Fox Intl To Stop 35mm Print Distribution In Hong Kong-Macau: Digital Only After Jan. 1
Twentieth Century Fox International will cease the distribution of 35mm film prints to theaters in Hong Kong and Macau effective January 1st, 2012. After that date all Fox feature film content in cinemas will be provided exclusively through DCI-compliant digital media formats. Through December 31, 2011 Fox will provide its films in both 35mm print and DCI-compliant digital formats to the region.
“We anticipate that by the end of 2011, exhibitors in Hong Kong and Macau will have converted more than 95% of their cinema screens to DCI-compliant digital cinema projection technology,” Sunder Kimatrai, SVP and Asia-Pacific Regional Managing Director for Twentieth Century Fox International said in a statement issued Monday. “As a logical result of the transition to digital cinema, we feel the time is right to phase out the supply of our films in 35mm analogue formats. The entire Asia-Pacific region has been rapidly deploying digital cinema systems and over the next two years we expect to be announcing additional markets where supply of 35mm will be phased out.”
Julian Levin, Executive Vice President Digital Exhibition and Non-Theatrical Sales added, “Fox thanks Hong Kong and Macau exhibitors and key digital cinema integrators for their continued efforts and investments to convert cinema screens to digital projection technology. Fox has entered numerous digital cinema deployment agreements in Hong Kong/Macau and throughout the Asia-Pacific region, and we will continue to support DCI-compliant digital cinema conversion efforts in all major markets. The future of the cinema business is in digital technology, particularly as a basis for providing to consumers the extra value of 3D cinema. We encourage exhibitors in all countries to sign with their local integrator or to speak with Fox directly about their digital cinema conversion plans.”
Twentieth Century Fox International is a unit of Fox Filmed Entertainment, a segment of News Corporation.
the end is near
If only the theatres could figure out how to maintain a great digital picture I’d be jumping up and down with glee. I’m sorry, I spent a LOT of time at Deluxe and FotoKem and even CFI in my life and so many people have lost their jobs (hello, negative cutters!), but this isn’t coming a moment too soon. As many times as I’ve dragged 18 year-old theatre managers into their auditoriums to show them something wrong with the digital projection, I did that TWICE as many times with freakin’ platters. Move. On.
Sad. The end is already here.
ummm, no. more like the beginning is here.
The beginning of a deluge.
Well, that should save about a billion dollars – I’m surprised they didn’t do it earlier.
Because from now on it’s only gonna be Jerry Lewis flix on tiny smartphones.
This is overdue both from a cost and presentation standpoint (which anecdotally has never been worse in my lifetime). If there have been a lot of bad movies depressing box office, the exhibs deserve at least half the blame for willful or lazy lack of quality control and tolerance of boorish patrons (and ever outrageous pricing to experience it all).
The end is already here when a 16mm print is passed off as a 35mm print in the photo.
And Fox didn’t make or distribute IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE.
Except it’s digital VIDEO projection! It’s interesting how that word is always omitted from advertisments and articles. Does the industry not want people to realize we are now basically getting the same type experience as our big, flat-screen HD television sets at home?
This is what movie goers will most likely being seeing, according to MKEP Consulting:
“In digital cinema, a 2K image with a 2.39:1 (“scope”) aspect ratio is delivered having 2048 x 858 pixels. A 2K image with a 1.85:1 (“flat”) aspect ratio is delivered having 1998 x 1080 pixels.”
I’m not impressed. Only 858 horizontal pixels for a “scope” production? Yes, I know that 4K projectors exist but most movie theaters won’t have 4k.
If you don’t account for screen size and viewing distance, talking about pixel count is completely meaningless.
Obviously I’m talking about a theater with a big screen, how else would you watch a 2.39:1 CinemaScope movie?
Since this concerns Fox and Fox invented CinemaScope, the obvious example would be my neighborhood theater, the Fox Village, in Westwood, Los Angeles.
The old 1950′s/1960′s era “Norelco AA” projectors at “The Village”, would project a better image at this theater, in Scope than a 2048 x 858 pixel 2K digital projector.
The Village can also project 70mm 5 Perf. Which will blow away 4k, in 2:39 Scope.
Fox is going backwards in quality.