Digital Cinema Update.
April 10, 2012 - We are happy to announce that with your generous support we have raised three-quarters of the $300,000 needed to purchase and install digital projectors at the Ambler. Thank you for your donations and help. We are now in the homestretch, but we still need your help to raise the final $75,000 needed to reach our goal.
The Digital Cinema Challenge. The Ambler Theater is facing a direct challenge to its existence: the movie industry is converting from film to Digital Cinema. If we want to stay open, we will have to convert as well.
Our plan. Our plan is to install Digital Cinema projectors in all three of our auditoriums at the same time by the end of 2012. This is a change. Before, we intended to convert one auditorium at a time, starting with one theater in June, 2012. Now, we see that converting all at once makes more sense.
Staying alive. The Ambler has shown movies on 35mm film projectors for over 70 years. But by 2013, all main releases will be available only in the Digital Cinema format (and not on film). So, if we want to show future movies comparable to The King’s Speech, The Descendants, and The Artist, we’ll have to show them on Digital Cinema projectors. We must convert or close our doors.
The expense. The main challenge of Digital Cinema is the expense. Installation of Digital Cinema projectors will cost at least $100,000 per screen.
Please contribute. Please contribute to our Digital Cinema Campaign and help us keep great movies on our screens. Your continued support will keep the Ambler Theater vibrant and exciting for years to come. For more information contact our office at 215-348-1878 x117 or jsanders@amblertheater.org.
Read More
Movie Studios are Abandoning 35mm Film by Gendy Alimurung, LA Weekly. April 12, 2012.
We're About to Lose 1,000 Small Theaters That Can't Convert to Digital. Does It Matter? by Michael Hurley, IndieWire.com (Feb 23, 2012)
For Small Theaters, the Digital Future Is Dark by Nick Leiber, BusinessWeek.com (Feb 16, 2012)
The 35mm Battle Continues: 'Let's petition Ford to reopen the Model T production line' by Dana Harris, IndieWire.com (Nov 20, 2011)
The Sudden Death of Film by Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times (Nov 1, 2011)
CinemaCon 2011: Fithian Urges NATO Members To Begin Digital Transition by J. Sperling Reich, celluloidjunkie.com (March 30, 2011)
Why is Digital Cinema being forced on theaters?The movie industry has been trying to facilitate this change for ten years. Their reason is economic. It is much cheaper to make digital prints of movies vs. film prints. Of course, the cost of upgrading the projectors to “dCinema” falls on the theaters. Currently about half of the screens in the US use dCinema projectors. And distributors have decided that now is the time to force all theaters to convert.
- What will happen, if we don’t add Digital Cinema?
After 2012, we won’t be able to show our big arthouse hits like The King’s Speech or The Descendants, unless we have Digital Cinema projectors, because that will be the only available format. Those big “crossover” films are essential to our economic viability. They pay the bills that allow us to show the smaller independent and foreign films as well as special screenings like Hollywood Summer Nights and filmmaker appearances. Loss of the revenue would
trigger a downward economic spiral for the theater. We might not survive.
- What is the time frame? Can’t we wait for a few
more years and see what happens?
Putting off this challenge was our de facto plan for over 5 years. But now the time has come. We believe we have until 2013 to make this happen, before our access to first run art films (like The King’s Speech) is cut off. We plan to convert all three auditoriums at the same time by the end of 2012. We can’t wait too long, however, because there is a lengthy lead time in ordering and installing the projectors. (And as for waiting so that the price comes down, no one in the industry thinks that is likely.)
- Haven’t we already purchased digital projectors?
We have purchased smaller, less expensive video projectors that can project digital content at lower resolution. These have been good for showing alternatives like plays and operas, BluRays, and the like. However, Digital Cinema projectors are bigger and brighter and are equipped with the necessary copy protection for first run films. We cannot use our current projectors for the industry approved standard necessary for Digital Cinema. If we want to continue to
show exciting new art films, we have to make the switch to the industry approved equipment.
- How does Digital Cinema look?
The good news is that dCinema offers an amazingly sharp and bright picture. We’ve been 35mm film cineastes for a long time. But we’ve been stunned by the beauty, depth and clarity of movies projected on the latest Digital Cinema projectors. We think that this is a step forward into the future of visual presentation. Plus, many older, classic films are gaining new life after being digitally restored. Yes, some film lovers will always prefer 35mm film. But, on balance, we think that the switch to Digital Cinema is good in terms of the visual aesthetic experience.
- What are other theaters doing?
Art House Theaters across the country are also faced with this same problem. We are members of a group called The Art House Convergence which is a consortium of 100+ independent theaters. We’ve been talking with our peers for over a year about how to address this challenge. Most small, independent theaters are approaching this problem the same way. We are fortunate to be financially healthy and pretty well positioned to make the change. Some smaller theaters are not so lucky. Some may not make it.
- Is there any kind of a plan B? Can't we lease?
The only “leasing” available is really just “financing” by another name. We have also explored the distributors' plan to "help theaters" with virtual print fees, but, as you might suspect, that option comes with too many strings attached.
- Won’t there be any 35mm film prints in the future,
and what will happen to our current 35mm projectors?
There may be a few film prints made. But those very few film prints will not be a reliable source for the movies we need to show to survive. However, we will hold onto our excellent 35mm film projectors. We'll keep them for special screenings and to show archival prints and classic movies on 35mm film.
