From: Spudboy100@aol.com
Date: Fri Apr 25 2003 - 07:24:13 MDT
Clever marketing!
http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/030423/1108001165_1.html
Earlier Wednesday, Imax and Warner Bros., a division of AOL Time Warner Inc.
(NYSE:AOL - News) , announced that the second and third chapters of "The
Matrix" trilogy, to be released in the spring and fall, will be
digitally-remastered using Imax DMR - a technology that upgrades live-action
35mm films into the Imax experience.
Imax has said that the simultaneous release of first-run Hollywood event
films in its theaters is the "holy grail" for the company, and it's something
investors have been anxiously anticipating for some time.
Although "The Matrix Reloaded" will open in Imax theaters two or three weeks
after its general release May 15, "The Matrix Revolutions" will open Nov. 5 in
both conventional and Imax cinemas, marking the first time that a
live-action Hollywood film is released concurrently in both large- and
standard-sized formats, known in the industry as a day-and-date release.
Richard Gelfond, co-chief executive of Imax, said the deal is a "watershed
event" for the company, as securing "The Matrix" sequels begins to answer
Imax customers' questions about content.
He explained that ensuring a steady supply of content from the studios,
especially commerical Hollywood blockbuster films, is an integral part of the
overall business strategy - selling Imax theater systems. The other component
is the development of a product that will lower the costs to exhibitors of
installing an Imax system in their multiplexes, which has already been
accomplished with the Imax MPX system, announced in February.
'A Visual Spectacle'
Gelfond said that "The Matrix" movies met all of the criteria for the first
Imax DMR day-and-date release. "It's a visual spectacle, it has the kind of
soundtrack that will take advantage of our 12,000-watt sound system," he told
Dow Jones. "And most importantly, they're really the franchise movies of the
year. There wasn't a better film than The Matrix, and in fact, we got a
little lucky that there were two of them."
He said Imax had been negotiating with Warner Bros. for the third installment
only, but when certain executives saw the tests, they were so impressed by
the " visual splendor" that it turned into a two-picture deal.
Unlike the Imax DMR releases last year of "Apollo 13" and "Star Wars: Episode
II - Attack of the Clones," "The Matrix" films won't have to be shortened, as
Imax reel units can now support film lengths of 150 minutes.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri Apr 25 2003 - 07:34:27 MDT