TRANSCENDENCE Gets 3D Release After All - In China ONLY !?!

This is ludicrous. I can understand to a certain degree why studios would not necessarily shoot or convert their productions in 3D for various reasons, but for the life of me I don't understand why they would spend the money on a 3D conversion of a tentpole and then only release it in one country! Who is actually running this show? It's ridiculous!

Take DIVERGENT for example from Lionsgate. I saw it last night and while it is a bit contrived, 3D could have served it well and I kept thinking over and over again how much money Lionsgate is leaving on the table with each and every DIVERGENT, TWILIGHT or HUNGER GAMES movie they have released. Still, and this is a big STILL, they did not spend any money on a 3D conversion so they got what they paid for.

Warner Bros. and it's producing partners DMG and Alcon Entertainment are actually forking over the money to have it converted to 3D and then, in a brilliant business movie (not), only releasing it 3D in one country - China!

The only thing I can think of is since DMG (Beijing based) is also the Chinese distributor for TRANSCENDENCE, they may have solely paid for the 3D conversion with the other producers and distributors stubbornly abstaining (probably due to the personal wims of the antiquated first time director of the movie). Since DMG potentially paid for it alone, they alone should reap the box office benefit.

Anyway you look at the distribution though, it looks ludicrous. So congratulations to the Chinese who were able to bypass the political and moronic maneuvering of the North American pencil pushers and get to see TRANSCENDENCE in 3D, all while enjoying a much better revenue stream. I wouldn't be surprised if China's box office SURPASSES the North American for the movie simply because of these decisions.

Warner Bros. had better take a strong look at the opportunity cost of hiring Wally Pfister for directing any tentpole like this. Sure, there is his justifiable salary and percentage of the gross (it is his IP after all), but I'm talking about how much money Warner is losing from NOT going 3D everywhere else. If the movie takes in $500 million, they've lost conservatively $100 million. That, my friends, is one expensive director.

Anyway it's not like I'm refusing to see the movie when it comes out in flat, it's the irony of a production's owners paying for a worthwhile endeavor and then throwing the vast majority of the benefit away. Sad really. But again, congrats to the Chinese. ENJOY!!

Source: THR

New DOLPHIN TALE Photos!

Here are a couple of new stills from the upcoming 3D family movie DOLPHIN TALE which actually looks pretty darn good.

I've always been a fan of Harry Connick Jr. anyway and Morgan Freeman goes without saying.

Storywise, it seems like a winner. It's based on a real life story too which helps (in most cases). I am sure you will have to bring a pack of tissues with you too.

Here are some of the movie's details:

“Dolphin Tale” is inspired by the amazing true story of a brave dolphin and the compassionate strangers who banded together to save her life. Swimming free, a young dolphin is caught in a crab trap, severely damaging her tail. She is rescued and transported to the Clearwater Marine Hospital, where she is named Winter. But her fight for survival has just begun. Without a tail, Winter’s prognosis is dire. It will take the expertise of a dedicated marine biologist, the ingenuity of a brilliant prosthetics doctor, and the unwavering devotion of a young boy to bring about a groundbreaking miracle—a miracle that might not only save Winter but could also help scores of people around the world. The real Winter, who plays herself in “Dolphin Tale,” today serves as a symbol of courage, perseverance and hope to millions of people—both able and disabled—who have been touched by her remarkable story of recovery and rehabilitation.

Cast: Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Kris Kristofferson, Nathan Gamble, Cozi Zuehlsdorff, Austin Stowell, Morgan Freeman
Director: Charles Martin Smith
Writers: Karen Janszen and Noam Dromi
Producers: Broderick Johnson, Andrew A. Kosove, Richard Ingber
Executive Producers: Robert Engelman, Steven P. Wegner

Official Site

Looking forward to seeing this one for sure. I love human interest stories and ultimately this is all about being human.

My good friends at Paradise FX were involved with this shoot too :-)

DOLPHIN TALE is opening September 23 from Warner Bros. and Alcon Entertainment.

MUST WATCH: A Moving Trailer For DOLPHIN TALE

This movie has got family blockbuster written all over it! We first heard of DOLPHIN TALE back when Warner Bros. revealed their upcoming 2011 3D movies last December. Count on this doing very well at the box office I would wager.

Alcon Entertainment's DOLPHIN TALE is being produced by the same team that brought us THE BLIND SIDE (same studio too - Warner Bros.) so you can expect a great story based on a true events. In this case it is about a young boy's friendship with a dolphin whose tail was lost in a crab trap. The real life dolphin, Winter, plays himself in the movie.

Here's the official synopsis:
Based on true events "Dolphin Tale" is a family film about Winter, a young dolphin who loses her tail in a crab trap and Sawyer, the introverted, 11-year old boy who befriends her. Sawyer meets the rescued dolphin at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, a marine rehabilitation center where she lives. Sawyer rallies friends and family alike to save Winter by convincing a pioneering doctor to create a unique prosthetic attachment to restore the dolphin’s ability to swim. Winter the dolphin will play herself in the movie.

I can see this connecting with family audiences on a massive scale! An original, live action story no less.

Note that the music in the trailer is NOT by U2, but rather a band called Golden State. You can watch their music video for the same song here. Clearly their sound has been influenced heavily by the mega Irish band. DOLPHIN TALE's score was done by Mark Isham.

Morgan Freeman leads a cast including Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson.

Have a look at the trailer:



Here's the official movie site. DOLPHIN TALE opens in theaters September 23. I'll be there! Thanks to EBostock for reminding me about this movie.