As the dust settles and embers slowly die out in a troubled London it is with a big ‘well, duh’, that I bring you the news that this week’s box office numbers are looking a little uhealthy.

With the combination of punters understandably preferring to have a night in this week and a large number of cinemas closing in the capital, not to mention Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham, theatrical revenue dropped 16% on Monday and 27% on Tuesday compared to the same days last week Variety report.

This may be due, in part, to Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part Two’s lull in ticket sales as it moves into its fourth week of release, but with two huge blockbuster films in cinemas this week in the shape of Captain America: The First Avenger and Super 8 the chances are that the riots have taken their toll on the cinema-going public. After all, Odeon-UCI had 24 theatres closed across the country (19 being in London and the surrounding suburbs), including Odeon West End in Leicester Sq.

Let’s hope all this madness ends soon so the country can get back outside and into a darkened cinema room.

Report by Richard Parkin.

Easter is nearly upon us and the clever bunnies at Warner Brothers have just released Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 on DVD and Blu–ray knowing all too well that it will be high up on everybody’s ‘to watch’ list during the holidays.

So a few weeks ago, whilst you were probably fantasizing about the evening of pancake gluttony awaiting you and making half-hearted Lenten promises to give up all things addictive, fattening or chocolate covered, HeyUGuys met up with a certain infamous Slytherin who goes by the name of Tom Felton in the Muggle world.

Here’s the interview,

HeyUGuys: You’ve grown up with the Harry Potter books and films since you were 12 years old, what does it feel like now that it’s almost over?

Tom Felton: It’s a bizarre feeling. I’d love to come up with a really good answer for that! But firstly it doesn’t really feel like we’ve finished because we still have stuff to look forward to and the end is still quite a while away. Then the other half of me felt very strange when I was thanked for my services for the last 10 years and told ‘see you later!’ It’s a kind of emptiness as well as a huge sense of anticipation. This is what we’ve all been looking forward to the last 5 or 6 years. This one final movie without question is the one we think will be the best and we’re very excited to be ending on such a high.

HeyUGuys: Is it all about the premiere this summer then?

Tom: Yeah in a lot of ways it is. I heard on the radio yesterday actually that they’re planning this Trafalgar Square/Leicester Square collaboration premiere and I’m very excited that we’re going to be the guinea pigs, if you will, testing it out and being the first ones to actually do that!  Hopefully it’ll become a more regular thing after that. I envisioned us abseiling down the Odeon or helicopter in! Bungee jump off into the crowd! So what’s actually planned is a little less dramatic but it should be a lot safer.

HeyUGuys: You weren’t an unknown actor before starting the Harry Potter saga, we remember you in The Borrowers (“squished, might get squished”) so what’s next?

Tom: (laughs) Oh wow that’s just brought it all back to me! Well as we’ve just mentioned it was weird to begin with when the Harry Potter folk were like ‘see you later.’ I thought to myself, ‘well, what do I do now then?’ I went on holiday briefly to Italy but we had to cut the trip short to head over to Vancouver to shoot Rise of the Planet of the Apes which is the prequel to Planet of the Apes. It came literally out of nowhere. They wanted me to play somebody rather unpleasant so I thought great that’s nothing too different from what I’ve been doing! Although it is a world away from the world of Hogwarts. It was great fun, 5 weeks in Vancouver with James Franco as the lead and it was amazing working with him, he’s an incredibly talented guy. Horribly good-looking! Also The Apparition, will be coming out in October as well which is another horror/thriller we did with Ashley Greene from the Twilight films. She’s beautiful and also incredibly talented so it was really nice to get the chance to work with her.

HeyUGuys: In the films you and Harry are meant to be schoolyard enemies but how do you and Daniel Radcliffe get on in real life?

Tom: We don’t get on at all. We’re method…I’ve hate him now for 7 years. We haven’t spoken for maybe 9 years now, I think… (laughs) I had you going for a second there didn’t I? No, we are incredibly good friends! I think one of the things which fans forget is that we spend most of the day as Tom and Daniel chatting about cricket and all sorts of nonsense. Only 5% of the day is spent as Potter and Malfoy! Hopefully our love for each other outweighs our hatred for one another on screen.

HeyUGuys: Did you and the cast ever consider commemorating your time together on set, maybe a Lord of The Rings style tattoo?

Tom: It’s funny you should mention that, I was the one who instigated the thought. I said a lightning bolt on the left buttock would be very apt and when we got to the premiere we could all just get them out and moon the paparazzi! No, unfortunately it didn’t go down. I genuinely wanted to get a little Slytherin snake. We had rings and at one point we were considering heating the rings up and branding ourselves as the Slytherin boys, and needless to say that idea didn’t last long. It would have been a nice idea and I would have been up for a small lightning bolt somewhere! (HeyUGuys said there’s still time!) Well said! There is still time, maybe I can coerce a few of the cast into it.

