Boxoffice Pro - January 2020

TECHNOLOGY
ICE ICE
BABY
ICE THEATERS DEBUTS
IN HOLLYWOOD
by Vassiliki Malouchou
> A snowstorm took Los Angelenos by
surprise the first week of December.
Down at the Regal L.A. Live a different
kind of ice was taking over. With ice
sculptures, an ice bar, and Vanilla Ice
playing, the tone was surely set. ICE
(Immersive Cinema Experience) Theaters,
a new PLF offering developed by
French circuit CGR Cinémas, debuted its
international expansion with the inauguration
of its first auditorium at the Regal
L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles on
December 3 in partnership with AEG,
the sports and entertainment company
behind L.A Live.
“It’s the beginning of a very beautiful
story,” said Jocelyn Bouyssy, managing
director of CGR Cinémas, at the launch
event. “It’s an honor for us to be here in
Hollywood, and it’s a childhood dream
come true for me. Our international
expansion begins tomorrow with this
historic step for ICE.”
Speaking to Boxoffice Pro, David
Scantamburlo, marketing director
at CGR, explained, “The story of ICE
Theaters began with the idea of offering
the audience a more exciting experience,
the ultimate sensorial experience. CGR
always wanted to be a step further. It all
began in France, and now we’re in the
United States. There were a lot of hurdles,
but to be able to export our technology
here is a dream come true. It’s a French
success story.”
Executives from all the major Hollywood
studios were in attendance at
the launch event. The guests watched a
presentation by Bouyssy and Shelby Russel,
SVP L.A. Live marketing and L.A.
Live cinemas at AEG, as well as multiple
David Baudry, director of programming at CGR Cinemas; Franck Gastambide, actor-director; Mark Viane, president,
international theatrical distribution at Paramount; and Helen Moss, SVP international distribution at Paramount
trailers and movie clips developed in the
ICE format.
The French actor-director Franck
Gastambide was on hand at the launch.
Gastambide, who collaborated
with ICE Theaters for
his action-comedy
Taxi 5, described
his interest in
the format:
“If I’m here
today, it is
truly because
I believe that
making the
movie theater
more attractive
is a mutual task
for exhibitors and
creators. Filmmakers,
be it directors or writers,
need to work with exhibitors
who are also looking for more innovative
technologies. Knowing that my movie
could be projected in such an auditorium
allows me to be more ambitious in my
future projects.”
Created in 2017, the ICE technology
offers a unique panoramic experience
thanks to non-reflecting LED panels on
each side of the auditorium that target
the moviegoer’s peripheral vision. This
ambient content is created at CGR’s
headquarters in the coastal French city
of La Rochelle by an in-house post-production
team. To provide a premium
experience, the auditorium also features
recliners, a Dolby Atmos studio configuration,
and RGB laser projection.
The concept has had success
in its home country.
With 35 locations in
France, ICE leads
the country’s PLF
market both
in admissions
and number
of theaters.
According to
CGR, in 2019
ICE auditoriums
had double
the occupancy
rate of similar
standard auditoriums
and double the box office
revenues compared to the national
CGR average. Twenty-nine feature
films were released in the format in 2019,
up from just 18 in 2018. Jumanji: The
Next Level was the first film to be shown
at the Regal L.A. Live.
The Regal at L.A. Live is just the first
step in the international adventures of
ICE Theaters. After Hollywood, the next
destination for the French group will
be Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates through a partnership with Vox
Cinemas to bring ICE to the Middle East
and North Africa.
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