Upcoming blockbusters are made for an Imax screen, but studios and fans want premieres in the city centre
THERE HAVE been worse times to open a cinema in the capital. Conventional wisdom states that, at times of economic crisis, movies are among the few commodities that retain – even increase – their value. Sure enough, the last few years have been a boom time for exhibitors. Recent hits such as Alice in Wonderland, Toy Story 3and Avatarhave eaten box-offices alive.
Irish per-capita grosses have, as ever, remained ahead of the US and UK equivalents. But this year has seen something of a slump.
Though The Hangover Part 2has been a genuine smash, the 2011 figures are down on last year. Exhibitors are crossing their fingers and trusting that closing Harry Potterand Twilightepisodes will reinvigorate the industry.
The market is, in short, stranded somewhere between a vigorous bull and a slovenly bear.
Still, there are good ideas in the O2 plan. Dublin has, to date, been conspicuously short of an Imax venue. The last such venture in the capital – located at what is now the Cineworld site on Parnell Street – closed at the worst possible time. At the turn of the century, Imax was the preserve of dreary nature films and documentaries on rollercoasters. Shortly after the venue shut its doors, Hollywood studios finally began launching mainstream releases in the giant format. Batman Begins was a hit on the medium in 2005. The Dark Knight, Star Trekand Spider-Man 3built on that success.
The arrival of 3D further advanced the project. If there had been an Imax cinema in Dublin for the release of Avatar it would have been groaning with spectacled punters for months on end. Upcoming blockbusters such as The Dark Knight Risesand Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocolare being prepared for Imax release.
The notion of launching the O2 as a venue for grand premieres is, however, a trickier one. It is true to say that the traffic will be less hectic at that end of town. But studios – and gawping fans – like the idea of premieres taking place in the centre of the city. It is for that reason London galas tend to happen among the hustle and bustle of Leicester Square. The grand old Savoy One, a Dublin institution, has long been the natural home of the movie red carpet.
No amount of huge screens, wide-open spaces and easy parking will easily erase that durable tradition.
