Cinemas are beaming

Publication: Los Angeles Times
Date: 2014-03-24
Author: Richard Verrier
Page: B1
Language: English
Notes: OCR from The Seattle Times

Cinemark Chief Executive Tim Warner admits he'd never heard of the popular science-fiction series "Dr. Who."

So the Montana native was skeptical when executives at BBC America approached him about screening a simulcast of the 50th-anniversary episode of the cult-classic British TV series in Cinemark theaters across Latin America and the United States.

In late November, hundreds of "Whovians" showed up at more than 700 theaters from Los Angeles to New York and São Paulo, Brazil, many dressed as their favorite characters, to watch screenings of the special "Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor."

"To be honest, many of us had never heard of 'Dr. Who,'" recalled Warner, who runs the nation's third-largest theater chain. "They told us it was going to sell out. We said, 'Yeah, right.' Not only did it sell out, but people showed up in costumes."

Tickets sold so quickly that Cinemark and other chains showing the episode had to add theaters to keep up with demand.

The event convinced Warner that what happened with "Dr. Who" was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of TV shows, sports programs and other so-called alternative entertainment that could help redefine the way people think about the multiplex.

Fred Medina, executive vice president of Latin America for BBC Worldwide, said the "Dr. Who" screenings demonstrated a new way to engage with fans of the show. "It's about building a broader relationship with our audiences," he said.

Now, Cinemark is talking to the BBC and other TV producers about showing TV shows, concerts and sporting events at their venues, capitalizing on a new satellite network that makes it possible to beam live entertainment to most theaters in America.

Although movies will remain their bread and butter, theater executives believe they can generate a growing business by expanding offerings at the multiplex.

Currently, alternative content accounts for 1 percent or less of revenue for major circuits such as Cinemark. In three to five years, that could increase to 10 percent or more, Warner predicts.

"The technological barriers to doing this have really disappeared," Warner said. "I would describe this as transformative."

Theaters have been experimenting with alternative programming, helping to fill up normally empty theaters during slow midweek periods. They've enjoyed success with sold-out screenings of the Metropolitan Opera, World Cup soccer in 3-D, boxing matches and mixed martial-arts.

Until recently, however, technological hurdles limited the screenings to a few hundred theaters at a time, making it costly to program such content.

That could change, thanks to the satellite network launched in October by the Digital Cinema Distribution Coalition, a consortium of studios and theater owners. Deluxe/Echo Star is the primary service provider.

The digital delivery of movies has long been the goal of studios and theaters, most of which have already installed digital projectors.

The new system significantly reduces the price of showing movies.

Ten to 15 years ago, it cost $2,500 to deliver a film print to a theater. By comparison, it costs about $200 to $250 to distribute digital hard drives to theaters, and much less — at least half the cost of shipping hard drives around the country by truck and plane — to deliver content via satellite.

About 75 percent of the screens from the nation's top three exhibitors have the ability to deliver movies and other entertainment via the satellite network.

In all, about 950 of 1,300 theater locations in the U.S. — from theater chains Cinemark, AMC, Regal, National Amusements and Southern Theatres — will be satellite-capable this week, said Randy Blotky, CEO of the Digital Cinema Distribution Coalition.

With the expanding network, theater executives are broadening their conversations with the heads of major studios, pitching them on the idea of the multiplex as a kind of vast TV network that could be programmed with specialized content, whether it be a live screening of "American Idol" or an NCAA basketball game.

Caption: Randy Blotky, CEO of the Digital Cinema Distribution Coalition, stands by a satellite dish on the roof at the AMC Century City 15 in Los Angeles. The satellite network sharply reduces the price of showing movies. Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

Cinemas are beaming

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