Australian Avatar Day

James Cameron's Avatar is without doubt 2009's most anticipated movie. It marks the return of a legendary sci-fi/action director, the man responsible for the original Terminator films, Aliens, and the biggest film in box-office history, 1997's Titanic -- the last time he was behind the camera on a feature.

Conceived 14 years ago and now four years in the making, the long-awaited Avatar promises to be the next step in filmmaking, delivering not just a 3-D experience but a fully-immersive cinematic world realised by the revolutionary technology Cameron developed for the film.

But don't take our word for it. With thanks to 20th Century Fox, Rotten Tomatoes is giving you the chance to be present at "Avatar Preview", a global event happening August 21 at which the world will have its first theatrical look at 3-D footage from the film.

Excited? You should be. The Avatar footage will only be shown on August 21 -- a whole four months ahead of the movie's theatrical release.

Albury-Wodonga Upgrades to 3D Cinema

BORDER cinema patrons will be treated to 3D digital films later this year when Regent Cinemas Albury-Wodonga installs one of the first 3D projectors of its kind in regional Australia. General manager, Doug Henderson said the expansion into 3D digital technology is part of a $250,000 investment in the cinema.

Regent launches its new cinema upgrade

BALLARAT'S Regent Cinema is set to bring new-age 3D technology to the region with the introduction of more than $250,000 of upgrades, including digital and 3D digital projection equipment and a new 25-metre Harkness Spectral 240 3D silver screen.

Business development manager for Regent Cinemas, Christopher Jones believes that this technology, set for a June 29 start, is a real departure from any 3D scenes in films over the past 20 years.

Astor Cinema set enter digital age

Forget the goofy red and blue glasses, 3D has undergone a process of sophistication - and it is coming to a cinema near you. Ararat's Astor Cinema has entered the digital age and as soon as July will be screening films in three-dimension.

The Astor Cinema is busily in the process of undergoing a refit, in excess of $100,000. ''It's a big job and involves a new screen for cinema one, and new digital equipment with the 3D format,'' manager Barry Byron said. ''This is the biggest thing to happen to the Astor Cinema since screens two and three were renovated.''

Victoria, Australia:
Geelong's Village opens its 3D cinema

MOVIE-GOERS will be able to experience the latest in Hollywood technology when Village Cinemas Geelong launches its new 3D cinema with Pixar's Monsters vs Aliens today. Village Cinemas Geelong's largest auditorium has been renovated and refitted with a new 2K digital projector.

A state-of-the-art digital RealD 3D system will blaze out 144 images per second to make each member of the audience feel as though they're a part of the action. Gone are the old days of red-and-green goggles; today's 3D glasses look more like sleek designer sunglasses.

Hoyts cinemas to double the number of IMAX theatres in Australia

In its first international joint venture, Canadian-based licensor IMAX Corp has joined forces with Hoyts cinemas to double the number of IMAX theatres in Australia from four to eight.

Hoyts unveiled a 17-metre-wide IMAX screen at its Highpoint multiplex on Boxing Day, and will open a second in another Melbourne location later this year. IMAX Corp's Australian push, which follows a 100-cinema venture with AMC Entertainment in the US and precedes other ventures in Europe, has been prompted by new digital technology.

Doremi Cinema and Edge Digital Technology Partner for Australian Digital Cinema Deployment

Doremi Cinema announced today an agreement with Sydney based Edge Digital Technology to supply its DCP line of digital cinema servers in Australia and New Zealand. The arrangement includes a commitment by Edge to make Doremi their preferred supplier of digital cinema systems.

Peter Williams, GM of Edge, comments “Doremi Cinema has been a driving force in digital cinema technology. Their continued ability to increase the feature set in their servers is unmatched. We are thrilled to represent their products to the Australian and New Zealand market as this region expands its transition to digital exhibition.”

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Source: qt.com.au

DIGITAL 3D technology is bursting from screens and breaking records at Ipswich’s Birch Carroll and Coyle Cinemas. Ipswich BCC general manager Chris Costello said the introduction of digital 3D in November last year was responsible for the largest admissions on record since the cinema’s opening 10 years ago. With James Cameron’s science fiction blockbuster Avatar putting Ipswich ticket sales in the thousands, Mr Costello said digital 3D was a phenomenon not a fad.

He said digital 3D was revolutionising small cinemas like Ipswich and paving the way for what cinema would be like in the future. “Digital 3D is just not like the old 3D with the cardboard glasses, it’s true 3D shot in different dimensions,” Mr Costello said. “It’s so real you feel like you can reach out and touch the images appearing on the screen.” Globally on the fast track to become the highest-grossing movie of all time, Avatar broke the one-million-dollar barrier in only three weeks.

Cinema-goer Jayd Dawson, 16, said 3D made the experience feel more interactive. “Watching Avatar you can’t take your eyes off the screen and in parts it feels like you’re on a roller coaster,” Jayd said. She said she would definitely be lining up to see more 3D movies in the future. Although average 3D movie tickets are priced two dollars higher than their standard ticket counterparts, Mr Costello said audiences were undeterred by the cost.

Avatar set Aussie Record
Source: bigpondnews.com

It's official, if you haven't seen Avatar yet, you're just about on your own. The sci-fi extravaganza is now the highest grossing film ever in Australia, overtaking Titanic's box office record of $57.65 million dollars set twelve years ago. And globally James Cameron is king of the world, with Avatar overtaking Lord of the Rings Return of the King, to give the director the two most successful movies in history.

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