MUMBAI: Christie, a leader in Digital Cinema, announced record sales of its DLP Cinema projection systems worldwide for 2007, outpacing the entire field of competition to take a commanding 80 per cent control of the market, a nearly 20 per cent increase over the previous year. Christie surpassed original industry expectations, setting a strong pace of installation that has culminated in more than 4,400 digital screens to date across North and South America, Europe, South Africa, Australia and Asia.

Due to the groundbreaking work of Access Integrated Technologies, Inc. (AccessIT), which launched the world’s first and largest deployment program for Digital Cinema, Christie is presenting digital feature films in 85 per cent of North American installations. In addition, Christie posted record sales of its Digital Cinema projectors for large-scale 3D deployments across the US teaming with REAL D on installation agreements with AMC Entertainment, Inc. (AMC), Cinemark and Cineplex Entertainment for the opening of the animated feature, Columbia Pictures’ Monster House.

Christie’s Digital Cinema successes are marked by historic wins with some of the biggest players in the industry worldwide, including:

* Exclusive provider for Regal Entertainment Group, Eastvale Gateway Stadium 14 – the first all-digital Regal site in California.

* Exclusive provider for the Cineplex Entertainment SilverCity Oakville Cinemas – the first of its kind and largest Digital Cinema theater complex in Canada with DLP Cinema, a Texas Instruments projection technology.

* Exclusive agreement to digitize 100 per cent of Circuit George Raymond (CGR Cinémas), France’s largest cinema chain with 400 screens, as part of CGR Cinémas exclusive Virtual Print Fee (VPF) based agreement with Arts Alliance Media (AAM), Europe’s leading provider of digital distribution services. CGR Cinémas will be the first European exhibitor to convert completely to Digital Cinema exhibition.

* Commitment with Russian distributor Nashe Kino in partnership with Nevafilm Digital Labs to deliver all future movies in digital format. Christie is the largest Digital Cinema projection provider in the country.

* Exclusive Digital Cinema sponsor for the Toronto International Film Festival and the Manhattan Short Film Festival; the single Digital Cinema provider for XDC, the official Digital Cinema partner of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.

Christie’s success comes just over two and a half years after introducing the groundbreaking Christie/AIX funding plan, which many analysts credit with jump-starting the large-scale deployment of Digital Cinema and revolutionizing the industry. The innovative Virtual Print Fee (VPF) formula won the backing of the major Hollywood studios and was quickly adopted as the industry standard, serving as the prototype for all new deployment agreements. Today, large national chains and major regional exhibitors are benefiting from the operational efficiencies of Digital Cinema and are reaching new audiences with alternative content programming opportunities and stunning picture quality. Christie remains committed to supporting existing and emerging customers in this new era of entertainment.

Christie’s Entertainment Solutions Business Unit (ESBU) is responsible for the DCI Compliant system design blueprint for the 3,750 fully networked Digital Cinema systems deployed in the USA and financed by Access Integrated Technologies, Inc.. These systems incorporated Christie’s state-of-the-art CP2000 series of DLP Cinema projectors, Doremi’s DCP2000 Digital Cinema server and AccessIT’s Theatre Command Center software, all of which were thoroughly tested in Christie’s Digital Cinema software and hardware regression testing laboratory in Cypress, California.

“Christie is the only DLP Cinema projection manufacturer to enter the market with more than 75 years of innovation and a long-established commitment to exhibitors. Our unrivaled experience is a major factor in our success, helping us secure exclusive deals with exhibitors, distributors, movie studios, and technology providers to install the next generation of entertainment in theaters worldwide. As they transition to digital, exhibitors know that the show must go on, and to ensure the systems run at optimum levels, they are going with a proven winner,” noted Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc president and COO Jack Kline.

Christie’s Managed Services group is supporting more than 8,000 screens at over 585 sites across the US and Canada. 

The renowned Christie CP2000 series projectors are installed in more than 4,400 systems worldwide and have launched major digital movie premieres including Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Disney/Pixar animated feature Cars, Walt Disney Pictures’/Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ Pirates of the Caribbean, and most recently Paramount Pictures/Robert Zemeckis’ Beowulf in 3D Digital Cinema.