DolbyÆ Digital Surround EXô Titles Kick Off Hollywood Summer With A Bang

20-Jun-00

As the summer blockbuster season rolls around once again, Hollywoodís top studio releases will provide that extra punch that only DolbyÆ Digital Surround EXô can deliver.Major U.S. summer 2000 releases encoded in Dolby Digital Surround EX include ""Gladiator,"" ""Chicken Run,"" ""The Perfect Storm,"" ""X-Men"" and ""The Art Of War.""Since its May 5 opening, which jumped the traditional summer season by a few weeks, DreamWorks SKGís Surround EX-encoded epic ""Gladiator"" has grossed over $150 million (as of June 12), becoming the first bona fide action blockbuster of the new century.DreamWorkís next release, Aardman Animationís claymation feature ""Chicken Run,"" is also encoded in Dolby Digital Surround EX and scheduled to premiere June 23. Chicken Run is Aardmanís first full-length production and its first mix in Dolby Digital Surround EX.Adrian Rhodes, the sound mixer for ""Chicken Run,"" said ""we are starting to enjoy the benefits of using the Dolby Digital Surround EX system, and it is proving to be extremely useful. We are creating complex sound effects of cogs, beeps, and buzzes - and find we can position these wherever we want in the dubbing theatre and smoothly pan around the room to match the picture movements. I wish this system had been available to me for previous mixes Iíve worked on.""Warner Bros.í ""The Perfect Storm"" (out June 30) follows the ill-fated voyage of a small fishing boat in the North Atlantic that encounters a storm of enormous magnitude and ferocity. Dolby Digital Surround EX allows the audience to be more fully enveloped in the extraordinary weather depicted in Wolfgang Petersonís action adventure drama.""X-Men,"" Twentieth Century Foxís action thriller based on the comic book series, enters theatres July 14, also encoded with a Dolby Digital Surround EX track. All over the planet, unusual children are born with an added twist to their genetic code. This ""X-factor"" allows the children to perform extraordinary feats - flight, telekinetics, laser beams from the eyes, and more - all made more thrilling in Dolby Digital Surround EX.""The Art Of War"" (expected September 1), an action picture from Warner Bros. starring Wesley Snipes and Anne Archer, is also encoded in this exciting new format.Dolby Digital Surround EX, which adds a center rear surround channel to the 5.1-channel format, provides a new tool for delivering greater sonic reality and excitement to the audience. Other upcoming titles destined for Surround EX include ""Minority Report"" (Twentieth Century Fox), ""Spooky House"" (Independent), and new productions from China, Germany, Italy, and Thailand. Since the format was introduced in May 1999, with the release of ""Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace,"" audiences have thrilled to the added excitement in ""Toy Story 2,"" ""The Haunting,"" ""The World Is Not EnoughÆ,"" ""Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,"" ""Fight Club,"" ""Pitch Black,"" ""The Bone Collector,"" ""The Messenger: The Joan Of Arc Story,"" ""Bats"" and ""Mission To Mars,"" among others (28 films total have been mixed or plan to be mixed in the format worldwide). To date, more than 4,600 screens worldwide have been equipped for Dolby Digital Surround EX playback. Dolby Digital screens now number more than 26,000 worldwide. Contributing to this remarkable growth are leading exhibitors who have decided to use Dolby processors exclusively, including Village Cinemas International (VCI), Ster Century, United Cinemas International (UCI) and National Amusements.About Dolby LaboratoriesDolby Laboratories is the developer of signal processing systems used worldwide in applications that include motion picture sound, consumer entertainment products and media, broadcasting, and music recording. Based in San Francisco with European headquarters in England, the privately held company also has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai, and Tokyo.