Film Variety & Accessibility

The vastly reduced cost of digital prints versus the cost of 35mm prints means that there is less restriction on how many prints can be made and distributed. Ultimately this leads to easier access for exhibitors to a wider range of content.

 

 

Digital prints are delivered to cinemas on hard drives, and the content is then loaded onto a server. This has two advantages:

 

• The central server can hold many films, meaning that films can be changed more easily (so, among other benefits, one-off bookings are easier).
• The prints don’t need to be returned after the run, so holding over successful films is always possible.

 

Different versions of a film can be easily sent and managed:

 

• Subtitled/dubbed versions
• Hearing-impaired versions
• In the future, different cuts of films can also be used

 

 

Micro markets can be served – giving the audience more of what they want, for example:

 

• Bollywood films can be played in areas of high demand
• Special themed events can be held – i.e. showing of restored Casablanca for Valentines Day.
• Special seasons – i.e. late night horror screenings
• Mother and Baby screenings – appropriate films can be played during traditionally quiet times (such as weekday mornings)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two examples of how the flexibility of digital cinema can be used to benefit distributors, exhibitors and audiences:

• Pan’s Labyrinth (Optimum Releasing) was first released in the UK in November 2006. Thanks to the ease of digital, the film ended up playing for much longer -and on more screens - than originally anticpated. Digital prints were still being sent out to cinemas many months after the original release date.
• Dirty Dancing (LionsGate) was reissued to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The release on Valentine’s Day 2007 was the widest ever UK digital release at the time – on 79 screens. 90% of the total prints distributed were digital, and the film was #12 in the UK charts for February 14th.