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Reuters

US cinema chain Regal Entertainment said it would not premiere the sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon on any of its IMAX screens, objecting to a move by IMAX and Netflix to sidestep a normal theatrical release.
AMC Entertainment, which manages about 150 IMAX cinemas in the United States, also refused to premiere the sequel,  The  Hollywood Reporter said.
The sequel to the Oscar-winning film will be premiered on August 28 on Netflix's online streaming service and simultaneously in selected global IMAX cinemas, Netflix and IMAX said on Tuesday.
"While a home video release may be simultaneously performing in certain IMAX locations, at Regal we will not participate in an experiment where you can see the same product on screens varying from three stories tall to three inches [7.6cm] wide on a smartphone," said Russ Nunley, a spokesman for Regal.
Regal has 86 IMAX cinemas across the United States.
A number of reports said Regal and AMC's's rival, Cinemark, would not show the martial arts film either.
Netflix is jointly producing Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend with the Weinstein Company, marking the online video service's entry into feature film production.
The film will be the first of several to premiere at the same time on Netflix and in IMAX cinemas, the companies said.
The film is a sequel to Ang Lee's martial arts epic, a co-production between the United States, Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan released in 2000. It is directed by martial arts choreographer Yuen Wo-ping, a veteran of Hong Kong cinema.
The manner of the film's release constitutes the biggest move yet by a major digital outlet to blow up Hollywood's traditional pattern. Exhibitors, in tandem with the major studios, have long sought to guard the theatrical window.
"This is a very unique opportunity for somebody from the outside coming in to shake up what appears to be an increasingly antiquated release strategy," said Rich Greenfield, a media analyst for BTIG Research. "They had to get into the movie business to reduce windowing, and I think this is an important step one for Netflix."
Weinstein Company co-chairman Harvey Weinstein said: "The moviegoing experience is evolving quickly and profoundly, and Netflix is unquestionably at the forefront of that movement."
Additional reporting by Associated Press
 

Tetris goes from game to big-screen blockbuster
The classic videogame Tetris, in which players slot a cascade of tumbling blocks together, is being turned into a science-fiction film, the project's developers said on Tuesday. Tetris has been a mainstay of gaming since it was created 30 years ago, but the shape-slotting puzzle may not seem an obvious subject for a big-screen adaptation. Threshold Entertainment and The Tetris Company will develop the film.
"Everyone knows that Tetris is one of the best known, most beloved brands in the world," Threshold chairman Larry Kasanoff said. "What everyone doesn't know yet is this epic sci-fi story that we're going to tell." Threshold has scored game-to-film successes, notably two Mortal Kombat films.
Henk Rogers, managing director of The Tetris Company, said the game feeds our "innate desire to create order out of chaos".
"You'll soon find out, there's much more to Tetris than simply clearing lines," he said. Tetris has been downloaded more than 425 million times as a paid-for app on mobile devices, the filmmakers added.
Agence France-Presse


US cinema chains refuse to premiere 'Crouching Tiger' sequel

Michelle Yeoh appears in a scene from "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend". Photo: AP

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World

US cinema chain Regal Entertainment said it would not premiere the sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon on any of its IMAX screens, objecting to a move by IMAX and Netflix to sidestep a normal theatrical release.