HeyUGuys: Is it fun being bad?

Tom: 100%. It’s so much better than being good like the rest of them. I get to be the exact opposite of what I am in real life. I’ll be talking about cricket one minute and the next I get to be this real arsehole! For lack of a better word. But that’s more in the previous years, in the last few films I’ve really enjoyed having the chance to show the story of how bullies usually have the worst backgrounds of all. Certainly with their parents and definitely with Draco we see he has awful parental influences and that really is the reason why he is who he is. In the last two films we actually see him step away from that background and his parents’ burden because he’s realizing that maybe he’s not cut out for the evil lifestyle.

HeyUGuys: Are you fitting in any pancakes today between interviews?

Tom: Oh! Don’t! (laughs) I’m really angry about Pancake Day. I make pancakes probably bi–weekly. I’m a pancake fiend! And I’m an expert, now I’m not trying to toot my own trumpet but toot toot, I happen to make a great pancake and I can flip them and all sorts! But today is the day that’s really made for me and it’s a day for me to shine! I’m not a culinary master  but today’s the day I get to go up to all my friends and say ‘ look love, back off, let me show you how it’s done.’ And I can’t do it tonight because unfortunately I have previous engagements.

HeyUGuys: Are you giving up anything for lent?

Tom: It’s 40 days and 40 nights right? What can I live without for that long… Maybe I can give up pancakes but I doubt it somehow.

HeyUGuys: Does playing a villain ever attract negative attention from very serious or agitated fans?

Tom: Most certainly! I’ve witnessed it a few times, especially across the pond. The Americans seem to take it more literally than anyone I think. I’ve upset a few minors and reduced a few 6 year olds to tears. We also get quite a lot of kids visiting the set and they’re always like ‘DANIEL!! Emma! Rupert!!’ and then they cower away from me. I always seem to push it a bit too far! I say to them ‘Hi, I’m Tom, I’m a really nice guy, I’m not evil’ but they just see me and think no thanks. No handshake, nothing. I’ve been boo’d and hissed too. But I take it as a compliment you know? I consider it as good as applause!

HeyUGuys: Have the film tours taken you anywhere particularly amazing?

Tom: Yeah! So many places and we always get such an amazingly warm welcome. I mean, I’d never been to Mexico before and we got there and it was just astonishing the welcome we received. It’s fantastic not only to get to see the country but to have the chance to thank all the thousands of people who support us and who you never even really knew were following you.

HeyUGuys: What’s your favourite Harry Potter book?

Tom: Chamber of Secrets. I don’t know why, the name maybe? I’m drawn in by that book. Gilderoy Lockhart is the funniest character in the books in my opinion and there’s something about the basilisk, this huge deadly snake, which is just really cool.

HeyUGuys: Is it your favourite of the films too?

Tom: I’m a tart. Every film has just got better and better so right now it’s the Half–Blood Prince but as soon as Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is released it’ll be that! Because they just get better, not just through FX but in terms of storyline and it gets more adult which suits me.

HeyUGuys: Have any of the big actors and actresses you’ve worked with over the years given you any memorable advice?

Tom: All of them, literally every single one. So much sticks out but Helena Bonham Carter is definitely somebody who I learned a lot from. She’s a quirky but lovely lovely woman, she’s quiet and delicate then the camera rolls and she transforms into this berserk and frightening character! Sometimes people couldn’t help but give her a little ripple of applause after her take because it was so incredible. She gave me some great advice to do the opposite of what your character’s doing. So if you’re character’s crying, tell yourself that you can’t cry. That way nothing you do is forced and it can come naturally. That was really inspiring advice but to be honest every single one of the actors has given me literally something to walk away with. Not just the adults either, I’ve learned so much from Daniel, Rupert and Emma.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is released on Blu-ray today!

Vue cinemas have just announced via the press release below that they have been sold to private equity firm, Doughty Hanson & Co. for the rather large sum of $726m. This can only be good news for the consumer as it shows that even in this time of global economic recession, investment in cinema and in film-making is still seen as a solid investment.

Vue Entertainment has 68 cinemas and 678 screen across the UK to come in as the the third largest cinema chain with Cineworld and Odeon taking second and their place respectively. According to Deadline, the same company may eye up a takeover of both cinema chains to create the largest cinema chain in the UK.

I’ve placed the full press release below for your viewing pleasure. I’d be very interested to hear your thoughts in the comments section below:

DOUGHTY HANSON TO ACQUIRE VUE ENTERTAINMENT

8 November 2010: Doughty Hanson & Co, one of the largest independent private equity firms in Europe, today announced that it is to acquire Vue Entertainment (“Vue”), one of the UK’s leading developers and operators of state-of-the-art multiplex cinemas from Cavendish Square Partners, affiliated investment funds of Och-Ziff Capital Management Group and the existing management team.  The Vue management team, including Tim Richards (CEO) who established the company, will be reinvesting in the transaction.

