April 19, 2010--SK Films and Cosmic Picture are delighted to announce the giant screen film Journey to Mecca: In the Footsteps of Ibn Battuta has won the Houston International Film Festival's Remi award for Best Dramatic Short. The Houston International Film Festival (HIFF), now in its 43rd year, is one of the oldest and largest film festivals in the world.
April 15, 2010--IMAX Corporation and Twentieth Century Fox today announced that James Cameron's Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning Avatar has surpassed the $100 million milestone in gross box office at IMAX theaters internationally, marking a historical first for the international IMAX theater network. The IMAX version of the film reached the milestone on 85 IMAX screens during the 17th week of its first-run international release, bringing the international IMAX per screen average to approximately $1.2 million. The global IMAX box office total for the film has reached $228 million. Of the 262 IMAX theaters that showed the film, 45 international IMAX screens surpassed the $1 million mark, eight of which surpassed $2 million, and of those, five surpassed $3 million. The company's previous international aggregate gross box office record was $14 million.
April 15, 2010--Joe Kleiman has left the National Infantry Foundation in Columbus, GA, where he oversaw the opening of the region's only giant screen IMAX theater. He is currently pursuing other work in the giant screen and museum industries, particularly in guest services management. Kleiman has 15 years experience, having started as a projectionist, and moving on to group sales and facility operations. His experience has given him a well-rounded approach to operations that takes into consideration both the needs of front and back of house. Joe can be reached at joekleiman@gmail.com.
April 15, 2010--Filmmaker Michele Hall will receive the Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences (AUAS) NOGI Award for the Arts in a ceremony on November 18 during the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association’s annual trade show in Las Vegas. Founded in 1993, the Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences (AUAS) is an international, multi-disciplinary, nonprofit organization dedicated to recognizing pioneers and leaders who have had a global impact on the exploration, enjoyment, safety, and preservation of the underwater world. Every year, AUAS bestows NOGI Awards upon a select cadre of divers and undersea luminaries who rank at the top of their fields in one of four categories: Arts, Science, Sports/Education, and Distinguished Service. The NOGI is the oldest and most prestigious award in the diving industry.
April 15, 2010--IMAX Corporation and Triumf Media Group, one of the largest entertainment developers in the Ukraine, today announced an agreement to expand their relationship with the installation of three additional IMAX theater systems in the city of Kiev and two other cities in the country. The agreement doubles the number of IMAX theaters scheduled to open in Ukraine, bringing that total number to six, all operated by Triumf Media Group, and it was signed following the box office success of the first IMAX location in Kiev. A second location from the original contract is scheduled to open in the city of Odessa and a third in the city of Lvov later this year. Under the terms of today's announced agreement, the first of the three additional systems is scheduled to open in Kiev in 2012.
April 14, 2010--IMAX Corporation today announced an agreement with Blitz-Cinestar, Croatia's leading commercial theater operator, to build a new stand-alone IMAX theater as part of the new Cinestar Arena Commercial 10-screen theater multiplex in Zagreb, Croatia. The new digital IMAX theater is scheduled to open in December 2010, as the first IMAX location in Croatia.
April 13, 2010--IMAX Corporation today announced that Gaumont Pathe Movie Theatres (EuroPalaces), the leading exhibitor in France and one of the most prominent exhibitors in Europe, has signed an agreement to install four new IMAX digital theater systems at premier EuroPalaces locations in Paris/Peripherie, and three regional cities throughout France. The new locations will be structured as joint ventures between IMAX and the exhibitor, with each location scheduled to be installed at the end of June 2010.
April 8, 2010--Regal Entertainment Group, a leading motion picture exhibitor owning and operating the largest theater circuit in the United States, announced the launch of a new large screen all-digital format called the Regal Premium Experience (RPX). The RPX is a custom-built premium environment featuring elegant and luxurious seats with high-back headrests, an immersive screen illuminated by high-quality digital projectors, completed with a state-of-the-art sound system.
April 5, 2010--On May 15, Sierra Club Books will publish Shooting in the Wild: An Insider’s Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom by Chris Palmer. A longtime producer and spokesman for the industry, Palmer offers a passionate but unsparing portrait of wildlife and nature films and TV shows, and how they shape our treatment of wild animals. In the wake of the recent drowning of Sea World trainer Dawn Brancheau by a captive orca, Palmer appeared on CNN and elsewhere, calling for an end to marine mammal shows.
March 31, 2010--Gretchen Jaspering has resigned as president of GSCA effective March 31, 2010, to pursue other opportunities. She had held the position since 2004. Gretchen states that it has been her pleasure working with so many of you these past five years. Seeing the world through your films and in your theaters has been a great experience for her. She wishes you much luck in your future endeavors as she moves on with hers. Gretchen can be reached at gretchenjaspering873@gmail.com. There are no other staffing changes expected at this time. Questions should be directed to GSCA Board Chair Toby Mensforth at TMensforth@si.edu. GSCA staff Tammy Seldon (tammyseldon@giantscreencinema.com, 540.872.3905) and Kelly Germain (kellygermain@giantscreencinema.com, 651.917.1080) can also assist.