BoxOffice® Pro - April 2011

INDUSTRY BRIEFS
Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century
Fox announced that the 3D theatrical
rerelease of Star Wars: Episode I The
Phantom Menace will open on February
10, 2012. The Naboo invasion, the Tatooine
Podraces and the climactic light saber
battle between Darth Maul and the Jedi
will be some of the visual highlights of the
3D conversion, which is being supervised
by Industrial Light & Magic. “Getting good
results on a stereo conversion is a matter
of taking the time and getting it right,”
said John Knoll, visual effects supervisor
for Industrial Light & Magic. “It takes a
critical and artistic eye along with an incredible
attention to detail to be successful.
It is not something that you can rush if
you want good results. For Star Wars, we
will take our time, applying everything we
know both aesthetically and technically to
bring audiences a fantastic new Star Wars
experience.”
Technicolor announced it has signed an
agreement with CINE PROJECT, a distributor
and installer of analog and digital cinema
equipment, to bring Technicolor 3D to
Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
“We’re excited to launch Technicolor 3D
in these new markets,” said Joe Berchtold,
president of Technicolor’s Creative Services
division. “We have a very affordable
technology solution that helps to solve the
current shortage of digital 3D screens, and
bring 3D to audiences in international markets
of all sizes.” To date, Technicolor 3D
has installed more than 500 screens internationally
and released 15 titles from major
studios. Studios supporting the Technicolor
3D format include Paramount, Warner Bros,
DreamWorks Animation, Universal, The
Weinstein Company, Lionsgate Films, Summit
and Relativity Media.
Cineplex Entertainment debuted a worldfirst
showing of a movie in 4K DLP at Galaxy
Cinemas Waterloo using the new Christie
CP4200 platform. “This will mark the first
time anywhere that moviegoers will be able
to see what’s possible on the big screen
with a superior 4K DLP cinema projection
solution. Cinema fans are going to enjoy
the depth and extreme quality of the visuals
this new projection technology delivers,”
said Craig Sholder, vice president, Entertainment
Solutions, Christie.
Cineplex Entertainment also promoted
Sarah Lewthwaite to vice president of
marketing. Previously, Lewthwaite was the
Toronto-based chain’s executive director
of marketing. Cineplex is the largest motion
picture exhibitor in Canada and owns,
leases or has a joint-venture interest in 132
theaters with 1,366 screens serving approximately
70 million guests annually.
Harkness Screens is investing $5 million
to expand operations in Canada, China and
France. The investment will almost double
their capacity to make Spectral 3D and
Perlux high gain screens. Canada is fully
operational and the expansions in France
and China are expected to be operational
by mid-2011. The plant increases will allow
Harkness Screens to serve local demand
worldwide with shorter lead times for customers
in all geographies as well as lower
the cost of shipping screens from factory to
final location. “With the explosion of the 3D
films arriving in cinemas worldwide, orders
for our custom frames and screens have
risen significantly,” said Andrew Robinson,
Harkness Screens, managing director. “In
order to meet that demand and speed customer
deliveries, we made the strategic decision
to open new facilities in Canada and
China, and expand operations in France.”
Harkness Screens also announced that
its Digital Screen Selector application has
passed the 500 user threshold. Launched at
ShoWest last year, the Digital Screen Selector
is intended to be a guide for theater
operators when consulting with projector,
lamp and 3D technology providers for both
2D and 3D. “We are delighted that our
Digital Screen Selector has become such
a popular aid to customers since its debut
last year,” said Robinson. In addition to its
500 registered users, the Selector has had
over 2,000 non-registered visitors use the
application.
MOC Insurance Services has promoted
Carmina Angka to Senior Vice President
and Paul Perlite to Vice President. Angka
joined MOC in 1995 and oversees all
services provided by the workers compensation
team at MOC, and is a leader
in MOC’s executive group. Perlite joined
MOC’s real estate team in 2004 and was
elevated to manager in 2007. Prior to joining
MOC, he was a claims manager at Nationwide
Insurance. “Carmina Angka and
Paul Perlite represent MOC as individuals
who consistently deliver the highest level
of professional and personal service to our
clients,” said Van Maroevich, president
and CEO.
Universal Pictures International opened
a new screening room for their London
office and has selected an Alcons Audio
system. With a huge variety of films passing
through the facility, finding a system that
could cope equally well with every one was
a challenge for audio consultant Laurence
Claydon of Cinefilm Ltd. “UPI deals with
many foreign language dubs. Being able to
determine if, for example, a dialogue insert
or edit is acceptable is difficult on all but
the best systems—sometimes the only clue
is a slight shift in background reverb on the
track,” he said. “So often with audio, you
only know you are doing things right if you
don’t get complaints. But this system has
been such a success that we have received
very positive comments from everyone.”
QSC has promoted Danny Pickett to cinema
sales manager, giving him responsibility
for QSC’s global cinema sales efforts.
For the past five years Pickett served as
QSC’s key accounts manager, helping to
build the Cinema dealer network in Europe.
Prior to joining QSC, Pickett served as
the Manager of DVD Audio at Twentieth
Century Fox. His 20-year career has also
included stints managing the audio department
at Lucasfilm’s THX Digital Mastering
Program, and technical positions with AMC
Theatres. “With the tremendous success
Danny achieved in Europe, I feel confident
that he will do a great job in his new global
position and I look forward to working with
him as he takes on this new challenge,”
said Barry Ferrell, Sr. Director of Cinema
Solutions. QSC also appointed 30-year
cinema veteran Ron Lutsock as cinema account
manager. Reporting to Danny Pickett,
Lutsock will supervise internal sales, managing
existing orders and well as focusing on
new business development from small to
medium regional cinema circuits. Lutsock
will be interfacing directly with QSC’s domestic
accounts, a task that will be aided by
the setting up of a dedicated training facility
for dealers and installers at QSC’s Costa
Mesa HQ.
The Scotts Valley Cinema in Scotts Valley,
California is under construction and will
expand. Construction is slated to be completed
in November, 2011. The new and expanded
theater is a high end concept from
CineLux Theatres, a San Jose-based motion
picture theater company, and will feature
ten new auditoriums with stadium seating,
digital projection and curved screens.
Six stadium auditoriums are expected to
launch in June in time for summer. A key
part of the expansion will be the introduction
of VIP auditoriums where moviegoers
can select an auditorium with oversized
VIP seats and reserved seating. Adjacent
to the VIP auditoriums are a wine bar and
lounge where movie goers can relax before
or after their film and enjoy local wines and
gourmet treats. This expansion is targeted
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4 BOXOFFICE PRO APRIL 2011