my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Digital Cinema Forum   » First hint at end of 35mm film distribution for Disney (Page 1)

This topic comprises 6 pages: 1  2  3  4  5  6

Author Topic: First hint at end of 35mm film distribution for Disney Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-01-2011 06:37 PM                     This was posted on my Facebook today and I thought it significent enough to share. If Disney barks for making the post go ahead and delete it. Mark ________________________________________________________________ Dear Exhibitor: At the end of this month I conclude 40 years in exhibition and distribution. I do not want to make this transition without sharing my deep concern with you. Some of you are among the dwindling number still playing only 35mm prints, apparently without plans to migrate to digital cinema. Others of you have converted only a few screens. (For those of you who are in the majority who have committed to conversion, congratulations and you can stop reading!) The window of opportunity is closing for you to take advantage of our VPF contributions to convert to digital cinema. At the same time, 35mm print costs are rising as suppliers grapple with falling volumes and soaring input costs such as silver and oil. (Film stock costs are up about 20% in just the past year.) I can't predict when, but we may reach a point when it is no longer economic for us to supply film prints on the same terms we have in the past, or at all. Likewise, it may become uneconomic for our suppliers to remain in the 35mm print business. Under these circumstances, if you intend to remain a long term player in the theatrical exhibition business, why take the risk of the eroding economics and questionable prospects for 35mm? The question is particularly timely and urgent when you can still take advantage of limited-time distributor-subsidized programs to convert to digital cinema. I urge you, as a friend in exhibition, not to miss the best opportunity you will ever have to upgrade. For the sake of your business and the moviegoers that we serve, I urge you make the move to digital, and do it now. Very truly yours, Chuck Viane 500 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 91521-1208 Tel 818.560.5900 Fax 818.841.6847 chuck.viane@disney.com  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 07-01-2011 07:29 PM                     Quite interesting. What (asking a general question here, not directed at Mark...) are the Drive-In's gonna do with this: find ways to do digital or close down and sell their land off? ..and along with "mom and pop" cinemas? ..gonna be interesting to find out .. - Monte  |  IP: Logged Tony Ratcliff Expert Film Handler Posts: 216 From: Madison, IN, USA Registered: Mar 2002 posted 07-01-2011 08:34 PM                     I received this e-mail letter directly from Disney today. I couldn't decide if it was for real or a hoax. But since it appears that others have gotten it also, I guess it is real.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-01-2011 08:53 PM                        He's just saying the same thing John Fithian has been saying, except without guessing at an end date for film. The ones who have converted, or who have plans to get converted, are the ones who want to stay in the business. There are some who have resigned to the fact that when film stops, they will close -- or maybe wait out some opportunities for used digital equipment. Then there's a group of naysayers who think digital is just a fad and that clearer heads will prevail and film will make a comeback. These are probably people who are still listening to cassette tapes, thinking that the CD fad will end soon.  |  IP: Logged Victor Liorentas Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 800 From: london ontario canada Registered: May 2009 posted 07-01-2011 09:35 PM                     Yes thank God the reign of Compact Disc is finally nearly over! Now I can enjoy my record's and tapes in peace! Still not buying the film is over thing.Need to wait for better digital deals on equipment anyway!The last possible second is the only way for us silly diehards to go digital. The film projectors will stay right where they are next to the in case filum makes a comeback! We don't play Disney stuff anyway As a single screen we will get a D Cinema machine when we can afford it but it is not clear if we really should though? I hope we can.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-01-2011 11:15 PM                        Well...our film projector is still there all right, but it hasn't projected anything for an audience since June 16 of last year. I still turn it on once in a while to keep the gears lubed. It looks kind of lonely over there.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 07-02-2011 12:15 AM                     ....lonely, but still loyal to be used again since they've earned their place in this industry.  |  IP: Logged Burleigh Ibbott Film Handler Posts: 46 From: Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, UK Registered: Jul 2006 posted 07-02-2011 08:33 AM                     Well some films have been released on digital only like the last Resident Evil and Universal's Senna. So I gather small release films maybe only digital in 18 months. My service engineer who comes travels the UK says that he has install so many D cinema in small chains and independants that its only a matter of time when that saturation rate will hit its target. I suppose it when the big ones like Odeon and Cineworld go totally digital thats will be the call to big companies to save money and go only digital prints.  |  IP: Logged Jim Cassedy Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1661 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Dec 2006 posted 07-02-2011 09:37 AM                     quote: Tony Ratcliff it appears that others have gotten it also, I guess it is real. Everyone I know has gotten an e-mail from a Nigerian buisnessman claiming they'll get several million dollars if they provide him with their bank account information. "So I guess it is real." But seriously - - There's 'something' about this e-mail; I can't quite put my finger on it, that makes me think it's not what it appears to be. I could be wrong, but that's my "gut feeling" - - and over the years I've learned to trust my 'gut'. It's rarely been wrong. . .  |  IP: Logged Edward Havens Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 614 From: Los Angeles, CA Registered: Mar 2008 posted 07-02-2011 09:49 AM                     Chuck Viane has been one of the major proponents of digital cinema and 3D, so I don't doubt for a second the letter isn't real. It was Mr. Viane who pushed for Disney to make and release Chicken Little in 3D.  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-02-2011 11:43 AM                        Shorter Chuck Viane: Nice theater you got there. Pity if anything would happen to it.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-02-2011 12:49 PM                        I suppose it is possible that this is just one of those internet scams, but it's a bit different than the old one from "Walt Disney's daughter" who was "working with Bill Gates" to develop and email tracking program and would send you on a free trip to Disney World if you forwarded the email to enough people. This one is just repeating the same thing that's been said before.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-02-2011 01:22 PM                     Jim.. No one is stopping you from e-mailing the Nigerians with the same thing.... You might just come out ahrad...  |  IP: Logged Aaron Mehocic Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 804 From: New Castle, PA, USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-02-2011 01:58 PM                     quote: (For those of you who are in the majority who have committed to conversion, congratulations and you can stop reading!) He may want to go back to school after 40 years to re-up on what constitutes a "majority". We are nowhere near a majority of digital houses.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-02-2011 02:09 PM                        Perhaps someone who knows the man should call him and confirm that this actually originated from his office. Major industry announcements are not normally made in the form of Facebook posts. In any case, even if it is legitimate, this doesn't really say anything that hasn't already been said. Personally, I would not make a major business decision based upon this sort of veiled threat of what may or may not happen in the future. Sure, there will come a time when major new releases are not generally available on 35mm film, but that could be next year or it could be many years away. In the meantime, equipment is becoming both better and cheaper. Considering that it has taken about five years to install in about half of the cinemas in the US, I would expect that it would take at least another five before the process is complete, given the limits of manufacturing ability, installation ability, and the fact that many of the 35mm-only venues may have little or no desire to convert. Additionally, the newer theatres were generally the first to get equipment; the remaining houses tend to be older and may require more construction work, electrical work, or other upgrades before the conversion can be made.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 6 pages: 1  2  3  4  5  6

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.