Vue has the third largest market share in the UK in terms of box office via its 68 cinemas and 678 screens. The company also runs 2 cinemas internationally. In recent years, Vue has led the way in new cinema development in the UK and 50% of all new multiplex cinemas built nationwide in the past couple of years have been a Vue multiplex. The most recent openings include the all digital Vue Westfield cinema in London which has broken records as the highest grossing cinema in the country.

Cinema visits rank as one of the UK’s most popular paid for out of home entertainment activities for people of all ages.  Cinema attendance has grown year on year, even against the backdrop of the economic downturn. UK box office revenues were up 11% in 2009 and UK admissions were up 6%.  Future growth is expected to be driven though a number of areas, including digital 3D films which are increasing in popularity and are set to represent around 30% of the box office next year.

In addition, the roll-out of digital projection will deliver a wider choice of content and greater flexibility in programming, helping to drive attendance alongside the strong slate of movies already scheduled for 2011 and beyond.  Vue has recently announced that it will be working with Sony Digital Europe on the rollout of 4K projectors across Vue’s cinema portfolio, which is set to be completed by 2012.

Julian Huxtable, Senior Principal at Doughty Hanson said today:  “Vue Entertainment is a great company led by an exceptional, highly experienced management team which has created a strong market position for the company with an exciting future ahead. Vue has an excellent reputation for its high quality customer experience and its innovative approach of developing and marketing new products and services designed to grow the business and customer base.

“The company has achieved consistent financial performance and has succeeded in growing through the recent recession.  We believe that Vue offers a strong platform for growth and we are excited about working with Tim and his team on the next exciting chapter of the Vue story.”

Tim Richards, CEO of Vue Entertainment, said: “Doughty Hanson is an ideal partner for Vue, as it shares our vision of driving attractive growth and investment returns by consistently delivering an excellent entertainment experience for our customers.

“Vue has come a long way since it was launched in 2003 and this next phase of our journey with Doughty Hanson as our new partner is going to be very exciting. We will continue to innovate, enhance and grow the business. We will continue to open fantastic new state of the art cinemas such as the new 14 screen all digital Vue multiplex cinema in Westfield’s Stratford City which opens in September next year.”

- Ends –

In an interview with BBC Radio, Rupert Gavin, CEO of Odeon & UCI Cinemas, has been quoted as saying he believes that by 2014 50% of cinemas box office will be in 3D. Since the re-birth of 3D, Odeon & UCI Cinemas has spent approximately $107m converting over 500 of their screens to 3D-ready ones.

It’s unsurprising considering the amount of films that are being released in 3D. Over the past 3 years, more and more films being made have incorporated a level of 3D, and with the cinemas and audiences investing their hard-earner cash, it creates revenue, only spurring directors on to make more and more 3D films. A classic scenario of supply and demand.

In addition to films, Odeon & UCI Cinemas are also planning to hold live events including fashion shows, sporting events and operas in their cinema screens, which are sure to draw more people away from their households and into the cinemas.

It’s certainly an interesting time for cinemas. It’ll be even more interesting to see how long 3D hang’s around for, if the novelty factor ever wears off, or whether this really is the future of cinema.

Thank you to Deadline for the heads up on this one.

47 Cinemas across the UK will be showing the final 16 countries in 3d for the first time ever. We’ve got a list of the cinemas that will be showing the games in 3d which you can see below.

All the main chains in the UK including Cineworld, Vue, Empire and Odeon cinemas will be showing the games in 3d as FIFA will be filming the final 25 games using the new technology. The price of tickets seems to be around the same price as a standard 3d ticket (around £12).

Supervision Media are the guys organising the showings in the UK in something which I think is a great test of the technology. The sad news is that although Sky have 3d TV now available, the BBC and ITV who own the rights to the World Cup in the UK don’t have the technology so you won’t be able to watch it at home.

You can find out more on the SuperVision website.

Cinemas Showing the games in 3D are:

Cineworld

Ashford
Birmingham
Bradford
Castleford
Cheltenham
Crawley
Didsbury
Enfield
Fulham Road (London)
Haymarket (London)
Huntingdon
Ipswich
Northampton
Rochester
Sheffield
Solihull
Wandsworth (London)
West India Quay (London)

Odeon (TBC)

Empire Leicester Square

Savoy

O’Connell Street Dublin

Vue

Cheshire Oaks
Portsmouth
Finchley Road 02 Centre

Last night, HeyUGuys attended the World Premiere of Disney’s new movie, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (you can see all our coverage here). The big change in this premiere to all others was the location in which it was staged. Rather than bringing the world’s press to London’s famous and historic Leicester Square, the premiere was hosted by the brand spanking new shopping centre, Westfield which is located in Shepherd’s Bush – a place that unless you live in the UK, you’ve probably never heard of!

