to other theatres and yes their prices are extreme but I can't do anything for your theatre. All my family can do is do what we can for our customers and try to make enough money to feed my parents, my wife and two kids, my brother and his wife and two kids. Solar power is a no brainer though for the power that we would have to have would cost a fortune and it's something that would take us a long time to recover. If you know more on solar power and how cheap it is I'm all ears. Before I finish I should ask do you buy the "50oz" coke for $8 because if you do shut the hell up and stop complaining. If you don't like buying a "50oz" don't. Thats not our fault it's your there smart guy. Theatres don't put a gun to your head. But really if you can get me solar panels for cheap and with enough power I'm all for that.
Kyledl @ Oct 1st 2008 4:53PM
You are getting rediculous now. First you say theaters are already struggling and the majority of their income comes from concessions, then in the next post you say no one is putting a gun to my head and making me pay your rediculous prices. If the prices get to the point of having to put a gun to my head to make me buy it, then there lies your problem. Find an equilibrium. Im just offering some free, albeit unsolicited advice. But as a concerned movie-goer, I dont want to see theaters disappear.
Also, im not in the business of raping teenagers for "minimum wage". If it were up to me minimum wage would be at the very least 8 an hour. No one in our family business works for minimum wage so I really dont know how that kind of increase would affect another business but thats just an observation on my end. How can people afford to get to work at a lesser wage?
scott beckstead @ Oct 1st 2008 6:48PM
It's not the 50 oz cokes for 8 bucks that I object to, it's the 8 oz cokes for 50 bucks.
bryanhop @ Oct 1st 2008 6:57PM
Kyledl,
How about we call a truces here. Because I could go on and on and then you would not see what I'm talking about. Plus, if I have to listen to you tell me that I rape teenagers, I would probably not be allowed to comment anymore on this page. Raising min wage doesn't solve anything when everyone has to in return raise their price everywhere. It just levels out to where it was before. Did you notice that the 99 cent Chicken Sandwich at Wendy's is not 99 cents anymore. It just so happened that when min wage went up that 99 cent sandwich went to $1.09. Funny! All I'm trying to get across is the average customer really does not know the inter-workings of a movie theatre. I will agree with you that there are some theatres who charge an arm and a leg for tickets and concession. Again I say some theatres. If you were to come to my theatre I think you would be suprised how cheap it is here. I get tons and tons of Out of State customers who think we are dirt cheap. $7 for adults, $5 for kids. But whatever you think is your opinion and if you decide you don't want to listen to me, someone who has been in this business for 10 years, my brother for 18 years and my dad 44 years then so be it. I'm done trying to express my thoughts on the issue. I guess that's the good thing about the US we can sit here and bicker back and forth. I still stand by my orginal thought about how independent owners got screwed with this deal.