Disney embraces Imax

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Walt Disney Co. doubled down on its commitment to 3-D, signing a deal to release five pictures on Imax giant screens.

Director Robert Zemeckis’ ‘A Christmas Carol,’ a 3-D retelling of the classic Charles Dickens tale due out for the 2009 holiday season, is the first film slated for Imax release.

The director will use the same motion-capture technology and computer-generated images he popularized with the film ‘Polar Express’ to re-create 19th century London and the performance of actor Jim Carrey.

‘What Bob Zemeckis is attempting to do is really break new ground,’ said Mark Zoradi, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group. ‘Putting together this fanciful world, and then showing it on the giant screen in 3-D, we think it’s going to be a completely immersive experience.’

Disney has made a serious commitment to 3-D, which it believes provides a compelling enough experience to coax viewers off their couches and into theaters. The latest Disney animated film, ‘Bolt,’ which hits theaters this weekend, is the fifth major film in the format. Disney’s ‘Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour’ grossed more than $65 million -- and the release of Tim Burton’s ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas in Disney Digital 3-D’ did even more -- $75 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

Zoradi said the studio planned to release 11 films in 3-D over the next two years, including the ‘Jonas Brothers 3-D Concert Movie’ in February, Disney Pixar’s film ‘UP’ in May and the Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer film ‘G-Force’ in July. The studio also announced today that it would re-render its Oscar-winning animated film ‘Beauty and the Beast’ for 3-D release in 2010.

The agreement with Imax increases the number of screens capable of showing the films beyond those theaters using Real D’s technology.

Imax Corp. co-Chairman and co-CEO Richard L. Gelfond said his company’s decision to embrace digital projection laid the groundwork for the Disney deal.

The previous film-based system was a major obstacle, because prints cost $45,000 apiece. That tended to limit releases to event films such as ‘Polar Express,’ which did $45 million in the first year of release on Imax screens.

‘If you’re a studio, [now] you can get access to this very significant box office and a premium experience, where people are willing to pay a premium price, and you don’t really have the incremental costs of prints which you used to have,’ Gelfond said.

-- Bolt, the super dog, is accompanied by Mittens the cat and Rhino the hamster in a scene from the film ‘Bolt.’ Credit: Disney

-- Dawn C. Chmielewski