Exhibitors Prep for Chicken Little in 3-D

According to The Hollywood Reporter, leading theater chains AMC Entertainment and Loews Cineplex have signed five-year contracts with Real D, a technology provider specializing in stereoscopic 3-D exhibition. Regal Entertainment Group is also in negotiations to adopt Real D’s digital projection system in time to make the sky fall on audiences when Disney releases Chicken Little in both 3-D and standard presentation on Nov. 4.

In addition to the big three, nearly 20 smaller theater chains have made pacts with Real D, creating 85 locations around the country for Chicken Little to screen in 3-D. The roll-out will be milestone for Disney, which teamed with technology partner Dolby Labs to develop the digital cinema servers that will be employed in distributing films via data transfer rather that mailing out 35mm film prints.

As studios and exhibitors see cinema attendence continue to wane, they are exploring new ways to entice consumers content to enjoy movies on home theater systems. The hope is that 3-D will bring new value to the moviegoing experience.

Stereoscopic 3-D exhibition has been around since the 1950’s, helping exhibitors pack houses with science-fiction B movies like The Creature from the Black Lagoon. However, the gimmick proved to be little more than a passing fad that enjoyed a brief resurgence in the 1980s with films such as Jaws 3-D, Friday the 13th 3-D, The Amityville Horror 3-D and Spacehunter. The process was revived in recent years with Robert Rodriguez’s Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, as well as Warner Bros.’s The Polar Express, which hauled in around $45 million during its IMAX 3-D engagement.

Sony pictures plans release its performance-capture adventure, Monster House, in 3-D on July 21, 2006, and Warner Bros. recently announced that its upcoming CG penguin feature, Happy Feet, will get the IMAX 3-D treatment along with its traditional release on Nov. 17, 2006.

Smaller theater chains are especially interested in digital distribution and 3-D cinema as they strive to compete with multiplexes. The main roadblock has been the availability and cost of 2K digital projectors. Independent movie houses that are already struggling are hesitant to invest in the hardware and technology without assurance that it will entice customers.