“If as an industry we think we can rest on our laurels and young people will continue to go to the cinema without offering them a great experience we are sadly mistaken.”
Argy-bargy between distributors and exhibitors is as old as the cinema itself – but tensions have been rising in some quarters in the era of digital projection.
The Jacobson brothers’ blackly comic crime drama 'Brother’s Nest', which was partly funded by exhibitors, had a quiet opening last weekend.
Writer-director Luke Sparke’s 'Occupation' launched on 17 screens last week, sparking dozens of complaints from people around Australia who can’t see the alien invasion thriller.
South Australian-based Wallis Cinemas is launching a program called Discover to support Australian films.
It's the end of an era in the Australian screen industry with the departures of Jo Bladen, Disney’s general manager, studios and live entertainment, and Marc Wooldridge, Fox Film Distributors MD for Australasia.
The box office results for the Australian films and feature docs released in cinemas this year underline yet again the deep polarisation in the indie film market between the higher earners and the also-rans.
Sasha Close, one of Australia's most respected exhibitors, has resigned as national programming manager at Wallis Cinemas after 16 years with the Adelaide-based company.