THE MOVIES GET REAL
Fans flock to live theatre on the big screen
Seventeen years ago, the folks at Cineplex decided to broadcast WWE wrestling live in a few theatres. “It was considered business development back then,” says Brad LaDouceur, vice president of Event Cinema at Cineplex. Soon after, David Bowie and David Gilmour of Pink Floyd became the first artists to do live events via satellite into cinemas. The tipping point came 10 years ago, when the Metropolitan Opera in New York City began to broadcast live performances. This October will see the 100th show from the Met in cinemas. What began as an experiment has become a major event and a global phenomenon.
In the early days, says LaDouceur, “we only booked in 17 locations — we had no clue how big it would be.” Within a month, they’d ramped up to 60 locations; by the following season, they were in 100. “We’re in 135 locations now in big and small markets, like Salmon Arm and Trail, B.C.,” he says. “We found a great reach across the country, literally coast to coast.”
Every year, Cineplex screens 30 performances of The Metropolitan Opera, shows from the Stratford Festival, ballets from the National and the Bolshoi, and performances from the National Theatre and Royal Albert Hall in London, among others. Along with the performances, the broadcasts often include interviews with the stars and behind-the-scenes footage. Cineplex also screens remastered classic films, all of it in high definition and surround sound.
What’s next? LaDouceur says Cineplex will be screening more large productions from Broadway and London’s West End — Cineplex had the musical Memphis within its first year on Broadway — and more theatre skewed to young people. The desire for event cinema is strong. “You can have 25,000 people out on a weekend to see one live performance,” says LaDouceur. “We’re often sold out from downtown up to Empress Walk [in north Toronto] and we’re on multiple screens.” Ticket prices are roughly $15 to $28 for live or encore productions that can be up to five and a half hours long. “You can buy entire seasons of the Met for $500 for you and a guest,” he adds. “It’s huge value.”