Last Chance To See ""Star Wars: Episode I"" Show Print
Two prime Los Angeles move theatresí - the Mann Village in Westwood and the Mannís Chinese in Hollywood - last showing of ""Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace"" will end this Thursday, June 17. The theatres are the only known theatres in the U.S. that are showing what the industry calls a ""showprint."" A showprint is a print dubbed in real time, rather than speeds at multiple factors of the actual running time, onto premium Kodak print stock, rather than the less costly print stock that the thousands of prints are dubbed to and seen by the masses. While 20th Century Fox had demanded that major market theatres run the film for a minimum of 12 weeks, the deal between the studio and Mann Theatres, whose venues in Westwood and Hollywood, are considered the finest premium film exhibition venues in Los Angeles, excluded the two theatres from the extended contract. Instead the George Lucasí prequel opened May 18 for a four-week engagement at these two theatres. On June 18, ""Phantom Menace"" moves to General Cinemaís Avco in Westwood, once a ""premium"" movie palace, and the Galaxy in Hollywood. Interestingly, with the digital projection of ""Phantom Menace"" scheduled to open on Friday, June 18 for four weeks at the Winnetka Stadium 20 Theatres in Chatsworth (CineComm/Hughes-JVC) and the AMC Burbank 14 Theatres (Texas Instruments), there will be no way that curious technology enthusiasts will be able to compare digital video projection of a feature length motion picture to the highest quality film projection of the same movie. Even then, driving from a digital projection venue in Chatsworth or Burbank to a film projection venue in Westwood or Hollywood would have presented a challenge to anyoneís memory when comparing two completely different projection technologies to the showcase film print version. Unfortunate for the New York City Metropolitan Area, Fox hasnít showed ""Phantom Menace"" at all in Manhattan. Loews is not playing the film on any of its Manhattan screens but will show ""Phantom Menace"" in Loews Theatres outside Manhattan. The two digital projection venues on the East Coast are both located in the New Jersey area. CineComm's presentation will be at Loews' Route 4 Paramus and Texas Instrument's presentation will be at Loews' Meadows 6 in Secaucus. The 20th Century Fox-distributed movie opened at 2,950 theatres throughout North America on May 18. See ""Lucasfilm To Test Digital Projection With ""Star Wars: Episode I ñ The Phantom Menace"" - Digital Screening In Four Theatres Starting June 18, 1999"" featured in the June 4th edition of Todayís News on the Widescreen Review Webzine archive at www.widescreenreview.