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Sunday, 23 July 2006 |
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The debut on Friday of Steven Spielberg's animated thriller Monster House is part of an explosion of 3D films that Hollywood studios and exhibitors hope will bring people back to the movies. The Columbia Pictures film will debut on the largest number of digital 3D-equipped screens ever, in a nod to the unexpectedly robust results shown last fall by the Walt Disney Co's 3D release of Chicken Little.
"Monster House," a tale of three preteenish pals desperate to prove that the decrepit house across the street is possessed by a toy-stealing, people-eating spirit, features the voices of Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal and TV's Kevin James.
U.S. box offices are enjoying a rebound this year -- ticket sales are up 7 percent year-to-date and attendance is up 3.8 percent -- after a deep downturn in 2005 that had Hollywood pondering how to compete with home entertainment offerings.
"This industry is crying out, 'Make it special,"' said Chuck Viane, Disney's head of distribution and a proponent of 3D cinema. "(3D) is the greatest delineation between us and home entertainment." You can read the rest of the article here .
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