Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Kong Skull Island in 5/70mm

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Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 02-01-2017, 07:34 PM:

Grand Lake has been contacted by Warners about opening in 70mm. Anybody else?

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 02-01-2017, 09:54 PM:

I heard from someone reliable that "Dunkirk" will have 70mm prints.

Posted by David J Hilsgen (Member # 2614) on 02-02-2017, 09:31 PM:

Willow Creek in Plymouth,MN also has been contacted by warners

Posted by Allan Barnes (Member # 5178) on 02-02-2017, 10:46 PM:

We want 70MM in Michigan... somewhere.... Henry Ford or OTHER... don't leave me hanging.

Posted by David J Hilsgen (Member # 2614) on 02-16-2017, 05:26 AM:

Emagine Willow Creek in Plymouth, Mn got confirmed for Kong in 70MM today.We use to be Muller family theatres sale took place July 2016

Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 02-16-2017, 08:48 AM:

The visuals in this movie look great. I'd love to see this in 70mm. If anyone in DC or NYC gets it I'll consider a trip.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 02-16-2017, 02:12 PM:

Since Dunkirk was lensed in 65mm it would be odd if there were not 70mm release prints.

I have about as much interest in seeing King Kong in 70mm as I would in being on the first crew to Mars. But at least it helps keep the format viable and the labs alive.

Mark

Posted by Allan Barnes (Member # 5178) on 02-16-2017, 09:43 PM:

Does Warners have a list of 70MM confirmed locations yet?

Posted by Allan Young (Member # 6332) on 02-17-2017, 05:03 AM:

quote: Mark Gulbrandsen
Since Dunkirk was lensed in 65mm it would be odd if there were not 70mm release prints.

There'll be both 5/70 and 70mm IMAX prints.

There was a lengthy sequence from Dunkirk attached to the 70mm IMAX prints of Rogue One and to be honest, the picture quality wasn't that great. Oddly soft and washed out.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 02-17-2017, 03:07 PM:

Well, lots of battle scenes are soft and washed out in other movies. Would think it would be hazy from all the gunpowder and explosions going off. Will be interesting to see scenes that are not hazy and how those look.

Mark

Posted by Brian D. Whitish (Member # 825) on 02-18-2017, 03:14 AM:

Seattle Cinerama will run Kong Skull Island for a week in 70mm.

Posted by Connor Wilson (Member # 6088) on 02-23-2017, 10:34 PM:

City Cinemas 1 2 3 in NYC is also confirmed for Kong in 70mm.

Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 03-01-2017, 08:11 PM:

Cool! Saw Fantastic Beasts there and it was a great presentation.

Does anyone have an in at that theater? I'd love to see the booth. PM me.

Posted by Geoff Jones (Member # 3668) on 03-02-2017, 08:02 PM:

According to in70MM, the full list is:

Willow Creek 12 - Plymouth
Look Cinemas - Dallas
Cinema Banque Scotia - Montreal
Arclight - Hollywood
Arclight - Sherman Oaks
City Cinemas 1,2,3 - New York
Cinerama - Seattle
Renaissance Grand Lake Theatre - Oakland

Strangely enough, the reviews are turning out to be pretty good. Too bad cinemas in Colorado don't have the wherewithal to run anything in 70MM.

Posted by Allan Barnes (Member # 5178) on 03-02-2017, 11:20 PM:

Cinema Banque Scotia ...Montreal in Winter... but it is 70mm

Posted by Brent Francis (Member # 5008) on 03-03-2017, 02:02 PM:

And Toronto? What are we, chopped Liver? Oi! [Razz]

Posted by Sascha F. Roll (Member # 9043) on 03-05-2017, 08:05 AM:

Talking about Sound, who is responsible for the Datasat Soundmix / QC?
AFAIR "The Hateful Eight" was the last project that Datasat themselves took care of.

Posted by Rick Raskin (Member # 1561) on 03-05-2017, 08:46 AM:

I wonder just how many venues still have 35/70mm machines? Or film projectors at all for that matter.

Posted by Daniel Schulz (Member # 1881) on 03-07-2017, 02:13 AM:

quote: Sascha F. Roll
Talking about Sound, who is responsible for the Datasat Soundmix / QC?
AFAIR "The Hateful Eight" was the last project that Datasat themselves took care of.

