North America's largest theater chain has left the Oklahoma City market, selling it's Crossroads Mall 16-screen theater to AMC of Kansas City.

I'm glad to hear this. AMC theaters are supposedly much better managed. I know I like the Quail location. Maybe one of our OKCTalk theater guys can chime on on why Regal left.

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I just hope that we don't lose some of the simulcast events they had partnered with Regal on...like Drum Corps International.

This is old news. Several months old. It's been listed in the paper as AMC Crossroads 16 for a while now.

I don't see where it will be that big of a change. AMC, Regal.....Umm, they're all mega theater chains. Nothing special.

Actually, I was hoping one of the movie theater guys here on the board could fill us in on the who-what-when-where-why kind of thing on this topic. To me, when the largest theater chain in North America leaves our market - it's worthy of discussion.

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What source said it was the largest? Because I'm pretty sure AMC was the largest, even before they absorbed Loewe's Cineplex.

What I do know is that my sister worked at AMC for two years and their theatres are extremely well managed. They are also the only theatre offering indie films besides the OKCMOA. The Regal Theatre was in bad shape, and hopefully the new management can clean it up.

Regal Entertainment Group: 6,273 screens in 584 locations in 40 states.

AMC: 5,672 screens in 415 locations in 29 states

I like this move, as I said before, AMC is a better run company. But why did Regal give up on OKC? I'm just curious from the theater pros here on the board as to what they know.

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They probably took a big hit from Harkins and then heard about this little theatre they are supposed to build in Moore... ;)

They probably took a big hit from Harkins and then heard about this little theatre they are supposed to build in Moore... ;)

Same thinking I had....except....if it was such a poor performing theater with a not so great future, why would AMC want it? I don't know why I am so curious about this - just one of those things. I'd like to hear from "Bobby H" on this. He seems to know the theater biz inside and out, and then there's another poster from Lawton who is much the same. Or, am I thinking of the same person?

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If there is another person from Lawton writing about this subject it's definitely another person, I only post here under my "Bobby H" user name.

This is the first I've heard of Regal leaving the Oklahoma City area. But the news isn't really surprising.

My take on it: It seems a lot of big movie theater chains are trying to dominate certain markets while removing theaters in other markets where they don't have a huge presence. The Crossroads 16 was Regal's only location in OKC.

In all the merger-mania that has happened, many of these theater chains have been loaded up with lots of debt. Quite a few of these chains went into bankruptcy at the end of the 1990s and early part of this decade due to "over-building" of new stadium seated theaters.

Regal gobbled up a number of chains, with United Artists being the biggest of them, to become the largest exhibitor in the country. They have a huge amount of overhead. I guess the strategy is they want to concentrate on markets where they have multiple locations and leave behind others that may end up dominated by someone else, like AMC, Harkins, Warren, etc. In dominating specific cities, they may actually gain more leverage when negotiating booking contracts with Hollywood movie studios.

AMC also has its own share of big debt. The chain merged with Loews-Cineplex over the last year. They even had to sell some of their theaters to other chains in certain markets (such as New York City) to avoid anti-trust issues.

I'm not sure I understand why all the mergers are happening. The only thing I can figure is the movie theater industry is in a big state of flux. The fundamental technology of showing movies is changing very radically (and not necessarily for the better either). Things like "digital cinema" bring a LOT of unpredictability to the market. So these guys are merging with each other and consolidating their markets to remove as much unpredictability as possible. The adoption of digital cinema is a very expensive proposition. Huge chains like AMC and Regal would like to do it in as comfortable (and slow) a manner as possible.

Upstart companies like Warren Theaters won't make that easy. Even some big chains, like Carmike Cinemas, are going the other direction and adopting digital cinema in an aggressive manner (and through a creative agreement with some other technology companies). Half that chain's 2400 screens are already equipped for digital cinema. Carmike currently has the only digital cinema equipped screens in Oklahoma (at four locations: Lawton, Shawnee, Stillwater and Muskogee).

Anyway, combine all that with the mediocre quality of movies these days and their ever-faster arrival on DVD and that can't make it easy for movie theater companies, big or small.

Thanks for weighing in, Bobby H, you certainly know your stuff! It's a fascinating business to watch.

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Despite the departure of Regal (who also owned Windsor Hills and Kickingbird at one time), we still have a more diverse offering than some cities. Wichita has nothing but Warren Theatres pretty much. He kind of has a monopoly up there.

