http://if.com.au/ Inside Film - Australia en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss info@if.com.au (The Editor) http://if.com.au////article/A-Few-Best-Men-grosses-another-1m-Sam-Worthingtons-Man-on-a-Ledge-opens/FIYSHDTAVD.html http://if.com.au////article/A-Few-Best-Men-grosses-another-1m-Sam-Worthingtons-Man-on-a-Ledge-opens/FIYSHDTAVD.html Sam Dallas Local risqué comedy A Few Best Men has added a further $1.1 million to its box office tally, but has slipped 41 per cent in its second weekend. The Stephan Elliott-directed film, distributed by Icon, was shown on 244 screens, netting a screen average of $4459 – however this was down on its impressive opening weekend when it raked in $1.83 million across 242 screens. The film – an Aussie Hangover-esque comedy about a wedding that goes wrong – slipped down a position on the box office ladder and is currently in fourth place behind Chronicle, The Descendants and Underworld: Awakening. Written by Death At A Funeral screenwriter Dean Craig, the film stars Xavier Samuel, Rebel Wilson, Kris Marshall, Kevin Bishop and Olivia Newton-John. Chronicle and The... Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:06:31 +1100 http://if.com.au////article/IMAX-Darling-Harbour-upgrades-worlds-largest-screen/ZMHPOJUNRA.html http://if.com.au////article/IMAX-Darling-Harbour-upgrades-worlds-largest-screen/ZMHPOJUNRA.html Aleksandra Popovic The world’s largest cinema screen at IMAX Darling Harbour has been taken down today in preparation for a brand new state-of-the-art 3D screen. The operation, which was started on Monday morning (February 6), is a large one, involving months of pre-planning and 20 riggers working simultaneously to raise the new 800 kilogram screen to its full height. IMAX’s new screen will replace the previous fifteen year-old, silver-painted vinyl in favour of an enhanced polarized screen, which promises to provide a brighter and bigger 3D image. The theatre will close for 12 days while the 29.5 metres high by 35.7 metres wide screen is installed. As there is no factory large enough to house the screen, it will be painted with 350 kilograms of high gain silver paint after it is raised... Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:30:04 +1100 http://if.com.au////article/Optus-court-case-changes-face-of-television-and-internet-broadcasting/YNXLTOGFID.html http://if.com.au////article/Optus-court-case-changes-face-of-television-and-internet-broadcasting/YNXLTOGFID.html Sam Dallas Television and internet broadcasting could be changed forever after telecommunications company Optus won a milestone Federal Court case on Wednesday. The number two telco can continue screening TV shows and live sport (albeit a 90-second delay) for free on mobile platforms after the ruling was handed down against rival Telstra. The service, launched in July last year, enables customers to record free-to-air TV programs (including AFL and NRL) and play them back on four compatible devices – namely, PCs, Apple devices, Android devices and 3G devices. The recordings are stored on a cloud storage platform. Telstra, along with the AFL and NRL, alleged that Optus' TV Now service was infringing its copyright. Telstra reportedly paid $153 million to the AFL to stream games... Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:29:36 +1100 http://if.com.au////article/A-Few-Best-Men-opens-strong-with-almost-1-9-million/RJRPRZUERU.html http://if.com.au////article/A-Few-Best-Men-opens-strong-with-almost-1-9-million/RJRPRZUERU.html Sam Dallas Australian comedy A Few Best Men raked in almost $1.9 million at the local box office in its opening weekend. Directed by Stephan Elliott (The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert), the film – about a wedding that goes wrong – grossed an impressive $1,834,283 across 235 screens. Opening on Australia Day, the comedy – in third position – posted a screen average of $7805. Its weekend figures were bigger than last year's two biggest films Red Dog ($1.78 million, 245 screens) and Sanctum ($1.59 million, 252 screens). Written by Death At A Funeral screenwriter Dean Craig, the Icon-distributed film excited exhibitors last year when it screened at the Australian International Movie Convention. It marked Icon's first local film since Oranges and... Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:27:22 +1100 http://if.com.au////article/Wish-You-Were-Here-secures-US-theatrical-release-after-eOne-sale/SHBHCLKYGD.html http://if.com.au////article/Wish-You-Were-Here-secures-US-theatrical-release-after-eOne-sale/SHBHCLKYGD.html Brendan Swift Entertainment One (eOne) has acquired the North American distribution rights to Australian drama Wish You Were Here, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this month. The film is also being distributed by eOne/Hopscotch in Australia (that deal was struck before eOne acquired Hopscotch for more than $20 million last year), where it will be released on April 19. The film's writer-director, Kieran Darcy-Smith, said it had been an extraordinary and very special week. “Today’s sale to eOne really does cap the entire experience," he said in a statement. "It is twelve months to the day since we wrapped filming, and the movie has sold to the US and Canada – at the Sundance Film Festival, in the snow. Felicity [Price, co-screenwriter... Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:26:06 +1100 http://if.com.au////article/The-Descendants-number-1-at-local-box-office-after-netting-Golden-Globes/ILPTMMXVHQ.html http://if.com.au////article/The-Descendants-number-1-at-local-box-office-after-netting-Golden-Globes/ILPTMMXVHQ.html Sam Dallas A week after netting Golden Globes for best drama and best dramatic actor, The Descendants has risen to the top of the Australian box office. The Fox-distributed film, starring George Clooney, went from fourth to first place in its second weekend, raking in $2.4 million across 217 screens (up 5 per cent on last weekend). Posting an impressive screen average of just over $11,000, the film (including previews) has now taken $6 million in Australia. The drama/comedy follows Matt King, who is an indifferent husband and father of two girls who is forced to re-examine his past and embrace his future when his wife suffers a boating accident off Waikiki. The event leads to a rapprochement with his young daughters while Matt wrestles with a decision to sell the family's land handed down... Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:26:08 +1100 http://if.com.au////article/Australian-films-gross-3-9-per-cent-of-total-box-office-in-2011/OLFJQRJZSJ.html http://if.com.au////article/Australian-films-gross-3-9-per-cent-of-total-box-office-in-2011/OLFJQRJZSJ.html Sam Dallas Australian films grossed just 3.9 per cent of the total takings at the 2011 box office, new statistics reveal. The 3.9 per cent – $42.9 million – from 44 local titles is down on the previous year's figures of $50.6 million (4.5 per cent, 41 titles).Œ Feel-good family film Red Dog was largely responsible for the result ($21.3 million) in a year that saw audiences hand over $1.09 billion at cinema complexes. Distributor Roadshow opened Red Dog on 245 screens in early-August before word-of-mouth kicked in. It posted increasing box office receipts and eventually rose to a maximum of 271 screens five weeks later. Other popular local films included Oranges and Sunshine and Sanctum (which, with a worldwide gross of more than $US100 million, is now in the top... Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:53:02 +1100 http://if.com.au////article/Quickflix-enters-licensing-agreement-with-HBO/GFQTOPUQTY.html http://if.com.au////article/Quickflix-enters-licensing-agreement-with-HBO/GFQTOPUQTY.html Brendan Swift DVD and online distributor Quickflix has signed a content licensing agreement with premium US cable network HBO. The deal will add more than 500 hours of HBO television programs to Quickflix's online video streaming portal including franchises such as Entourage, Sex and the City, The Sopranos, Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Late last year Quickflix signed content deals with major studios including Warner Bros. International Branded Services, Sony Pictures Television, Lakeshore Entertainment, Content Media Corporation and Pinnacle Films. In July 2011, Quickflix acquired Telstra's BigPond Movies' DVD library however, it has since been rapidly growing its online streaming business. Quickflix said over 10 per cent of subscribers haveŒchosen streaming as part of... Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:55:17 +1100 http://if.com.au////article/Happy-Feet-Two-continues-to-struggle-at-local-box-office/PKHVJCOGCF.html http://if.com.au////article/Happy-Feet-Two-continues-to-struggle-at-local-box-office/PKHVJCOGCF.html Sam Dallas The penguins from the Antarctic are no longer dancing. 3D animation flick Happy Feet Two is struggling at the box office after opening just three weeks ago. The Roadshow-distributed film, directed by George Miller, made just $652,544 over the weekend across 305 screens – down a thumping 148 screens in seven days. Posting a screen average of just $2139, the film was down 49 per cent on last weekend's takings ($1.3 million). It’s been a disappointing performance from the sequel to the 2006 Oscar-winning film which has also struggled in the US since opening on November 18. As of the January 6-8 weekend, it hadŒgrossed $US61.4 million in North America and was down to just 285 screens, according to Box Office Mojo. The animated feature, again based on pudgy penguin... Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:37:20 +1100 http://if.com.au////article/ICAA-strikes-new-VPF-deal-with-Cinedigm-Omnilab-exits-integration-business/KPFSPGWMIH.html http://if.com.au////article/ICAA-strikes-new-VPF-deal-with-Cinedigm-Omnilab-exits-integration-business/KPFSPGWMIH.html Brendan Swift The Independent Cinemas Association of Australia (ICAA) has struck a new deal with digital cinema integrator Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp after former partner Omnilab ended its bungled forayŒinto the business. The association, which represents hundreds of independent cinema owners making the costly transition from 35mm film prints to digital projection, said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with US-based Cinedigm and expects to have the virtual print fee (VPF) scheme in place by April 14. The VPF will be paid by distributors (who save substantial sums of money by replacing 35mm film prints with digital prints), to exhibitors, who must bear the burden of installing costly digital projection equipment.Œ Under the terms of the deal, Cinedigm will provide the... Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:53:56 +1100