James Cameron’s upcoming 3D epic "Avatar" received some good news Monday morning: Texas Instruments DLP Cinema announced that it had reached the milestone of over 14,000 theater installations globally, more than half of which boast the projection technology required to show the film in three dimensions.
There had been concerns when Cameron’s film went into production more than three years ago that not enough theaters would have the projectors needed to screen the "Titanic" director’s next movie in 3D.
“DLP’s cutting edge technology will play an important role in bringing ‘Avatar’ to life for moviegoers around the world,” Bruce Snyder, Fox’s president of domestic distribution, said in a statement.
During the filming of “Avatar,” DLP projectors were used for real-time viewing of the footage being shot. Additionally, Cameron and his production company, Lightstorm Entertainment, used DLP Cinema projectors during post-production to provide contrast ratios, color calibration and 3D imagery.
The more than $200 million film is the first live-action movie to be shot entirely with 3D technology. Exhibitors using projectors from DLP Cinema’s three licensees (Barco, Christie Digital and NEC) provide the capability to light up screens as big as 100 feet and 3D screens up to 75 feet. "Avatar" hits theaters on Dec. 18.