Considering the very high quality level typical of Warren Theaters, that's one case where I wouldn't mind a certain chain monopolizing a certain market. Movie-goers up in Wichita are getting a benefit few people in the rest of the country see when visiting a movie theater.

Hardly any other exhibitors in the nation (if any) put the kind of top notch hardware and THX-certification in on every auditorium the way Warren does it. AMC and Cinemark sure don't do it. Out of movie theaters in Oklahoma City, Harkins' Bricktown 16 is the only one I want to visit.

Cinemark hasn't built a new theater with THX-certified auditoriums since 1995. And they let all THX licenses they had on existing theaters lapse in 1996. They started using cheaper projectors, amps and other hardware. In recent years their only impressive theaters have been the IMAX-branded ones (with the nearest ones to us being in Tulsa and Dallas).

AMC has done a number of things over the years that frustrate me. The worst is the company's habit of sticking all the surround sound speakers in the ceiling. Add a solid Torus screen with speakers above and below the screen (instead of behind it like normal) and you get this big echo-ey sound in front of you and on top of your head. It just doesn't work like normal surround sound.

I won't even get started on Dickinson Theaters.

The Warren location in Moore will be a great addition to the city's selection of movie theaters, if not the best outright. Oklahoma City could use some other theaters capable of showing art films, indie films, etc., in a very good, high quality environment. The Bricktown 16 doesn't normally show any of that kind of product. With that said, I could see room for a true art-house theater opening nearby as well.

My husband has recently relocated to Wichita for work and rents a loft in Old Town Square. Keep this in mind...I love Oklahoma City and would love for his relocation to be temporary and for us to make OKC our permanent home.

That being said, I much prefer the Warren Theaters and the Old Town area in general feels more vibrant than the Bricktown area; granted there's not a canal, or our wonderful Ballpark, but the restaurants and bars feel much more "local." There is the token Old Chicago, etc, but the majority of places seem to be independents...it IS on a smaller scale, but WOW! With their great loft apartments, within walking distance to restaurants and theaters....(I'd still prefer to live here,) but it seems like they have the downtown living and local establishments figured a little better.

A quick note on the Warren Downtown...I LOVE being able to order a pizza and a glass of wine while I watch my movie....Casino Royal was MUCH enhanced by a little wine!~ :)

I won't even get started on Dickinson Theaters.

I'll do it for you. Isn't that the Penn Square theater? AWFUL! Presentation, sound, dirty restrooms, it's just awful.


With that said, I could see room for a true art-house theater opening nearby as well.

That would be SO nice. I frequent the OKCMOA's Noble Theater as they show some good indie films at times, but the theater lacks decent sound, the screen is very small and they lack the funds to bring some of the good films here. They try though - I have to give Brian Hearn that much. I certainly hope you're right, Bobby, that an art house could find a home here in Oklahoma City.

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My husband has recently relocated to Wichita for work and rents a loft in Old Town Square. Keep this in mind...I love Oklahoma City and would love for his relocation to be temporary and for us to make OKC our permanent home.

That being said, I much prefer the Warren Theaters and the Old Town area in general feels more vibrant than the Bricktown area; granted there's not a canal, or our wonderful Ballpark, but the restaurants and bars feel much more "local." There is the token Old Chicago, etc, but the majority of places seem to be independents...it IS on a smaller scale, but WOW! With their great loft apartments, within walking distance to restaurants and theaters....(I'd still prefer to live here,) but it seems like they have the downtown living and local establishments figured a little better.

A quick note on the Warren Downtown...I LOVE being able to order a pizza and a glass of wine while I watch my movie....Casino Royal was MUCH enhanced by a little wine!~ :)

For its market size, Wichita has been kicking butt. No other way to say it.

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I have a lot of confidence that Midtown will become more like Wichita's Old Town. More local and more residential.

to the topic:

All the theaters in town will be fighting for second place behind the Warren. Period.

Movie buffs and audiophiles will revel in the conscious effort put forward by the custom built projectors and THX-EX sound systems.

Casual movie-goers will love the 50's style feel, soda-shop in the lobby, and the more upscale dining/drinking movie experience.

All visitors will come to be drawn to the attention to detail like custom made carpet, all the employees in tuxedos, custom rocker seats, and the VERY EXPENSIVE "waterfall" type curtains that raise before every movie......

I can't express how excited I am that Warren is building a theater here in my town..... when it opens I will not see a movie anywhere else in the city.

