What's Happening: December 2000 - June 2001

June 2001: MacGillivray to Make Sequel to "Speed"; CORAL REEFS Delayed
Leading Big Movie production company MacGillivray Freeman Films recently announced that production would begin this summer on THE SCIENCE OF SPEED (working title), a sequel to their 1984 movie SPEED. The new film, set to release in October 2002, will chronicle three people "whose lives and dreams involve the pursuit of speed. Production this summer on THE SCIENCE OF SPEED will delay the March 2002 release of MacGillivray Freeman's CORAL REEF ADVENTURE by one year. (Source: LF EXAMINER, Vol. 4, No. 8.)

June 20, 2001: Cameron - Underwater Big Movie?
"Titanic" director James Cameron, currently filming underwater exploration segments in collaboration with Jean-Michel Cousteau for a future ABC series, is interested in using some of this footage for a 3D Big Movie. Whether this happens is largely dependent on technological advances -- namely, whether the high-definition video format he's using can be successfully converted into large-format 3D. Cameron, who has expressed great interest in Big Movies in recent years, is also reportedley considering a Big Movie about a (fictional) first manned trip to Mars; it is unclear whether this relates to his previously-announced aspiration to film on the International Space Station (see earlier news brief -- April 30,2001).
Read press release.

June 7, 2001: Dreamworks reaffirms plans to release Shrek in IMAX 3D, will distribute the film itself
Shrek, an animated movie featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow, had originally been slated to release in IMAX Theatres this November, until IMAX Corporation reneged on its decision to distribute the film in November 2000. Since then, it has b been questionable (at least to the general public) whether the film would still receive its IMAX 3D Treatment, but the company has recently confirmed that it's moving ahead with the Large Format version, set to release in early summer, 2002.

May 30, 2001: SANTA VS THE SNOWMAN to be Reformatted as Big Movie
Writer/director Steve Oederkerk is transforming Santa vs. the Snowman, the half-hour cartoon special he created for ABC in 1997, into a standard-length 3D Big Movie. The film will be the focal point of a Thanksgiving 2002 holiday program from IMAX Corporation, which will also include an updated version of IMAX's award-winning SANDDE short Paint Misbehavin'. Oederderk is experienced in conventional 35mm cinema (writer: "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," "Patch Adams" and "The Nutty Professor"; director: "Nothing to Lose" and "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls), but "Santa" is his first foray into Big Movies.
Read IMAX Corp. press release.

May 24, 2001: LFCA Appoints Streather as New VP - Europe, Africa & Middle East
"[Phil] Streather, Co-Chairman and Head of Large Format at Principal Media Group and current LFCA board member, has taken on the role to help raise the association's global profile and to power the growth of the large format industry throughout European, African and Middle Eastern markets."
More from the press release.

May 21, 2001: BigMovieZone.com Announces Results of Global Study of Big Movie Patrons
In a press release issued today, BigMovieZone.com announced the completion of a global study, jointly funded with MacGillivray Freeman Films, to determine the demographics and psychographics of the Big Movie audience. As the Hollywood Reporter stated in an article dated the same day, "[t]he findings conclude that large-format audiences are generally affluent, are well-educated, have high-profile careers and say they would go to a large-format film again." Click here for sample results. To read the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER article on BMZ and its study, click here.

May 16, 2001: National Geographic to Release Big Movie about Lions in the Kalahari
National Geographic Television, whose first foray into Big Movies was the hugely successful "Mysteries of Egypt," plans to release "Roar: Lions of the Kalahari" in Fall 2002. Renowned natural wildlife Producer/Director Tim Liversedge has spent over 2 years filming on location in Africa's Kalahari region, and hopes his first Big Movie production will educate and inspire audiences to help preserve the environment.

May 14, 2001: Projection System Manufacturer Advanced Image Systems, Inc. Announces Alliance With Sermar Entertainment
Sermar's complete line of business services such as film booking, programming, marketing and theater equipment leasing will complement AIS's Maverick and Ultra 70 projection sytems, and furthers its intention to provide an alternative to existing Big Movie projection system manufacturers.
See press release.

May 8, 2001: GRAND CANYON Cinematographer to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award
The CamerImage 2001 Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Owen Roizman, ASC, at the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography in Lodz, Poland next December. The five-time Oscar® nominee's credits include THE FRENCH CONNECTION, THE EXORCIST, TOOTSIE, and the Big Movie, "Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets." The latter will be among the six films screened at the festival in his honor.

May 8, 2001: Granat Leaves Miramax; New Company's Plans Include Big Movies
Hollywood film executive Cary Granat, formerly of Miramax, has formed education-oriented Walden Media as a subsidiary of billionaire Philip Anschutz' Anschutz Co. Although Walden will be involved with more traditional media such as television, cable and 35mm film production, the mulit-faceted media company's plans also include Big Movie production.

May 7, 2001: Competitor to IMAX Corp.? AIS Announces Management Team, Reiterates Mission to Offer More Cost-Effective 15/70 Projector
Advanced Image Systems (AIS) today announced the addition of John Moon (formerly of Regal Cinemas) and Ernie Tracy (from MegaSystems) to its management team. With its Maverick and Ultra 70 projection systems, the company is targeting theater operators looking for a high-quality 15/70 promection system at a lower cost.
See press release.