I’ve tried to find information on what and when the first ever movie premiere was held in Leicester Square but have so far failed to find the information. I did however come across information on the first ever Royal Premiere on BigBusTours.com who tell us:

The first Royal film premiere took place at the Odeon Leicester Square in 1946, when the young Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II), came as a teenager to watch David Niven star in ‘A Matter of Life and Death’.

Empire Leicester Square

Movie premieres  have been in places other than Leicester Square before so this isn’t necessarily unusual, but when it comes to one of the worlds biggest studios, Walt Disney Pictures and producing powerhouse, Jerry Bruckheimer, releasing one of their biggest tent-pole and possibly franchise movies of the year, it comes as a bit of a surprise that they’d take what could be a risk.

Iron Man 2 was supposed to have it’s world premiere in Westfield shopping centre to become the first to do so, unfortunately this didn’t happen because the ‘ash cloud of death’ struck forcing the premire to stay on domestic soil back in Los Angeles. This must have comes as a crushing blow to Westfield who would no doubt have been banking on the movie attracting an awful lot of attention and kudos for hosting the multitude of Hollywood A-listers. This is where I need to speculate.

Unfortunately I’m unable to find out how this works for sure but I reckon it goes something like this:

Odeon Leicester Square

So, Westfield loses the Iron Man 2 premiere (and remember Disney now own Marvel so have a vested interest) and the centre needs to make an impact. They need a big studio with ideally a World Premiere coming up in the near future….. what a stroke of luck, a Disney movie in the form of Prince of Persia is being released in two weeks. It has producing legend, Jerry Bruckheimer’s name on it, a British leading lady (Gemma Arterton), a Sir (Ben Kingsley), a British director and a Hollywod megastar hunk in the form of Jake Gyllenhaal. Perfect!

So however it works, the World Premiere was last night at Westfield but was it any good? Well, the answer is yes, it was awesome!! I was very sceptical as to whether a big film premiere would lose it’s appeal in a shopping centre and yes, there were elements that I missed. It felt rather strange being in a brand new arena with not much history to it but it really did work.

Vue Cinema Leicester Square

One of my main concerns was that there would be hardly anyone there. Leicester Square has an awful lot of foot traffic since the area is so very social, touristy and vibrant. Piccadilly Circus is just down the road and Leicester Square is a place that people want to come to if they’re visiting London for a show or restaurant. Would people visiting London make a special trip to Westfield Shopping Centre? Probably not. Alex Zane (who hosted the

premiere) said that last night’s premiere was the ‘biggest ever in London’. I’m not sure what he meant by that. Does he mean the numbers of people who were there to watch the premiere were more than any other London premiere? I have to remember that I was in a wonderful spot (thanks Disney) right next to the stage in the final area that the stars were interviewed in. I have no idea of the numbers of people that were filled along the barriers waiting for the stars to arrive. I’ve asked Disney for number that were there last night and at the time of writing, they don’t have that information – even if they have it i might not be able to find out.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time World Premiere

OK, so really we’ve not got many answers yet so I guess we’ll have to start using my opinion, and please bear in mind, this is just my opinion….. One of the main focal points of the premiere was the Parkour (freerunning) show that was put on by professional Parkour experts, 3Run. The show was absolutely spectacular and you can see my footage of what they did here. The question I ask myself… would this have been as achievable in Leicester Square? I think the answer would be no. The sound system they had rigged up in the atrium of Westfield was awesome. It has a roof meaning the sound could bounce back down, the event was warm and dry, they had 6 cameras dotted around the centre too and bear in mind they were streaming the whole event live on the Internet to over 10 000 people (you can still see the entire show here). To achieve many of the shots they got at the event would have required cranes. So from a performance aspect, it was a wonderful venue. Coupled with the fact that there are balconies scattered all around the atrium so members of the public could lean over and watch the entire show.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time World Premiere - Gemma Arterton

It would be interesting to get Disney’s take on what they thought of the whole event – maybe we will find out in the near future but no doubt in the coming days they’re going to be bigging up that the first ever world premiere at Westfield was a blinding success – and I can’t disagree. The location was great, the temperature was nice lovely (not like freezing to death at the Alice in Wonderland premiere and getting soaked by the rain) since it has a roof and air conditioning and the show was spectacular.

Personally, I’d be sad to see movie premiere’s leave Leicester Square. The foot traffic is great, the transport is easy and the history is wonderful. Being in a square surrounded by an Empire, 2 Odeons, a Vue and many independent cinemas makes you really feel like you’re in the centre of something cinematically special. I remember Simon Pegg at the Star Trek premiere tell us on stage that his dad had brought him to see Indiana Jones at The Empire Leicester Square when he was a child and to be stood in that same theatre for a film he was in was something special. But then if we dont move with the time, will we get left behind. With a new complex being built by the BFI on Southbank, it’s quite possible that we’ll be seeing premieres popping up all over London. If all premieres are as good as the one Disney put on last night, then we’re for some excellent spectacles in the future.