About Wichita:

It's funny to see some of the comments here about Wichita. I grew up there but couldn't wait to move to OKC. Maybe it's just a "feel" thing, but I like Bricktown so much more than Old Town and I feel like OKC just has a lot more to offer generally......

but I do miss QT's..... now that the Warren is coming, the QT is the one and only thing I miss about Wichita....

Wichita Sooner-
Agreed. OKC does have more to offer. I just feel like they nailed it with the Old Town in areas where OKC has suffered (housing, local establishments, etc.) And yes, QT's are great. :)

Speaking of movie theaters.. I've been meaning to mention this for awhile but just a side note for those who weren't aware of this..

You can take in a movie for $4.00 Sat. Sun and Holidays at Quail Springs Mall before NOON.

Quail Springs Mall Movie Listings (http://www.quailspringsmall.com/html/MovieListing.asp)

You'll have to wait until Friday to get the times I think, but you can add the link to your favorites.

Where exactly is the Warren going to be located?

And when is the expected opening?

Try here... I didn't read all the posts but maybe someone addressed in this thread..

http://www.okctalk.com/moore/6926-warren-theatre.html?highlight=warren+theater

At 19th and I-35, on the NW corner, just north of the Riverwalk development.

It's been awhile since I passed the construction site on I-35, so I don't know just how far along the project has progressed. I know they've finished much of the ground preparation, but don't know how much has been done on the actual foundation itself (as well as important items that need to be run up through it such as plumbing, electrical power conduits, etc.).

Based on other theater projects I've seen built in somewhat similar scale, once the foundation is complete it will take at least several months to build the theater on top of it. The walls will seem to go up fast, but it's all that work on the interior that will take quite a bit of time.

My guess is, if we're lucky, the theater could be open by Thanksgiving. Bad weather could push the opening back to Christmas. There's no way the construction people can get something that big finished by the summer movie season.

Still looks like dirt work is going on at the new theatre. The massive snow storms have probably slowed them down.

If that's the case, then we might be looking at Spring of 2008 before the Warren 20 opens.

I look at it every day as I drive to and from work and I believe the weather has slowed progress considerably. It looks like some plumbing has been roughed though.

Bobby H,

Since I've never had the pleasure to go to a Warren theater and you seem to know a lot about it and say that they do everything top notch, I was wondering if you know if they run their projectors at full brightness or if they are involved in the practice of trying to save bulb life by running them at half or 3/4 brightness.

Warren Theaters typically has their projectors running at recommended brightness levels (for the technically inclined, the target is 16 foot lamberts at the center to 12 foot lamberts at the corners).

Some theater chains have had the policy of running lamps at lower levels, but the practice does little if anything at all to extend the life of a Xenon projector lamp. The wear and tear on such lamps occurs when it is powered on/off. Quite a few theaters will keep a Xenon lamp running well past the recommended "mileage." The bulb can be struck only so many times before it needs to be replaced. Many projectors have a built in counter to track how many times a bulb has been used.

Some of the screens in the new Warren complex will be really huge, even bigger than the Cine Capris screen in the Bricktown 16. Screens of that scale can be very difficult to light properly using a 35mm projector. In fact, 70mm projection is actually recommended for such purposes, but Hollywood hardly ever makes 70mm prints for regular movies anymore (the IMAX DMR 15/70 movies seem to be the only exception these days). Once that theater is open and people check out a show on a screen as big as 80' across, don't be too surprised if the image looks a tad bit dim. If Warren adopts a digital projection route by the time the theater opens they may have to use a special dual-lamp Christie CP2000-X projector or something similar to throw a properly bright image onto such a giant sized screen.

Out of things that break or fall out of adjustment in movie theaters, the sound system always has a lot more problems. The EQ falls out of whack (or some idiot jacks around with the knobs, deliberately throwing the room "out of tune"). Speaker drivers get blown on a regular basis, provided the volume is up at any significant level to be affected by the dynamics of modern digital sound mixes. Many theater circuits do little to maintain the sound systems. Even if nothing breaks, a good technician needs to adjust the EQ for each auditorium at least once or twice a year. The best theaters in the world typically to that on a monthly basis or when a different movie gets played in that auditorium.

Well my fear came true. Now that it's not Regal, they aren't doing the simulcast events. So for the first time, OKC won't have a single theater that will be broadcasting any DCI events. What a crock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DCI events?

