Why do we wait for so long for films to cross the ocean?

irishgeo · 31-03-2003 2:41pm #1

Why do you we have to wait so long for films to be shown in europe?

The example i am using is a film is old school? Its a teem comedy and is supposed to be very good. The film is on general release in the US since the 21st of Feb yet doesnt make it till the UK the 9th of May. thats the guts of 4 months.

I mean its not if the movie is set adift on the atlantic and its pot luck when it arrives.Can anyone shed any light on the situation?

the DVD region 1 release date is to be announced but i am sure it will be before the UK films release date.

I know i could buy the DVD R1 but dont have a credit card at the mooment.

So any ideas?

KdjaCL · 31-03-2003 3:46pm

2 resons i know off ,one is marketing each film is marketted different in different zones.

Another is the reels the movies are on cost thousands and the same ones are used all over the world so the reel in Ster Century was at one time in a US cinema.

The big movies that release worldwide at same time have massive marketting budgets and therefore can afford to be released and the reels made.

There are probably other reasons but those 2 would be the top reasons.

kdjac

tribble · 31-03-2003 3:53pm

If the corporations think a film will not do so well they will try for a world wide release - that way the reviewers don't get a chance to spread their opinion. This leads to higher takings for the first few nights.

A better film can be released anytime and it will do well. As KdjaC said they move the reels worldwide so as to save money. (that's one of the reasons there's so much dust on them when they get here.

tribble

Gambler · 31-03-2003 4:00pm

The reels are the big reason. They make the reels for the states then ship them off once they are out of the cinema to other countries.

irishgeo · 31-03-2003 4:15pm

interesting i never knew about the reels being all over the world.

Thanks guys.

s8n · 31-03-2003 4:37pm

surely it can't cost that much to produce a reel

DapperGent · 31-03-2003 4:50pm

It's actually loads thousands and thousands which adds up when you open a big film on say 1000 or more screens in the states.

Thats why there's a big push on to have cinemas move over to digital screens which are mad expensive but will pay for themselves over time.

Plus the cinema can just download the movie from the studio and not have to ship the big reels around.

pickarooney · 31-03-2003 4:51pm

Not totally relevant to the original question, but that last Star Wars film was shot entirely with digital cameras, right? Does it still get transferred to a film reel for the cinema or what?

DapperGent · 31-03-2003 4:56pm

Yeah I think they had to then fire it onto reels somehow. Though they could just send it to cinemas with digital screens.

Incidentaly I saw Attack of the Clones on a digital screen in Manchester, was all crystal clear and cool.

Unfortunately this didn't make it any less horrifically awful.

KdjaCL · 31-03-2003 4:56pm

Yes cinemas still use projectors which work on reels so star wars was on a reel ,anyone remember when ep 1 came out and the reels were snapping in cinemas all over dublin.

The digital thing will take time as everyone has their own opinion on what format is best.
Some directors prefer reel old style cameras ,other prefer digital.

So forseeable future will be reels and a few months delay.

kdjac

Rew · 31-03-2003 5:44pm

Another reason is that some movies are so **** they dont release em here, i have Avenging Angelo (Sly Stalone movie ) for months and havent seen a release date here for it not even on medialive.ie

RasTa · 31-03-2003 11:19pm

Originally posted by Rew
Another reason is that some movies are so **** they dont release em here, i have Avenging Angelo (Sly Stalone movie ) for months and havent seen a release date here for it not even on medialive.ie

god that movie sucks,its being out for bout 2 months for rent

STaN · 01-04-2003 12:00am

i can imagine allot of ingenous people just ripping the digital films, bringing them out on pirated dvd's just after a cinema launch. I'm sure they do this with reels too, but would be much easier and faster with digital. Unless they had some sort of security.

Rew · 01-04-2003 12:15am

Originally posted by RasTa
god that movie sucks,its being out for bout 2 months for rent

LOL hadn't seen it in the vid store, i have to admit i watched the first 5-10 mins when i got it and turned it off... I heard it was a nail in the cofin of one of the studios?? (and stalones carear)

There is a fairly serious trade in pirate movies, u can download em if you can be arsed to look hard enough and i know other who buy em off the web regularly...

Anyone going to Asia can pick em up for ~5 quid....

I can see pirate DVD's picking up more then they are when the likes of Komplett are selling DVD Writers fro €205! (this weeks special)

Iv seen DVD ISO's on the net (+4 gigs a disk).

Why do we wait for so long for films to cross the ocean?

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