Black Swan Doubles Bookings

13th March 2011: With Natalie Portman scooping the ‘Best Actress’ Oscar for Black Swan, Apollo Cinemas has seen a surge in tickets for people wanting to watch classical productions.

The tale of the New York ballerina has inspired a 200% rise in the number of people signing up to Apollo Cinemas’ Global Season of Opera and Ballet, which aims to bring classic ballet and opera productions to regional communities. The season has shown productions from The Nutcracker to La Boheme in crisp Sony 4K digital resolution as well as screening Carmen in 3D.

To give its consumers a truly immersive and engaging visual experience, Apollo Cinemas recently signed an agreement with Sony Digital Cinema to install Sony 4K digital cinema projection systems across its circuit. Sony Digital Cinema 4K technology allows consumers to experience exceptional picture quality from every seat in the cinema, providing world-leading 3D images and spectacular detail even on the largest screens, it’s almost like you are on stage with the performers.

From March 5th 2011, Apollo will be screening the operatic film Carmen in 3D. Filmed in 3D during two performances at the Royal Opera House, Carmen in 3D is a feature film depicting acclaimed director George Bizet’s opera classic. Sony 4K digital technology will allow audiences to view Carmen with the most state-of-the-art on-screen presentation available, delivering a fully immersive 3D experience.

Rob Arthur, Managing Director Apollo Cinemas, says: “We’ve seen a growing trend for people wanting to watch classical productions and I’m sure Black Swan’s Oscar win will see our Global Season of Opera and Ballet go from strength to strength. Black Swan has definitely made ballet more appealing to a mass audience and we hope to continue to make classics more accessible to our local audiences.”

David McIntosh, Director, Sony Professional Solutions, Europe commented, “This just shows that the exciting partnership between Sony and Apollo enables Apollo to capitalise on the enormous opportunities that digital cinema offers to strengthen and sustain their business, as well as to revolutionise the movie-going experience for its customers.” Tickets for Carmen in 3D are also available from Apollo Cinemas website – www.apollocinemas.com