(April 8, 2024) Kaleidescape and "commercial cinema" aren't typically words uttered in the same breath, as the company has spent decades embedding itself as a leading source in home theater rooms and luxury yachts worldwide. That's about to change, however, as Kaleidescape is using the grand stage of Cinemacon 2024 to announce its expansion into the commercial realm.
“Kaleidescape’s secure media platform provides operational ease by enhancing flexibility and scalability for the exhibitor and offering access to a diverse array of content for their customers,” said Priscilla Morgan, COO, Kaleidescape. “Much gratitude goes to our studio, exhibition, and technology partners for their innovation in embracing a new content delivery platform.”
Exhibitors including Alamo Drafthouse, B&B Theatres, Brenden Theatres, Cinema West, Classic Cinemas, Epic Theatres, Megaplex Theatres, and Star Cinema Grill have all agreed to pilot the Kaleidescape platform in establishments. At the same time, Kaleidescape has landed an agreement with one major Hollywood Studio and is in active discussions with several others. These moves have created the perfect storm for the company to position itself as an alternative method of bringing catalog favorites back to the big screen.
Kaleidescape's stable of equipment offerings translates well from home to commercial environments, and can use the same projectors and audio solutions already installed. For studios, this means Kaleidescape's secure delivery method can be used to push content back into large theaters. And for cinemas, the company's vast library will quickly become the fuel needed to create special events, screenings, and marathons delivered through instant on-demand access to content.
“Kaleidescape’s platform is a potential game changer for exhibitors, allowing easy activation of excess screen capacity, bringing a steady slate of library titles on demand,” said Tony Adamson, senior vice president for GDC Technology. “I am excited that GDC is the first TMS (Theater Management System) provider to integrate with the Kaleidescape platform.”
In other theater news, Dolby has announced plans to bring Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos to even more commercial theaters around the world. You might be familiar with Dolby Cinema branded venues, which deliver images laced with wonderful contrast and audio etched by deep bass and expansive atmospherics, all within Dolby-designed environments. Now, Dolby is exploring ways to give Atmos-equipped cinemas access to Dolby Vision projectors. It's a move to get the Dolby experience into as many theaters as possible, which theoretically should boost ticket sales. According to Dolby, Dolby Cinemas generates the highest average per screen box office amongst all premium large format offerings.
"At Dolby, our passion is creating immersive entertainment experiences, and we can't wait to bring the transformative power of Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos to even more theaters around the world," said Jed Harmsen, Head of Cinema and Group Entertainment at Dolby. "Coming off of Dolby Cinema's strongest year at the box office, we're thrilled to provide exhibitors this new offering, which will unlock significantly greater opportunities for moviegoers around the world to love movies more in Dolby at premium theaters."
Over 600 theatrical features have been released or are confirmed to be in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, including hits like Dune: Part Two, Barbie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and more. This year also marked a particularly historic year for Dolby in cinema, as Dolby innovations – the Dolby Atmos Cinema Sound System and the Christie E3LH Dolby Vision Cinema Projection System – were honored with two major awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at the prestigious Scientific and Technical Awards, which celebrate groundbreaking innovations in cinema.
Since the first Dolby Cinema opened a decade ago, it's rapidly grown, forging relationships with 28 exhibitor partners in 14 countries. 2023 marked Dolby Cinema's best year yet, with domestic ticket sales surpassing pre-pandemic levels – up 7-percent from 2019. July 21-23 was the biggest weekend of all time for Dolby Cinema, driven by blockbuster powerhouses Barbie and Oppenheimer.
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