Fox Stopping 35mm Print Distribution, Going Completely Digital In Hong Kong Next Year.
I remember when the first Star Wars prequel was being filmed, one of the things Fat Lucas blathered on about was the advent of digital film. I’m sure he made some ludicrous statement like it was going to be everywhere in five years or something (this in 1999), and it was one of many promises not kept. Still though, it has proliferated and is becoming more and more prominent. A testament to this is the announcement by Fox that they’re going entirely digital in Hong Kong next year.
Fox is taking a big step: the studio will distribute only digital prints in Hong Kong and Macau starting January 1, 2012.
“Hong Kong and Macau?” you chortle. That’s nothing, right? But this is only the beginning. Call it a dry run, an experiment. Deadline quotes Sunder Kimatrai, SVP and Asia-Pacific Regional Managing Director for Twentieth Century Fox International, “As a logical result of the transition to digital cinema, we feel the time is right to phase out the supply of our films in 35mm analogue formats. The entire Asia-Pacific region has been rapidly deploying digital cinema systems and over the next two years we expect to be announcing additional markets where supply of 35mm will be phased out.”
The advent of digital film has been pretty righteous. Allowing more aspiring auteurs to cut their own flicks. Access to all! Or well, perhaps more.