Cinema Chain Urges Digital Change at Cinema Expo

Steve Knibbs, COO of Vue Cinemas, has urged distributors to start making more digital trailers alongside their digital films. In December 2007, the UK cinema chain opened Europe's first all digital 10-screen multiplex in Hull and Knibbs told attendees at this year's Cinema Expo conference in Amsterdam of the benefits and teething problems of running an all-digital theatre. He said that since the multiplex's inception, 85% of films on offer were shown in digital but when it came to showing trailers, only 26% of them were available in digital format – 139 trailers still remained in the 35mm format while just 36 were digital.

"I know it's not high on the list of priorities for distributors," said Knibbs. "But we'll play them if you make them.

Other problems so far with the multiplex have included screen freezes and lamps not striking, effecting 18% of shows but less than 1% of overall admissions.

"It has been tough but I don't think we'd expected anything different," he told delegates.

Knibbs said that the "freshness" of digital quality would fade as people "normalize" and get used to the format, stressing that movies and content will always be the key thing that drives business.

Jocelyn Bouyssy, director general of CGR cinemas in France urged a more hasty transition to digital, saying it was necessary because of the increase in pirating from 18-24 year olds who are "learning to live with this medium".

Bouyssy said: "If it were up to me [all 35mm would move to digital] tomorrow morning. We have to take the profession into a revolution." He added that he hopes all films will be digital by 2009.

Knibbs quipped: "Keeping 35mm gives you a crutch. At some point you need to dive in the water and see how cold it is."

By Diana Lodderhose, ScreenDaily