May 2001: For the 2nd Straight Year, L.A. Big Movie Conference Attracts Disney Executive
Longtime Disney producer Don Hahn, whose credits include "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and "The Lion King," will be the featured speaker at the 2001 LFCA Conference in May. Hahn, who is currently at work on a Big Movie version of "Beauty and the Beast," will be showing 13 minutes from the film, set to release January 1, 2002.

April 30, 2001: James Cameron Wants to go to International Space Station, Capture Footage for IMAX® Film
TITANIC director James Cameron wants to ride the Russian Soyuz rocket to Space Station Alpha to film a series of documentaries, a 3D Big Movie, and a string of TV Specials for the Fox network.
See press release.

April 2001: Leading Big Movie DVD Distributor Adds Four New Titles to Its Library
Two press releases in April from Slingshot Entertainment, a leading Big Movie DVD licensee and distributor, announced deals to release four new Big Movie titles on DVD and VHS. The first agreement was with TVA International, for its film "Great North." The other was with nWave Pictures, for its animated films "Alien Adventure," "Encounter in the Third Dimension," and "Haunted Castle." Slingshot has over 30 Big Movie in its catalog.
See press releases.

April 20, 2001: Lawsuit Threatens June Release of Country Music Film, 'Music Country'
Project 8, a company contracted by Gaylord Entertainment to produce an upcoming Big Movie tracing the history of country music (Music Country), has charged Gaylord with breach of contract, fraud and bad faith.
See press release.

April 19, 2001: First Two Space-Related Big Movies to be released on DVD
In June, Warner Home Video will release "The Dream is Alive" (1985) and "Blue Planet" (1990), the first two Big Movies filmed in space to become available on DVD.

April 12, 2001: Disney Moves Up Release Date for Big Movie Version of "Beauty and the Beast"
Walt Disney Pictures announced that the Giant Screen version of "Beauty and the Beast," previously scheduled to open March 8, 2001, would now be released on January 1, 2002.
See press release.

April 2, 2001: Taj Mahal Movie to Feature Former Miss World
Well-known Indian director Ganapathy Bharat (Bala) announced that former Miss World Aishwarya Rai will star in Bala's upcoming Big Movie about the Taj Mahal, set to release in March 2002. Rai is one of the top actresses in "Bollywood," and will play the queen who inspired the spectacular marble monument. The film's $10 million budget is largely funded by a group of Indian investors from the Silicon Valley.
See press release.

March 29, 2001: IMAX Corporation Predicts Hollywood Features in IMAX® Theaters Within 12 Months
In a conference call, co-CEO Bradley Wechsler said that IMAX Corporation already had the technology in place to blow up 35mm films to 70mm IMAX® format. Within a year or so, Wechsler stated, the cost would be low enough to compel Hollywood studios to consider Large Format as another ancillary distribution medium (alongside DVD, VHS, etc.)

March 28, 2001: Former Hollywood Executive Chosen to Head IMAX Corporation's Film Division
Greg Foster, a 15-year veteran of MGM/UA, was recently brought on by IMAX Corporation as a liaison in the company's efforts to bring Hollywood films to the Big Movie screen.
See press release.

March 22, 2001: National Geographic and the Smithsonian Institute to Partner in Future Big Movie Production, Distribution
The two companies' first release will be "Celebration of Flight" (working title) a film celebrating the 100 years of flight since the Wright Brothers' historic achievement. The film is a joint effort with Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, and will be released as the signature film for the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum at Dulles Airport, scheduled to open in 2003.
See press release.

February 12, 2001: Dolphins Nominated for Oscar
DOLPHINS, produced and distributed by MacGillivray Freeman Films, today was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject). DOLPHINS is the second MacGillivray Freeman Film to be nominated for an Academy Award, following THE LIVING SEA in 1995, and the tenth Big Movie ever to be nominated by the Academy.
See press release.

February 2001: Volcanoes of the Abyss
A new Big Movie exploring hydrothermal vents and other deep-sea ecosystems has recently received full funding, the final $2 million coming in the form of a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). In August, $1 million of this grant will be used to fund 18 dives with the submersible Alvin along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The film, Volcanoes of the Abyss, will be directed by Stephen Low and executive produced by Alex Low.

December 2000: HAUNTED CASTLE Seen as Too Violent by IMAX
On December 5, VP of the IMAX Theatre Network Mary Pat Ryan faxed a letter to all 220 theaters with IMAX Projectors, urging them not to show the upcoming release HAUNTED CASTLE (produced by NWave Pictures). According to Ryan, "repeated scenes of violence and torture" were potentially damaging to the IMAX brand name. The film's director, Ben Stassen, almost immediately issued a protest, accusing IMAX Corp. of trying to censor theatres. The European theatre consortium, Euromax, likewise wrote a letter of protest.
(See Exclusive BMZ Interview with Stassen regarding the controversy.)

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