Were you there last night? Have you been to a premeire at Leicester Square before? Should all movie premires be at Westfield / Leicester Square? Let us know in the comments below any thoughts you have on the matter.

Yesterday, I was awoken by the postman who delivered me a letter for a date, a date, a very important date! That date is the DVD and Blu ray release of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. You may remember all the to-do that Odeon cinemas had with Disney over the length of time in which Tim Burton’s retelling of Alice in Wonderland would be on the big screen to that of the DVD release. In the end, Odeon backed down after being given an extra week (making it 13 in total) between theatrical and home release.

This morning, I received a press release stating the following accompanied by a bottle saying ‘drink me’.

You’ve Got A Very Important Date
Walt Disney Pictures Presents…

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Experience more of Wonderland with the Disney Blu-ray and DVD release
Available from Friday 4th June 2010

Following a record-breaking theatrical performance Tim Burton’s epic fantasy adventure ALICE IN WONDERLAND takes its booming box office success into the home. The wonderfully visually arresting film will be available as a Disney Double Play release (1 disc Blu-ray and 1 disc DVD) and Disney Triple Play release (1 disc Blu-ray + 1 disc DVD and 1 digital copy) from Friday 4th June, courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

Audiences are invited to delve deeper into the rabbit hole to experience the magical and imaginative twist on one of the world’s most beloved stories of all time in pristine high definition.  A host of bonus features explore the whimsical world created by visionary directory Tim Burton (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sweeney Todd) including a look inside the world of the Mad Hatter and Johnny Depp’s transformation and the visual effects of growing and shrinking Alice, costume designs, music stunts and much, much more.

The film’s opening weekend made ALICE IN WONDERLAND the highest-grossing non-sequel opening weekend in history, the biggest March opening of all time, the biggest 3D opening of all time and the biggest IMAX opening of all time.  Thrilling audiences around the globe are stellar performances from an eclectic cast, many British.

Mia Wasikowska stars as 19 year-old Alice, who returns to the curious world she first encountered as a young girl, reuniting her with long forgotten childhood friends; the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen), Tweedledee and Tweedledum (Matt Lucas), the Dormouse (Barbara Windsor), the Blue Caterpillar (Alan Rickman), the March Hare (Paul Whitehouse), the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry) and of course, the illustrious Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp).  Completing the cast of charismatic characters is the reigning Red Queen is outrageously and deftly delivered by Helena Bonham Carter, whilst her adversary The White Queen is uniquely portrayed by Anne Hathaway.

Film synopsis:

Tumble down the rabbit hole with Alice for a fantastical new adventure from Walt Disney Pictures and Tim Burton.  Inviting and magical, ALICE IN WONDERLAND is an imaginative new twist on some of the most beloved stories of all time.   Alice (Mia Wasikowska), now 19 years old, returns to the whimsical world she first entered as a child and embarks on a journey to discover her true destiny.  Wonderland is a world beyond your imagination and unlike anything you’ve seen before.  The extraordinary characters you’ve loved come to life richer and more colorful than ever.  There’s the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), the White Queen (Anne Hathaway), the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen) and more.  A triumphant cinematic experience – ALICE IN WONDERLAND is an incredible feast for your eyes, ears and heart that will captivate audiences of all sizes.

Blu-ray and DVD EXTRAS:
Finding Alice – It’s all things Alice. This featurette includes Tim Burton’s vision for the characters, differences from the book and Disney’s version of Alice and how she evolves as both a character and actor as she takes an adventure through Wonderland.

The Mad Hatter – Audiences are provided with a deeper look into the world of the Mad Hatter. Check out Johnny Depp’s early sketches, make-up, costumes and how they digitally enhanced his eyes.
Effecting Wonderland – A behind-the-scenes piece on the different technologies used to create some of the most beloved characters in the film – Stayne, Tweedledee, Tweedledum, Bandersnatch and the Red Queen.

PRODUCT INFORMATION:
Release date: Friday 4th June 2010
Certificate: PG
Running time: 109 minutes
Formats: Blu-ray Hi-Def, DVD, Disney Double Play, Disney Triple Play

And just so you know, I followed the ‘drink me’ instructions and so far I haven’t shrunk….. hang on a minute, it this laptop getting bigger?!!?

