CinemaNext Signs Agreement with Alamo Drafthouse Cinema for EclairColor HDR Deployment in the US

“We’re excited to become part of this HDR adventure with EclairColor,” said Alamo Drafthouse Founder and CEO Tim League. “It’s part of our strategy to keep our investment high when it comes to elevating the image quality of our projections simply because our raison d’être is to provide the best entertainment experiences to moviegoers with the right mix of programming: blockbusters, indies, foreign films, documentaries and classic movies. The benefits of EclairColor HDR are clearly visible to moviegoers with a significantly enhanced image and an increased perception of details. The color range is much richer and the gradients much more refined, even in the darkest colors.”

“We are thrilled to seal this new alliance with Alamo Drafthouse, a cinema chain heralded for unique programming events and high exhibition standards, right after successfully completing our first test site at Alamo Drafthouse Mueller in Austin back in September,” said Stan Hays, Managing Partner of CinemaNext North America. “It’s an important milestone for our company in the deployment of a powerful and affordable HDR technology across the States. We expect to complete our first initial roll-out before summer in the cities of Dallas and Corpus Christi (TX), Chandler-Phoenix (AZ), San Francisco (CA), Denver (CO), Springfield (MO), La Vista/Omaha (NE), Brooklyn and Yonkers (NY) and Ashburn (VA).”

EclairColor is a HDR solution that combines a mastering process and select projection system technologies from Sony Digital Cinema 4K and Barco, available through CinemaNext. It provides cinemas with unparalleled image projection technology. All types of cinemas - independent movie theaters, regional chains and giant exhibition circuits -, regardless of their screen size, can be equipped with EclairColor HDR. The equipment can be used to run EclairColor mastered content as well as standard DCI content. To date, a total of 126 cinema auditoriums have been equipped with EclairColor including 59 in Germany, 54 in France and 3 in the United Kingdom.

CinemaNext North America offers cinema exhibitors a wide range of products, services and integrated software solutions and aims to be a highly-attractive alternative to existing solutions on the US market. Global service points for projection and audio systems, installation and maintenance have been established to address cinema exhibitors’ needs with a strong network of technicians across six US regions: Northwest, Southwest, North Central, South Central, Northeast and Southeast. CinemaNext North America is the US branch of CinemaNext, the largest cinema exhibition services company in Europe with 29 offices located in 26 countries.

Founded in 1997, Alamo Drafthouse has been heralded for unique programming events and high exhibition standards, earning accolades including “Best Theater Ever” (Time Magazine) and “The Coolest Theater in the World” (Wired). Alamo Drafthouse provides a unique combination of theater and restaurant, showing first-run movies, independent films and special events with an extensive menu made from scratch. Guests order all food and drinks from servers who quietly attend to them throughout the movie from inside the theater.

More information on CinemaNext and EclairColor HDR are available at https://www.cinemanext.com or https://www.eclaircolor.com

CinemaNext and EclairColor are registered trademarks of Ymagis Group.

CinemaNext is the Ymagis Group’s business unit dedicated to exhibitor services. Founded in 2007 and managed by professionals from the motion picture and high-tech industries, Ymagis Group is a European leader in advanced digital technology services for the cinema industry. Through CinemaNext and Eclair, the Group provides smart, comprehensive solutions to movie exhibitors, distributors (feature films & event cinema), producers, rights holders, cinema/TV advertising networks, broadcasters, OTT channels and video publishers. Over the years, Ymagis Group has significantly expanded its portfolio of solutions & services and further developed its geographic footprint in Europe with permanent offices in 26 countries. The company’s core business is structured around three main units: CinemaNext (exhibitor services: sales and field services, software solutions, customer service/NOC and consulting), Eclair (content services: post-production, theatrical delivery, digital distribution, versioning and accessibility, restoration and preservation) and Ymagis (VPF & financial services). A publicly-traded company listed on Euronext, Ymagis Group is headquartered in Paris (France) and has close to 750 employees. For more information, please connect to http://www.ymagis.com, http://www.cinemanext.com or http://www.eclair.digital

The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema was founded in 1997 as a single-screen mom and pop repertory theater in Austin, TX. Twenty-one years later, with 31 locations and counting, the Alamo has been named "the best theater in America" by Entertainment Weekly and "the best theater in the world" by Wired. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has built a reputation as a movie lover's oasis not only by combining food and drink service with the movie-going experience, but also introducing unique programming and high profile, star-studded special events. Alamo Drafthouse created Fantastic Fest, a world-renowned film festival dubbed "The Geek Telluride" by Variety. Fantastic Fest showcases eight days of genre cinema from independents, international filmmakers and major Hollywood studios. Alamo Drafthouse's collectible art gallery, Mondo, offers breathtaking, original products featuring designs from world-famous artists based on licenses for popular TV and Movie properties including Star Wars, Star Trek & Universal Monsters. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is expanding its brand in new and exciting ways, including partnering with the film distribution company NEON, Birth.Movies.Death., an entertainment content platform for movie lovers, and the American Genre Film Archive, a non-profit film archive dedicated to preserving, restoring and sharing exploitation-era film.

Source: CinemaNext (Ymagis Group) and Alamo Draftouse Cinema