Digital movies to replace 33mm film by 2015

The standard 35 mm film which has been the dominant projection format in movie theaters for more than 120 years will be replaced by digital technology by 2015 worldwide and Hollywood blockbuster Avatar is to blame for the shift says a new report.

The report from the IHS Screen Digest Cinema Intelligence Service said that 35 mm film is nearing the end of its life, and the popularity of James Cameron directed sci-fic "Avatar" has triggered a rapid transition to digital technology.          By the end of 2012, 35mm film in cinemas is expected to decline to 37 per cent on a global scale, which is a dramatic decline from 68 percent of global cinema screens in 2010, the IHS said, and expects that by 2015, the century-old projection format will be replaced by digital technology globally.          "Movie theatres now are undergoing a rapid transition to digital technology, spurred initially by the rising popularity of 3-D films," David Hancock, head of film and cinema research at IHS, was quoted as saying by LiveScience.         

He said: "The release of 'Avatar' in 2009 represented the pivotal moment for digital cinema, with digital technology forming the bedrock of the modern cinema environment." Before 'Avatar', digital represented a small portion of the market, accounting for 15 per cent of screens in 2009."         
After "Avatar", digital film technology grew 17 per cent in both 2010 and 2011, compared to single-digit increases during the previous years. "Avatar" also increased the demand for digital 3-D technology, according to the IHS report.In the US, IHS expects that there won't be any mainstream usage of 35 mm film in 2013. Western Europe is expected to change to digital by the end of 2014 and the rest of the world will then be under pressure to follow the trend, it said."While the era of 35 mm will end at this time, there will still be some older films circulating in print for some cinemas," Hancock said. "Ironically, these last prints may have a high value as they circulate among a relatively small number of theatres dedicated to keeping the legacy of traditional film alive." PTI

Posted By: Surabhi Yadav