I think Digital Cinema Incentives... could be wrong..


thank you Google

Here's his post from our sister site:

So my first gripe has happend with the Regal Cinema at Crossroads changing owners. That was the only place in the state that simulcasted Drum Corps International (DCI) events. Both semifinals and the Classic Countdown were shown there the last 4 years. So to my unhapy surprise, I look at the list of theaters on the DCI site for the 2007 Classic Countdown, and there aren't any Oklahoma theaters on the list now. What a crock!!! http://www.okmet.org/bb/Smileys/Lots_O_Smileys/bs.gif

They were such awesome events and having a full room of drum corps fans cheering as if they were in the stadium was so much fun. People chanted their favorite corps chants when they came on, as if they could hear them. DCI fans are die hard and travel thousands of miles ever summer for shows, so it was really nice to be able to watch something here in town. Now we have to wait until summer to catch the little contests at Enid and Broken Arrow...neither of which are what they once were.

How depressing. http://www.okmet.org/bb/Smileys/Lots_O_Smileys/crybaby2.gif

hmmm

sounds like a pretty tiny niche audience.

Here's his post from our sister site:

So my first gripe has happend with the Regal Cinema at Crossroads changing owners. That was the only place in the state that simulcasted Drum Corps International (DCI) events. Both semifinals and the Classic Countdown were shown there the last 4 years. So to my unhapy surprise, I look at the list of theaters on the DCI site for the 2007 Classic Countdown, and there aren't any Oklahoma theaters on the list now. What a crock!!! http://www.okmet.org/bb/Smileys/Lots_O_Smileys/bs.gif

They were such awesome events and having a full room of drum corps fans cheering as if they were in the stadium was so much fun. People chanted their favorite corps chants when they came on, as if they could hear them. DCI fans are die hard and travel thousands of miles ever summer for shows, so it was really nice to be able to watch something here in town. Now we have to wait until summer to catch the little contests at Enid and Broken Arrow...neither of which are what they once were.

How depressing. http://www.okmet.org/bb/Smileys/Lots_O_Smileys/crybaby2.gif

Never heard of this...Sounds like I would pass even if I had

Oh, this is bad news bomber. My wife loved those things. She was big into drum corps and was a member of Black Gold. I kinda thought a lot like the posters above until I saw one of the events. To those that don't understand, The DCI Championships and other events are shown live on a screen at most Regal Theaters. They can actually be packed out and rowdy (in a fun way). It sure made me realize how big the whole drum corps/marching band thing is. My wife was afraid of this too when we found out Regal no longer had a theater in OKC. So, I understand completely, bomber.

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"tiny" is a relative term. Yes it's a twice a year event, but it does fill the room in theaters all across the country. Millions of people watch those events each year and since EPSN started broadcasting finals for DCI, millions more watch it.

So while you may not have heard of it, don't discount the millions of fans....with cash to spend. And boy do they spend it on anything and everything they can get with their favorite corps name on it. It's best compared to Professional Football fans...if you can image the "game" being a marching show....where yes the fans stand on their feet and scream at the top of their lungs.

I'm not discounting your personal disappointment, but it just doesn't seem like a big blow to OKC's quality of life. We are talking 200-300 people filling up a theatre, not 20,000 filling up an arena.

Well, not to speak for bomber, but I think perhaps the disappointment is in how the broader idea of "out of the box" uses for these new, big theaters just got a kick in the gut.

As an example, until they took Oklahoma off their regular "touring" list, Microsoft held developer seminars over in the Regal, and would give everyone free popcorn and a drink while watching a presentation from a nice, comfy theater chair. That's another kind of "out of the box" use for a theater that comes under a similar heading. I think it takes some ingenuity to come up with those kinds of idea, and if the new owners don't bother with that kind of stuff, it's just a little disappointing, that's all.

-soonerdave

The Oklahoma City area is finally just now starting to get some "Digital Cinema" capability in any of its theaters (the Harkins Bricktown 16 has installed one D-Cinema projection system with RealD capability for Disney's Meet The Robinsons). Digital Cinema, while not a true leap above 35mm projection in terms of absolute image quality potential, does afford a commercial theater much more in the way of content flexibility.

As more D-Cinema systems get installed in the area, there is a chance some of the kinds of alternative content Regal was showing on their fairly dim consumer grade video projectors might get revived on these much better digital projectors.

Carmike Cinemas already has been offering some alternative content in some of its theaters (such as rock concerts, religious programming and some sporting events). A lot of that stuff is shown in off-peak times though.

