Showbiz Sandbox 260: The Race To Build A Bigger, Louder And More Expensive Movie Theater
December 8, 2014
When it comes to giant screen cinema IMAX is still the most dominant player, but with theater owners building their own premium large format auditoriums new competitors have started to spring up. Dolby, a company known for cinema audio technology, is the latest to enter the fray with their own PLF offering that includes bigger screens, more immersive sound and, of course, a higher ticket price. Whether such offerings will catch on with moviegoers remains to be seen.
The only big news anyone in the entertainment industry wants to talk about right now is the cyber attack on Sony Pictures. Security experts say it’s shaping up to be the largest and most damaging hack against a commercial business in history. Authorities investigating the crime are no closer to catching the perpetrator than when the incident first made headlines two weeks ago.
The Grammy Awards were also making headlines last week. In fact, the annual music awards show tried to stay at the top of the news cycle by announcing nominees via various platforms throughout the course of an entire day. The real story however, turned out to be which musicians actually received nominations and which were overlooked.
Of course, we also cover the week’s top entertainment news stories including the name of the next James Bond film, U2 announces a world tour and CBS gets into another retransmission dispute.
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Hunger Games Leads One Of The Worst Weekends of the Year
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3973&p=.htm
‘Mockingjay’ Still Top in Germany But StudioCanal Miss Double Header
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/international-box-office-mockingjay-still-754782
Polish RomCom Tops Box Office
http://www.filmneweurope.com/news/poland/109657-polish-romcom-tops-box-office/menu-id-158
‘Hunger Games’ Comes to Life in Defiant Salute to Coup Leader
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-19/-hunger-games-salute-from-thai-protesters-greets-coup-leader.html
Sensory Assault: Dolby Takes on Imax With Mega-Theater Rival
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/sensory-assault-dolby-takes-imax-753479
Grammys 2015: And The Nominees Are
http://www.billboard.com/articles/6363565/grammys-2015-nominations-57th-annual
Beyonce Becomes Most-Nominated Female in Grammy History
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/beyonce-nominated-female-grammy-history-20141205
James Bond 24 Title, Cast Revealed
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/james-bond-24-title-cast-753861
YouTube Star Zoella’s Novel Records Biggest Ever First Week Sales For A Debut Book
http://www.buzzfeed.com/richardhjames/youtube-star-zoellas-novel-records-biggest-ever-first-week-s
Prison Book Ban Is Unlawful, Court Rule
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/dec/05/prison-book-ban-unlawful-court-chris-grayling
U2 Detail ‘Innocence + Experience’ World Tour
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/u2-detail-innocence-experience-world-tour-20141203
Creedence Clearwater Members Sue John Fogerty Over Use of Band’s Name
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/creedence-clearwater-members-sue-john-754817
CBS/Dish Deal: No Skipping Ads With AutoHop
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/239677/cbsdish-deal-no-skipping-ads-with-autohop.html
CBS, Dish Network Settle Fee Dispute
http://www.wsj.com/articles/cbs-dish-network-settle-fee-dispute-1417873492
George Lucas Really Has Parted Ways With ‘Star Wars’
http://insidemovies.ew.com/2014/12/08/george-lucas-star-wars/
Sony Hackers Reveal Seth Rogen and James Franco’s Pay for ‘The Interview’
http://variety.com/2014/film/news/sony-hackers-reveal-seth-rogen-and-james-francos-pay-for-the-interview-1201370629/
Sony Hack Spreads to Auditing Firm Deloitte
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sony-hack-spreads-auditing-firm-753656
Producing Gone With The Wind
http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/web/gonewiththewind/#top
Sony Hack Attack ‘Unparalleled,’ Security Firm Head Says
http://www.thewrap.com/sony-hack-attack-unparalleled-security-firm-head-says/
Sony’s Breach Stretched From Thai Hotel to Hollywood
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-07/sony-s-darkseoul-breach-stretched-from-thai-hotel-to-hollywood.html
The Father Of Video Games Has Passed Away
http://www.businessinsider.com/ralph-baer-dead-2014-12
Our story about the race for “premium” movie theater screens like IMAX and Dolby’s new initiative really annoyed me. I hate it when I’m asked to pay extra by a movie theater for excellent picture and sound. Shouldn’t ALL their screens offer excellent picture and sound? Either most of their screens are substandard or the premium ones are rip-offs. (Hint: it’s the latter.)