It was news that I was expecting to see a couple of days ago but the BBC have just announced that Odeon have reversed their decision to show Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland in their UK cinemas. Odeon is the biggest cinema chain in the UK so this is wonderful news for us, the consumer. I guess Odeon realised they were more fanatical about the film than we thought they were or that it would indeed hit their bottom line too hard. As you will now see below, Disney have agreed a 13 week window between theatrical relase and DVD release so they have gotten one whole extra week for all this mess! Crazyness!

What a complete mess but as soon as Vue and Cineworld announced they had reached a deal, Odeon lost all the ‘make a point’ power that they were going to get if the others had some on board.

Updates:

10:40am:  BBC Tweet: “Odeon reverses its decision to boycott Alice In Wonderland… More soon!”

10.55am: BBC Tweet:  “Odeon are not currently discussing the details of their agreement with Disney – but we’re trying to get to the bottom of it.”

11:32am: The BBC now have the full news up on their main news site here where they say:

“In a statement following talks with Disney, Odeon said: The Odeon and UCI Cinema Group is pleased to announce that, following detailed negotiations with the Walt Disney Company Ltd, an enduring agreement has been reached encompassing all the different aspects of both companies’ commercial relationship.

“As a result of this agreement, Odeon is pleased to confirm that it will be able to continue with its plans for significant investment in new cinemas, in digital technology in 3D capability and the other exciting developments designed for the increased enjoyment of all its customers.”

Neither side would disclose details of the agreement but Disney confirmed that the film will be released on DVD 13 weeks after its release on 5 March.

Full details over on the BBC.

Following this week’s confirmation that Odeon will not be showing Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland in their cinemas (story here), there has been a bit of a public backlash against the cinema chain for making this decision. In view of this, i feel compelled to offer some words in defence of the action Odeon have chosen to take. In a nutshell, the dispute has been caused by Disney’s decision to shorten the delay of the DVD release of Alice from 18 weeks after cinematic run to 12.

On the surface, this appears to be fairly innocuous, and the actions of Odeon petty and selfish. What should be made clear, however, is what this is actually about. It’s the first tentative steps on the road to simultaneous format release. The belief is that, at some point in the future, movies will be released in theatres, on home video format, and online on the very same day. There are several reasons for doing this.

Studios favourite current justification appears to be to combat piracy. It’s thought that the availability of home formats immediately upon release will greatly diminish demand for pirated copies of movies. Whilst there is logic behind this, the truth is there will always be people willing to watch a lesser quality copy of a film at a lower price, and no shortage of criminals prepared to supply these copies. The availability of high definition copies of these films will in fact increase the quality of pirated versions, and make the whole exercise that much easier.

The idea of simultaneous release is very beneficial to us as a consumer of course. We have a choice of formats, we can watch the movies everyone is talking about without having to travel to theatres, and we don’t have to wait to own our favourite films. In this scenario, then, the biggest losers are the cinema chains. Many people will point out that seeing a movie on the big screen is the best way to experience any movie, particularly 3D movies as in the case of Alice, and so attendances won’t actually drop that much.

I don’t fully agree with this. Yes, going out to watch a film is a popular social past time, and with the growing popularity of 3D and Imax there will be compelling reasons to choose to watch in theatres over living rooms. But we are living in a society that is becoming increasingly geared towards convenience. We went from TV dinners, to takeaway, to microwave meals. Where we once walked around shopping centres to buy the things we wanted, we started catalogue shopping. This made way for Internet shopping of clothes, furniture, weekly groceries and, yes, movies. I used to walk to Blockbuster to rent DVD’s. Then i joined Lovefilm, and only had to walk to the postbox. Now i switch on my PS3, and just click the controller. It’s in our nature to take the easy option.

Not necessarily even out of laziness either. In a time of environmental crisis, war and spreading super-virus, our time is precious to us now more than ever. Weighing up the hassle of travelling to the cinema, the time it takes, and the need to adhere to their timetable with the convenience of simply clicking a mouse and watching a movie at a time convenient to you, and the ability to pause and finish watching at a later date, i think the latter will win out for far more people than you’d think. There’s little in this world within our control, which is why we take all that we can. Also precious to us is our money. £15 for two people to watch a film once in a cinema, or £15 for unlimited numbers to watch it as many times as they want on DVD. It’s a matter of simple economics.

Odeon’s decision is also based on economic realities. Yes, the situation I’ve described here is some way off, and bringing forward the DVD release by six weeks will have considerably less financial impact. But it will HAVE an impact. Figures will go down by some small percentage, particularly considering Jon’s discovery that the DVD release is already being promoted.

Theatrical attendances are up, and on the surface cinemas should be doing well. They are however subject to the same financial uncertainty as the rest of us in the current economic environment. This situation, combined with the ongoing financial wrangling over the upgrading of current projectors to digital, gives cinema chains good reason to take steps to protect their bottom line. Every company, however big, has a right to protect their livelihood, which is why i stand behind Odeon’s decision.