FYI, four Carmike Cinemas locations elsewhere in Oklahoma have D-Cinema equipment installed on every screen and RealD on at least 1 screen at each location. AMC's 20-plex in Tulsa also just installed 1 digital system with RealD capability.

The Oklahoma City area is finally just now starting to get some "Digital Cinema" capability in any of its theaters (the Harkins Bricktown 16 has installed one D-Cinema projection system with RealD capability for Disney's Meet The Robinsons). Digital Cinema, while not a true leap above 35mm projection in terms of absolute image quality potential, does afford a commercial theater much more in the way of content flexibility.



Actually it hasn't technically been installed yet... I think we're starting today, and it won't go in use, of course, until Meet The Robinsons is released on Friday.

BTW, how did you know that...? I don't think we've had too many advertisements yet, except for a couple RealD posters in the lobby...

Actually it hasn't technically been installed yet... I think we're starting today, and it won't go in use, of course, until Meet The Robinsons is released on Friday.

BTW, how did you know that...? I don't think we've had too many advertisements yet, except for a couple RealD posters in the lobby
...

If there's anything to know about movie theaters in Oklahoma - Bobby knows! (He's 'The Shadow' of the industry here at OKCTalk and keeps us all well-informed. Thanks for that, btw, Bobby!)

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I was actually surprised to hear about Harkins doing the RealD install in Oklahoma City -it came by word of a fellow I know out in Los Angeles. I knew they were putting a couple new systems into theaters in the Phoenix area, but was under the impression OKC would have to wait until summer for any digital projection systems to get installed.

Ginkasa, what kind of projector is going in there? Perhaps a Christie CP2000 on one of the smaller houses or a dual-lamp CP2000-X for the Cine Capris? Or perhaps something else like a NEC model? Dolby Digital Cinema? The RealD process demands some serious light output. The computerized Z-buffer filter that flips in front of the projector lens darkens the image a tad, and you have the issue of the silver screen and lamp throw needing to be tweaked just right for it as well. The Carmike 8 in Lawton had their RealD processor installed a few weeks ago (on THX-certified screen #4) and the image throw on the silver screen looks really good.

The announcement for the AMC Southroads 20 in Tulsa came earlier. Carmike Cinemas has the largest deal yet with RealD: a 500 screen installation program to execute over the next year for the circuit's 2400 screens.

At any rate, the Harkins Bricktown 16 installation is now "public knowledge," given that the RealD website now has the theater noted on its web site:
Find A REAL D Digital 3D Cinema Near You (http://reald.com/cinema_theater.asp)
Just click on the United States area of the world map graphic and then click into Oklahoma and all the RealD installation sites within the Sooner State will be listed.

I honestly am not the most knowledgable on projector types and such, so I can't answer as to what specific kind. I can say, however, that we're placing the projector in #9, which is kind of "upper-middle" is terms of size.

Its not in the Cine Capri in case there is a digital/3D film that proves to be unpopular and/or have little longevity.

I'm not discounting your personal disappointment, but it just doesn't seem like a big blow to OKC's quality of life. We are talking 200-300 people filling up a theatre, not 20,000 filling up an arena.

What the terd does an arena have to do with anything. You've missed the point completely here man. And don't confuse quality of life with an arena either...that's entertainment only.

Anyway, the fact is that it's just another thing that attracted people to the theater that they won't now. It's a missed opportunity to do something that COULD have been even more spectacular had they not crapped out on us. It's one event of a type that is guranteed to attract a full audience every time, multiple times a year. It may not make as much in direct sales for that event, but what about the people that support that theater instead of the one down the street because they were the one that ran the event?

Well to go back to your original post, you call it a "crock" that OK no longer has any theatre showing this. It seems like you are being a little biased. It would be a crock if OKC had no movie theatres. Not having this, well, it just means that Regal was their partner theatre chain and Regal is no longer in the market.

What I would like to know is just how full the auditorium was when these DCI events were being shown. Was it a sell out crowd? 'Bout half full? Just a few people? Those attendance figures will usually say a lot for how well some of these alternative events will do.

I should also say most people just show up at the movie theater expecting to watch a movie, not some sporting event. That's the hazard of some of this alternative content stuff. I'm certainly going to be angry if the show I buy a ticket to see has open captioning blasted onto the screen and the audio itself is coming out in Spanish! A prompt refund for everything I purchased will be in order or I will not return.