The technology is in good hands; Datasat has licensed it to a company in LA called Inventure Studios, which is basically the last man standing for optical soundtracks for film. Inventure has several staffers from what used to be the premiere shop doing optical tracks for film (including quad track SR/SRD/DTS/SDDS), and also has on staff the DTS/Datasat engineer who used to be responsible for maintaining all of the sound cameras around the world for shooting DTS timecode. They all work really closely with Fotokem, so I think the ecosystem can be kept up for as long as the studios demand 5/70 prints with Datasat sound.

Regrettably I am no longer involved (I say regrettably 'cuz I *miss* it).

Posted by David J Hilsgen (Member # 2614) on 03-07-2017, 03:06 PM:

Anybody get there combo # yet for kong

Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 03-08-2017, 06:15 PM:

There are 3 theatres in the San Francisco Bay area that have functioning 70/35 mm equipment. Several more that can do 35mm. One of which is 35mm no digital.

Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 7758) on 03-09-2017, 10:20 PM:

Quite predictably, in all of greater Los Angeles we get not one but two 70mm prints: Arclight Hollywood (not the Dome) and Arclight Sherman Oaks, where Fantastic Beasts got notoriously fouled on their most recent 70mm run. Since I've no intention of seeing this movie, I hope someone else does and reports on how it looks.

On a different note, Arclight Santa Monica has it playing on "Wide Screen." (Per Fandango.) So innovative! Wonder how it works?

Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 03-09-2017, 10:54 PM:

Have to say the look of this digital blow-up is much better than Fantastic Beasts. Has that 70mm look.

Posted by Terry Monohan (Member # 8285) on 03-10-2017, 09:08 AM:

Stephan (MR Showmanship) thanks for your report. A bunch of us are coming over Sat eve to Oakland for your 70mm showing in Theatre #1 at the Grand Lake Theatre. It will be a Grand 70mm night with the organ to be played from 7PM. The trailer for this Kong movie looks like fun. Glad the owners of this classic cinema went out of their way so we can have at least one theatre in Northern CA to see this large 70mm blow up film print of Kong. It will be so nice to see the large plastic Wagner letters on the giant Grand Lake neon marquee say 70mm. Turn up the surrounds and open up your two curtains in one of the best theatres in California the Fox Grand Lake in Oakland CA. So easy to get to on BART from SF and then the #12 AC bus to the front door of your 70mm mega theatre. So nice to have a true 70mm projectionist still on duty these days.

Posted by Mark Campbell (Member # 4411) on 03-10-2017, 07:51 PM:

Just saw it at the Cinerama in Seattle. Presentation was stunning. Better than any digital presentation I have ever seen. Including Liemax or similar. Picture was rock steady. Color was right and bright. Sound was lush and deep. Aside from a flawed 70mm engagement of the Hateful Eight at Seattle's AMC Pacific Place 11 its been a while since I've seen a 70mm presentation. How I miss it! I am happy WB is still cranking out 70mm prints. I now know I will go see any 70mm film at the Cinerama, bad or good. Just for the experience.

I peeked in the booth window and saw a pair of Kinoton's set up for changeover.

And how refreshing to see changeover cues again!!!

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 03-16-2017, 12:14 PM:

quote: Daniel Schulz
The technology is in good hands; Datasat has licensed it to a company in LA called Inventure Studios, which is basically the last man standing for optical soundtracks for film.

Foto-Kem will shoot optical tracks, too, unless they are just sending their work out to Inventure. I don't know if they do the digital tracks, though.

Is NT Audio Visual still around?

Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 03-16-2017, 03:36 PM:

NT Audio Visual has been gone for a few years now.

Posted by Mark Campbell (Member # 4411) on 03-17-2017, 12:29 PM:

I was disappointed there were no trailers ahead of Kong at the Cinema. Was this the case at other theaters? Surprised WB didn't attach a Dunkirk trailer knowing it will be released in 70mm.

Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 03-17-2017, 09:15 PM:

I run digital trailers ahead and then changeover to the 70mm feature.

Posted by Daniel Schulz (Member # 1881) on 03-18-2017, 04:01 AM:

No trailers at Arclight Hollywood.

I just saw it tonight, so one week into the run. The print would have looked great - the desaturated colors and overall vintage look to the film lends itself to a filmout. Unfortunately there was a terrible vertical scratch through the entire picture a little bit in from the left side of the screen, and another (lighter) vertical scratch 2/3 across. That scratch was much worse in the first 3 reels or so, then got lighter and by the last two reels was almost vanished.

