MUMBAI: Christie has witnessed a growth of more than 400 per cent for its digital cinema deployment in the Asia Pacific region.
With deployment deals for the Christie CP2000 series of DLP Cinema projectors, this growth establishes Christie as the frontrunner in the industry. To date, more than 600 sites in Asia Pacific have installed Christie digital cinema projectors, with an additional 500 sites scheduled for conversion by the end of this year.
After posting a record of more than 7,000 completed installations worldwide just three years after launching the world’s largest digital cinema deployment plan, Christie is now driving the growth of digital cinema in Asia Pacific, with many countries in the region embarking on large-scale digital cinema plans. Development deals have accelerated in India, South Korea, Thailand and China, with Christie projector installations leading the film-to-digital transition.
In India, Christie continues its collaboration with Scrabble Entertainment (SE); to date it has installed 200 Christie DLP Cinema projectors. Christie projectors are now installed in theaters owned by PVR Cinemas, Fame Cinemas, INOX and Fun Theatres across the country.
South Korea-based D-Cinema Korea Co. Ltd (DCK), the joint-venture company of CJ CGV and Lotte Cinema, has also announced a Virtual Print Fee (VPF) deal with major Hollywood studios namely Paramount Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox and Universal Pictures that will launch the country’s largest digital cinema deployment to date.
In Thailand, Christie has worked with its Thailand-based partner, Golden Duck Group, to develop the local cinema scene. Major Cineplex Group, the country’s largest exhibitor, has also recently adopted a full Christie digital cinema solution for their theatres in Bangkok. In addition, SF Cinema, the second largest chain in Thailand, is also a firm supporter of the Christie CP2000 Series.
Christie’s digital cinema growth in China has gathered momentum since the performance of a record number of Christie digital projectors at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games ceremonies. Together with Beijing Time Antaeus (TA) Media Tech. Co., Ltd., Christie provided 120 Christie CP2000-ZX models that delivered a spectacular presentation for the event and demonstrated their full flexibility in a non-cinema environment. After the ceremonies, these projectors were installed in TA’s theaters across China as part of the country’s film-to-digital conversion. In addition, China’s renowned Shanghai Film Group (SFG) Corporation and Lianzhong (LZ) have also selected Christie exclusively for their respective nationwide digital cinema rollout plans.
“In the recent digital cinema deployment plans, Christie has expanded its market share in the Asia Pacific region very rapidly and surpassed the growth rate of most digital cinema providers in this part of the world. Leading exhibitors are now opting for Christie digital cinema solutions as they have witnessed successful Christie implementations worldwide, including the US. Our recent series of digital installations in the Asia Pacific is a testimony to the undisputed global quality of our entertainment solution and strong technical support team to help theaters complete their film-to-digital transitions,” said Christie Asia Pacific vice president Lin Yu.
“These international deployments position the Asia Pacific region as the next frontier for digital cinema. Christie’s successful participation is backed by extensive experience, market leadership, and broad insight into the needs of the industry. To compete on the world stage requires vision on a large scale. Christie is forging global partnerships with all the major industry players to provide the exceptional movie viewing experience of digital cinema,” says Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc president and COO Jack Kline.