It’s also the reason why i won’t condemn Disney – they’re simply doing the same. Negotiation is a part of doing business, disagreements inevitable, and this is in effect Odeon’s industrial action. The audience is the big loser, and ironically the big winners are Vue and Cineworld. Without the competition of Odeon, and with the publicity caused by the situation, all showings of Alice in Wonderland are almost guaranteed sell-outs.

Remember, it’s a 3D movie based on a well known property, with a bankable star and a director who still has name value the world over. It has the potential for huge box office, and Odeon stands to lose out financially in its bid to help secure its continuing livelihood. I say good luck to them.

Bazmann – Remember, you can follow the HeyUGuys IMDb250 Project here, and our progress at http://twitter.com/baz_mann and http://twitter.com/gary_phillips_

VUE cinemas have literally just put out a statement saying that, unlike Odeon, they will NOT be following the biggest UK cinema chain and boycotting Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. The news just came through their official twitter account and we’ll be getting the full statement sent through shorty (now below).

The tweet said:

“We have reached an agreement with Disney and will be showing Alice in Wonderland at our cinemas.”

Yesterday, the Odeon cinema chain confirmed that they would be boycotting Disney’s new movie because of the length of time between theatrical release and that of DVD and Blu Ray just 12 weeks later instead of the normal 18 week run.

This is great news for us, the consumer as Vue is the UK’s third largest cinema chain after Odeon and Cineworld. Cineworld have also agreed a deal with Disney to show the movie so Odeon is now a lone duck and will probably see a rather large pot of money go down the plughole after, in my opinion, being rather stubborn.

***Update: Full Press Statement below:***

23 February 2010

Vue Entertainment Agrees Significant

New Deal with Disney

London 23rd February: Vue Entertainment is delighted to announce that it has entered into an important and far reaching agreement with The Walt Disney Company UK that will deliver more choice for cinema goers while also providing more flexibility for the studio.

This means that Vue will be showing Disney and Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland at all of its 69 state of the art cinemas across the UK and the Republic of Ireland from 5 March.

The agreement offers Disney the flexibility to hit key retail DVD & BluRay trading dates on a limited number of films. Vue’s customers will also benefit through improved release patterns that should ease the pressure on cinemas by offering more choice for film goers throughout the year.

Tim Richards CEO of Vue Entertainment said ‘We are delighted that we have reached an agreement with our partners at Disney. This is a win win for everyone in the entertainment business and in particular for our customers by offering greater film choice. This agreement is also likely to grow the business for all the key stakeholders.’

Richards continues ‘We are looking forward to showing Alice in Wonderland in Digital 3D at Vue and wish it great success both in cinema and later on DVD/BluRay’.

Disney is brewing up a storm with their Tim Burton adapted Alice in Wonderland.

While UK cinema chains Vue and Cineworld have worked out a deal with Disney, who were lobbying for a reduction in the time delay between the cinema release of their latest film and the home entertainment release, Odeon today made good on their word and will boycott the film.

We’ve now seen from The L.A. Times (via FilmJunk) that US cinema chain AMC are also standing up to Disney’s plan, and threatening to boycott the cinema release of Alice. With just two weeks to go there’s not a lot of room to negotiate and with 4,500 screens in their hands Disney will need to work hard to sign a deal similar to that with Vue and Cineworld.

I saw (and photographed) an Alice Blu-ray/DVD advertising board last week and I’m not the only one to see these in the UK, Disney are really pushing the boundaries with this advertising for a film not out yet in cinemas.  This is clearly a test case, but in a nice ironic twist the Odeon Leicester Square are hosting the Royal Premiere this week in a cinema that won’t be showing the film on release.

They have stood up to Disney and others may follow suit, but Disney can be clearly be persuasive force to safeguard their investment.

Well, it would seem that Odeon aren’t as ‘Fanatical about Film’ as their logo might suggest and that it is indeed more about the bottom line as they’ve decided not to show one of the biggest movies of the year to make a point!

There were rumours a couple of weeks ago that big chain cinemas will be boycotting Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. This will be a major set back for the movie that has an all star cast which includes Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska Matt Lucas, Alan Rickman, and a whole host of other British stars.

Unfortunately the rumours were true as today, the UK’s biggest cinema chain, Odeon have confirmed that they will be boycotting the movie to “set a new benchmark”. The reason for the boycott is that usually, films are in the cinema and then, 18 weeks later, are released onto DVD giving them more time to sell tickets in the cinemas. Disney announced that there would only be a 12 week window between the release of the movie in the cinema until it was out on DVD. As you can see in this image to the right that Jon took, Supermarket chain Morrisons is already advertising the sale of the DVD and Blu ray and the movie isn’t even out in the cinema!

The BBC have said that Cineworld have reached a deal with Disney to show the movie so now we have to see if Vue follow Odeon’s example and decide to boycott it also. If they do, you’ll struggle to see the movie in a 3d cinema as combined, they control 95% of 3d screens. This is sad news for us, the consumer.