I know I shouldn't be surprised, but it's disappointing that even with 70mm prints in the heart of Hollywood nowadays you're really better off watching the DCP.

Posted by Connor Wilson (Member # 6088) on 03-18-2017, 11:57 AM:

I saw the 70mm engagement a week ago today at City Cinemas NYC, which I thought did a great job.

By then, it was only a little more than 24 hours into its run, and the print for the most part was pristine. Rock steady, great colors and contrast, it could be mistaken for a DCP save for some dirt in the beginning and end of reels. Despite the print being sourced from a 2K DI film-out, I can say the light output on the 70mm print/projector was superior to that of DCP Scope, of course, since 70mm uses the full aperture and DCP Scope only uses a part of it.

Print-wise, and presentation-wise, a mighty step up from Batman v Superman last year. Datasat sound rocked the reclining seats. City Cinemas got the masking and framing right this time for 2.2:1, gone is the right-hand feathering from BvS's presentation.

There were no preceding trailers, the pre-show started with Screenvision's Front + Center in DCP Flat. Afterwards, it stayed on the Chevrolet "Enjoy the Show" changeover card (common in lots of independent NYC theaters) for a few minutes. I knew by then there were no DCP trailers scheduled for the show. The card, and the pre-show music, cut to black and silence. A screen reading "Get ready for KONG: SKULL ISLAND in 70mm Film" (paraphrased) with a progress bar showed up, accompanied with appropriate jungle ambiance. The bar is filled, the King roars, "Thank you for choosing City Cinemas" (paraphrased) closes us out. The room is dark for a while, the masking opens up, and sooner or later, we see the beautiful flying logos leading us to the film.

That was one of the best showmanship experiences I've ever had, especially in this digital age.

Posted by David J Hilsgen (Member # 2614) on 03-18-2017, 01:26 PM:

Is it just the grand lake & willow creek using curtains in our presentation of Kong.What i do to ad a little more to it as the lights are going down & my long leader is running i play the track from apocalypse now ride of the valkyries. Then at the end after the credit roll, were they say why are you still setting here in the dark, i take my house lights to black then after that i drop the curtain on the warners logo and its lights up.

Posted by Mike Schulz (Member # 4297) on 03-18-2017, 01:45 PM:

David, what you just described sounds perfect. I'm happy to know there are still some of us left out there who really care about presentation enough to go the extra mile when it's needed. In fact, if Warners would have included their own overture at the beginning it likely would have been the same choice you picked. It's the perfect segue into the beginning of this movie. Closing the curtain on the Warners logo at the end is exactly the way it should be, too. Good job [beer]

Posted by David J Hilsgen (Member # 2614) on 03-25-2017, 07:28 PM:

Thanks for the compliment Mike,looks like from what i can tell by the web sites , grand lake & willow are the only ones playing it yet in 70

Posted by Aron Toplitsky (Member # 6950) on 03-29-2017, 06:07 PM:

I saw Skull Island in 70MM about two weeks after its release at the Arclight Hollywood, and unfortunately the print had a scratch running along the left part of the frame for the entire movie. I was also a bit underwhelmed and disappointed by the LFE. It was active during some scenes, but not many. It was played at a good level so I don't know what happened. The surrounds were really good though. Was it mixed that way, with such low impact LFE? I still had a good time at the movies, the film was a lot better than expected. Aside from that scratch the print looked good.

Posted by David J Hilsgen (Member # 2614) on 03-31-2017, 02:23 PM:

Going onto the 4th week at willow creek

Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 03-31-2017, 03:13 PM:

4/22 was it for the Grand Lake.

Posted by David J Hilsgen (Member # 2614) on 04-10-2017, 01:55 AM:

We came off on 4-6-17, got 4 good weeks out of it

Posted by Julian Antos (Member # 5497) on 07-06-2017, 02:30 PM:

Hi David,

We got your print of Kong for our 70mm festival in Chicago. Still looks great!

Posted by David J Hilsgen (Member # 2614) on 07-06-2017, 09:31 PM:

Hi Julian
Thanks for the compliment,That was running thru simplex for them 4 weeks, as you know not the greatest projector in the world, but it works, i wish i had a AA2 like you have, i worked in a theatre 29 years ago that had them last one i ran was good morning vietnam.

Posted by Jarod Reddig (Member # 6363) on 07-07-2017, 05:48 PM:

Watched Good Morning Vietnam last night just on BD in my living room tv. My home cinema is in the middle of an upgrade/waiting on materials to arrive.