For those who are interested, I did a little checking. Harkins Theaters has installed Christie CP2000 digital projectors and Dolby Digital Cinema server systems in some of its theaters in Arizona. I see little reason why they would change up that recipe for the Bricktown 16 in Oklahoma City (but would still like some confirmation on the hardware specs). The system should work very well if the installation is completed in time (we're only 2 days away from opening day for Meet the Robinsons).

Word of advice. Be prepared to pay a couple of bucks extra if you want to see this "Disney Digital 3D" (bull-crap, it's RealD) movie. Customers may feel like they are getting robbed for the higher ticket price. However, with each ticket sold, you get a pair of 3D glasses that look like a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses. The RealD equipped movie theaters have to charge that higher price to pay for the higher royalty fee that comes from showing RealD format movies and for the simple fact you get to KEEP those 3D glasses after the show is finished. It's either that or the theater would have to install a restaurant style dish washing system to sanitize re-usable 3D glasses for each show. I kinda like being able to keep the glasses. Still have the paper 3D polarized glasses from watching Friday the 13th: Parth III in 3D from 1982.

For the tail end of the post, here's a couple photos of how some of the RealD equipment looks (in case you're in the theater and can see up in the port glass and spot the hardware back there). One photo is of the 3D Z-filter that swings in front of the digital projector lens. Yes, that is a level bubble at the top. The other shot shows the RealD processor installed in the accessory rack of a Christie CP2000 digital projector.

What I would like to know is just how full the auditorium was when these DCI events were being shown. Was it a sell out crowd? 'Bout half full? Just a few people? Those attendance figures will usually say a lot for how well some of these alternative events will do.

I should also say most people just show up at the movie theater expecting to watch a movie, not some sporting event. That's the hazard of some of this alternative content stuff. I'm certainly going to be angry if the show I buy a ticket to see has open captioning blasted onto the screen and the audio itself is coming out in Spanish! A prompt refund for everything I purchased will be in order or I will not return.

The DCI Championships at Regal are packed out. They are also advertised and marketed along with ESPN (who later shows it via tape delay). People know what they're buying when they go to see the DCI Championships. They don't sell them like a regular movie ticket.

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The system should work very well if the installation is completed in time (we're only 2 days away from opening day for Meet the Robinsons).

Word of advice. Be prepared to pay a couple of bucks extra if you want to see this "Disney Digital 3D" (bull-crap, it's RealD) movie.


No worries about it getting done in time. From what I could tell, the installer was almost done.

And yes, tickets will be two dollars more for Meet The Robinsons 3D. We will, however, be getting a normal 30mm print and will be showing that as well for customers who aren't interested in either the 3D or paying the extra two bucks.

Got a peak at Meet the Robinsons in 3D. Its very nice; much better than the blue-red style of 3D.

Polarized full color 3D is definitely a lot better than the old blue/red garbage.

IMAX 3D movies operate off the polarized method (running two 15-perf 70mm film strips horizontally through two 15-perf 70mm projectors with polarizer lenses in opposite phase with each other).

Some 35mm film print releases have also featured the full color polarized 3D method, but using a mechanical polarized Z-filter synchronized with a single film strip. The process was introduced in the early 1980s on films like Comin' At Ya and Friday the 13th: Part III in 3D. The system worked great -so long as the film print was properly built and without errant splices. Any splice at all could throw the movie completely out of sync and destroy the 3D effect. Over time, 35mm prints like that 3D Jason slasher flick became an ordeal to even try to show because of all the print damage that accumulated through the years.

With the digital projection version of 3D, there's no chance of sync dropping errors to occur since there's no way to physically damage the movie's bit stream. Data flags in the movie bit stream tell the RealD processor to turn on/off automatically and perfectly sync the Z-filter mounted in front of the projector lens.

I'm kind of hoping this new 3D capability will bring back a couple of those old 1980s movies so they can be shown without any glitches.

I'm sure at least a few people are going to be griping about that $2 price hike on tickets. However, there's more stuff in 3D during the show besides the movie itself. Disney included a couple animated short movies (one new and another vintage cartoon redone in 3D). Some theaters may also be showing 3D trailers for other upcoming RealD releases, such as the concert movie U2: 3D.

Bobby...

Every DCI event I have been too either in a football stadium or in a movie theater has basically been sold out. Maybe a handful of seats here and there, but no more empty seats than you see at any other "sold out" event.