You can hear us discussing this on the latest HeyUGuys Mouth Off Podcast here.

As a sideline, Alice in Wonderland Royal World Premiere is on Thursday and HeyUGuys will be there bringing you all the info from the red carpet. You’ll also be able to watch the red carpet footage live on HeyUGuys as it will be streamed.

***Update – 17:47 GMT***

The BBC website has just been updated to announce that Vue are set to reach a deal with Disney to show Alice in Wonderland with details to be released shortly.

In what is becoming a test case, the news being reported that the UK’s biggest cinema chains, a group consisting of Vue, Cineworld and Odeon, are threatening to boycott Disney’s forthcoming Tim Burton film Alice in Wonderland over a reduction in the time delay between the cinematic release and the home entertainment release,  is timely and may have consequences for the future of industry.

I can remember the advent of high street video stores, with their gaudy selections of TV movies and chewed up versions of classics hidden among the video nasties on a shelf bereft of the blockbusters we had wanted to rent. I remember finding out that to buy a copy of Return of the Jedi would set us back £80 at least and, for a while, that was the only (legal) way to have a copy to keep. So much has changed since then and the plummeting prices of DVD and the gradual acceptance of Blu-ray means that the DVD/BD sales are a huge boost to the studios, very much relied upon to grab back some of the escalting budgets in play.

Disney’s decision to pursue a 12 week gap between cinema release and the film’s appearance on home video formats (from the usual 18 weeks) has the nation’s cinema chains up in arms. Internet piracy may be blamed for the substantial fall in home entertainment mark, 20% last year according to the Times, but the major cinema owners are reluctant to limit the length of time for which a trip to their cinemas will be the only way to see the latest films.

Alice in Wonderland is a particularly interesting first case as, thanks to the success of Avatar, the 3D aspect will be pushing to the fore (pun not exactly intended), thus some of the cinema chains will make even more money and it will be in their interest to keep the DVD/BD release back as far as possible to allow people to see, and crucially re-see, the films in their cinemas. It is the perfect counter arguement to the notion that some people will just wait for the DVD release if there’s only a few months in it – 3D can, so far, only be seen in the cinemas. And as the cinema chains contending this point own roughly 90% of the 3D screens in the country, they have a great deal to bargain with.

There’s very little chance that Disney will allow the film to go unseen in the UK, but this impasse may lead the way for other releases and you can bet that other studios, who presumably are behind Disney with the 12 week gap, will be watching this one intently. There are few films capable of survive the tailing off of audience figures, an effect Avatar has not suffered from until now, but citing  piracy or sporting events like the World Cup as reasons for pulling a film early may be denying people the chance to enjoy the film on the big screen.

For my money I’ll always want to see the film as it was intended, in the cinema, in 3D or not, and then if it’s a good film I’ll buy it when it’s out. Personally I want to see Alice on the big screen, and in 3D, and while I understand that DVD/BD sales are important the reduction may lead to fewer people seeking these films out on the big screen.

Of course, it’s all a money issue, with neither side wanting to give up their stake it is the audience, or more prosaically the consumer, that will be affected. Looking at it in black and white terms there is no way I’d give up the opportunity to see Alice on the big screen for the privilege of owning it a few weeks early, but my voice, and yours, in unlikely to be heard in this bickering.

What do you think?

The Times have this article and The Guardian have this one, both are worth a read.

Could this be the way that online retail is going? With Zavii and Woolworthes going down the toilet, HMV is one of the only high street shops that specialise in music and DVD sales. BBC Newsbeat have today reported that HMV have opened a three-screen digital cinema above its Wimbledon branch in collaboration with cinema chain, Curzon. There total capacity will be around 200 seats.

Newbeat:

HMV Chief Executive Simon Fox explained: “Our mix of sales now is about a quarter music, a quarter is computer games and half is DVD. Music has declined, as you’d expect. One of the reasons why we are putting cinemas into our stores is because we know the brand has to stretch, it has to stretch beyond the traditional music store into new areas. We are described as the last man standing on the high street and indeed we are, in terms of being the last entertainment specialist.”

I happen to live just down the road from Wimbledon and I believe the HMV is about 5 shops positions away from a huge Odeon cinema with 12 screens. This is the Odeon that has recently converted one of their screens to IMAX which will surely be a large blow to HMV. That said, HMV say this will not threaten their cinemas as they’ll be focusing on showing classic movies, independent and international films – but then they’re opening the cinema with Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus – which aren’t in the criteria?

I guess we might see HMV doing this elsewhere in the UK, especially if the Wimbledon branch does well. What do you think on the matter? Is this a good thing or are HMV clutching at straws? Let us know in the comments.

You can find out more on the HMV Curzon website here.